Director of Research Computing & Cyberinfrastructure

Project Overview

The Division of IT requires an experienced leaderto provide immediate organizational stabilization and transformationalleadership during a period of significant departmental change. The departmentis facing organizational, operational, and cultural challenges that requiredecisive leadership, objective assessment, and rapid implementation ofcorrective actions before recruiting a permanent Director. This 9–12-monthinterim assignment will focus on rebuilding organizational culture, aligningresources with institutional priorities, improving operational effectiveness,and establishing sustainable management practices. The Interim Director will beempowered to make organizational decisions necessary to position the departmentfor long-term success while maintaining continuity of critical IT services andcustomer engagement.

The Interim Director will conduct a comprehensiveassessment of research technology infrastructure, services, operationalprocedures, active and anticipated projects, and budget requirements.Responsibilities include aligning operational procedures with divisionalstandards, leveraging service desk ticketing systems for support requests,client communications, project tracking, and reporting analytics, andestablishing effective governance, communication, and decision-makingprocesses. The role also involves documenting organizational recommendations,strategic priorities, lifecycle budgets, professional development needs, andtransition plans for permanent leadership, while recruiting, mentoring, andpreparing team members for long-term success. Success will be measured byimprovements in organizational culture, employee accountability, operationalperformance, customer satisfaction, governance maturity, and departmentalreadiness for permanent executive leadership.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership for all departmental operations, research technology infrastructure, and related services.
• Supervise managers, professional staff, and student staff.
• Establish performance expectations and monitor organizational outcomes.
• Make timely operational and resource allocation decisions.
• Lead organizational change initiatives and culture transformation efforts.
• Evaluate organizational effectiveness and recommend structural improvements.
• Develop and monitor departmental priorities and performance metrics in collaboration with executive leadership.
• Coordinate departmental budgets and strategic resource allocation in collaboration with executive leadership.
• Ensure compliance with university policies, security standards, audit requirements, and regulatory obligations.
• Remove organizational obstacles that inhibit productivity, innovation, and collaboration.
• Provide executive-level reports and recommendations to executive leadership.
• Develop succession planning and transition documentation for permanent leadership.

Requirements

Education and Certifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree In ComputerScience or a closely related discipline
• Master’s degree in science, technology, or a related field.

Required Skills:

• 8+ years of experience leading organizational transformation, change management, and service delivery optimization
• 8+ years of experience leading large, complex technology projects
• 8+ years of experience with personnel management, coaching, and performance accountability

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with research cyberinfrastructure, high-performance computing, high-speed storage, and networking technologies.
• Experience implementing governance and operational maturity frameworks.
• Experience managing organizational change in higher education.
• Knowledge of ITIL frameworks and IT service management best practices.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure and services, including AWS and Microsoft Azure.
• Familiarity with AI infrastructure and cloud-based AI technologies across AWS,Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Experience as a Carpentries Instructor, delivering technical training and supporting skill development.
• Training or hands-on experience with High-Performance Computing (HPC) technologies, including Slurm workload management and InfiniBand networking.

Benefits