Job Description
The Division of IT requires an experienced leader to provide immediate organizational stabilization and
transformational leadership during a period of significant departmental change. The department is currently
experiencing organizational, operational, and cultural challenges that require decisive leadership, objective
assessment, and rapid implementation of corrective actions before recruiting a permanent Director.
The interim assignment is intended to serve as a transformational leadership role focused on rebuilding
organizational culture, aligning resources with institutional priorities, improving operational effectiveness,
and implementing sustainable management practices. The successful candidate will be empowered to make
organizational decisions necessary to position the department for long-term success and ensure a smooth
transition to permanent leadership.
Over a 9–12-month engagement, the Interim Director will lead a comprehensive organizational
transformation initiative that includes:
• Stabilizing departmental operations while maintaining continuity of critical IT services and
customer engagement
• Conducting an inventory of current research technology infrastructure, services, operational
procedures, active/anticipated projects, and budget needs/requests
• Establishing or aligning operational procedures with divisional standards and practices for
customer engagement, including leveraging the service desk ticketing system for managing
support requests, client communications, task/project tracking, reporting analytics
• Establishing governance, communication, and decision-making processes that support long-term
success
• Documenting organizational recommendations, strategic priorities, lifecycle budgets, professional
development needs, and transition plans for the incoming permanent Director
• Recruiting, mentoring, and preparing team members where appropriate to support long-term
organizational success
Success will be measured by demonstrable improvements in organizational culture, employee
accountability, operational performance, customer satisfaction, governance maturity, and departmental
readiness for permanent executive leadership.
DAILY DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Provide leadership for all departmental operations, research technology infrastructure, and related
services.
• Supervise managers, professional, 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.
REQUIRED SKILLS (RANK IN ORDER OF
IMPORTANCE):
1. 8+ years of experience leading organizational
transformation, change management, and
service delivery optimization
2. 8+ years of experience leading large, complex
technology projects
3. 8+ years of experience with personnel
management, coaching, and performance
accountability
PREFERRED SKILLS (RANK IN ORDER OF
IMPORTANCE):
1. Experience with research cyberinfrastructure,
high-performance computing, high-speed
storage and networking technologies.
2. Experience implementing governance and
operational maturity frameworks
3. Experience managing organizational change in
higher education
REQUIRED EDUCATION/CERTIFICATIONS:
Requires a completed bachelor's degree
PREFERRED EDUCATION/CERTIFICATIONS:
1. Master’s degree in science, technology, or a
related field.
2. ITIL
3. Cloud Infrastructure (AWS/Azure)
4. AI Inftrastructure (AWS/Azure/Google)
5. Carpentries Instructor
6. Training on HPC Technologies (Slurm,
Infiniband)
Requirements
SCOPE OF THE PROJECT:
The Division of IT requires an experienced leader to provide immediate organizational stabilization and transformational leadership during a period of significant departmental change. The department is currently experiencing organizational, operational, and cultural challenges that require decisive leadership, objective assessment, and rapid implementation of corrective actions before recruiting a permanent Director.
The interim assignment is intended to serve as a transformational leadership role focused on rebuilding organizational culture, aligning resources with institutional priorities, improving operational effectiveness, and implementing sustainable management practices. The successful candidate will be empowered to make organizational decisions necessary to position the department for long-term success and ensure a smooth transition to permanent leadership.
Over a 9–12-month engagement, the Interim Director will lead a comprehensive organizational transformation initiative that includes:
• Stabilizing departmental operations while maintaining continuity of critical IT services and customer engagement
• Conducting an inventory of current research technology infrastructure, services, operational procedures, active/anticipated projects, and budget needs/requests
• Establishing or aligning operational procedures with divisional standards and practices for customer engagement, including leveraging the service desk ticketing system for managing support requests, client communications, task/project tracking, reporting analytics
• Establishing governance, communication, and decision-making processes that support long-term success
• Documenting organizational recommendations, strategic priorities, lifecycle budgets, professional development needs, and transition plans for the incoming permanent Director
• Recruiting, mentoring, and preparing team members where appropriate to support long-term organizational success
Success will be measured by demonstrable improvements in organizational culture, employee accountability, operational performance, customer satisfaction, governance maturity, and departmental readiness for permanent executive leadership.
DAILY DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Provide leadership for all departmental operations, research technology infrastructure, and related services.
• Supervise managers, professional, 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.
REQUIRED SKILLS:
1. 8+ years of experience leading organizational transformation, change management, and service delivery optimization
2. 8+ years of experience leading large, complex technology projects
3. 8+ years of experience with personnel management, coaching, and performance accountability
REQUIRED EDUCATION/CERTIFICATIONS:
Requires a completed bachelor's degree
PREFERRED SKILLS:
1. Experience with research cyberinfrastructure, high-performance computing, high-speed storage and networking technologies.
2. Experience implementing governance and operational maturity frameworks
3. Experience managing organizational change in higher education
PREFERRED EDUCATION/CERTIFICATIONS:
1. Master’s degree in science, technology, or a related field.
2. ITIL
3. Cloud Infrastructure (AWS/Azure)
4. AI Inftrastructure (AWS/Azure/Google)
5. Carpentries Instructor
6. Training on HPC Technologies (Slurm, Infiniband)
Numbers & Facts
| Location | West Columbia, South Carolina |
| Industry | Staffing/Employment Agencies |
| Company Size | 20 to 49 employees |
| Year Founded | 2004 |
| Website | http://www.novalink-solutions.com/ |
About Company
Novalink, founded in 2003 , is a leading consulting and staffing company serving clients in public and private sectors in Information Technology, Telecommunications (IT/Telecom), Technical Networks, Finance, and Administration. With government agencies as our primary clientele, our team has a proven track record of success in providing temporary personnel solutions and managing government deliverables-based projects over the past 20 years.
Skills
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