System Director, Enterprise Service Management

Summary:

The System Director of Enterprise Service Management establishes and manages an enterprise-wide IT Service Management (ITSM) program to ensure consistent, high-quality service delivery across all Information Services functions. Serving as the central authority for ITSM standards and process maturity, the position aligns ITIL-based practices with business priorities, defines service performance metrics, and drives accountability through cross-functional collaboration. Working closely with the Deputy CIO and senior IS leaders, the role drives adoption of service management disciplines into daily operations, advances continuous improvement through automation and optimized use of ITSM platforms, and promotes a culture of service excellence, transparency, and data-driven decision-making.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree required.; Master degree preferred.
• Education and experience in relevant ITIL support and delivery processes.

Experience:

• Minimum 10 years of progressively more responsible experience in large complex information systems environments with a wide variety of Healthcare Management Information Systems applications and technologies.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in a leadership role.
• Experience with Service Now preferred.

Skills:

• ITIL and ITSM preferred

Licenses, Registrations, or Certifications:

• ITIL certification preferred

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICE & OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT (ITSM/ITOM)

• ITSM Strategy & Governance - Establish and maintain the enterprise IT Service Management framework, ensuring alignment with ITIL best practices. Define, govern, and continuously improve core ITSM processes including Incident, Problem, Change, Request, Knowledge, Configuration, Service Catalog, and Service Level Management. Serve as the division’s central authority for service management standards, ensuring consistent adoption across all IS departments.
• Operational Excellence & Service Delivery - Drive a unified approach to service delivery across infrastructure, applications, client services, and specialized business technology teams. Develop and maintain service level agreements (SLAs), operational level agreements (OLAs), and key performance indicators (KPIs) that measure service quality and operational performance. Lead cross‑functional operational reviews, ensuring accountability for service performance and identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Process Integration Across IS Leadership - Partner closely with the Deputy CIO and peer leaders—including the CTO, VP of Client Services, System Director of Finance, and System Director for Health Plans—to embed ITSM processes into their operational workflows. Facilitate alignment between technical operations, customer‑facing support, and business‑specific technology teams to ensure seamless service experiences. Provide guidance and oversight to ensure that all teams follow standardized change control, incident escalation, communication protocols, and service reporting.
• Continuous Improvement & Maturity Advancement - Lead initiatives to assess and elevate ITSM process maturity across the division. Implement automation, self‑service, and workflow optimization to improve efficiency and reduce operational friction. Champion a culture of service excellence, customer focus, and data‑driven decision‑making.
• Technology & Tools Oversight - Oversee the governance, configuration, and optimization of ITSM platforms (e.g., ServiceNow or equivalent). Ensure accurate and reliable data within the CMDB, service catalog, and operational dashboards. Partner with technical teams to ensure tool capabilities support process maturity and operational needs.
• Communication & Stakeholder Engagement - Lead enterprise communication for major incidents, planned maintenance, and service‑impacting events. Provide transparent reporting to the Deputy CIO and CIO on service performance, trends, risks, and improvement initiatives. Build strong relationships with clinical, operational, and administrative leaders to understand service needs and drive satisfaction.

VENDOR AND CONTRACT MANAGEMENT

• Provide programmatic oversight for vendor and contract management initiatives across all IT service lines, ensuring alignment with the health system’s operational, financial, and compliance objectives.
• Establish and maintain governance frameworks to assess vendor performance, service reliability, and contractual obligations in collaboration with supply chain and legal teams.
• Promote a standardized approach to vendor evaluation, selection, and renewal that supports interoperability, data security, and continuity of care.
• Guide long-range vendor strategy to balance innovation, cost control, and risk mitigation across enterprise technology agreements.
• Monitor vendor ecosystem health and foster collaborative partnerships that advance clinical and business outcomes.

APPLICATION LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT

• Provide programmatic leadership over the health system’s application lifecycle management process, ensuring structured planning, deployment, maintenance, and retirement of clinical and business applications.
• Develop and implement enterprise frameworks for version control, release governance, and change management that support regulatory compliance and patient safety.
• Partner with operational and clinical leadership to ensure applications evolve with organizational priorities and care delivery models.
• Oversee program performance metrics to identify and escalate risks, redundancies, or modernization opportunities across the application environment.
• Application Portfolio Management (App Rationalization) - Direct programmatic oversight of enterprise application portfolio management (App Rat) to maintain a unified, strategic view of all applications supporting patient care and administrative operations.
• Establish consistent methodologies for evaluating technical health, regulatory alignment, value contribution, and total cost of ownership.
• Lead systemwide rationalization initiatives aimed at consolidating platforms, improving integration, and reducing complexity.
• Coordinate with operational, financial, and compliance stakeholders to prioritize rationalization projects that advance interoperability and return on investment

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS FOR IS FUNCTIONS

• Oversee the design and delivery of comprehensive training programs to strengthen technical skills, regulatory awareness, and professional growth across all IS teams.
• Partner with HR, compliance, and clinical informatics to ensure curricula align with patient safety, cybersecurity, and healthcare regulatory requirements (e.g., HIPAA, Joint Commission standards). Foster a culture of continuous learning and cross-functional collaboration through structured onboarding, certification pathways, and mentorship programs.
• Implement competency assessments and feedback loops to measure program effectiveness and identify evolving skill needs within the IT workforce.

OTHER

• Project Management - Review technical feasibility of major projects across CHRISTUS Enterprise to ensure technical feasibility, realistic scope and achievable timeframes for projects.
• Vision and Strategy – Articulate, communicate and implement the corporate information systems strategy as it relates to Service Support and Management. Develop and initiate plans, projects, budgets, priorities, and operational activities to meet the organization’s business, clinical and community goals.
• Planning & Directing – Assist in the planning, prioritization, management and scheduling of all information systems and telecommunications projects activities and assignments.
• Budget & Financial Administration– Assist in developing departmental budgets for service desk; operations center; monitoring services; security administration and Tier 2 technical support teams to cover systems operating expenses and capital budgets. Approve and administer these budgets and report regularly on budget status.
• Staff Management - Recruit, train, motivate, evaluate, and retain a staff of highly skilled information systems professionals. Terminate staff as required. Provide ongoing leadership and motivation to ensure that the staff is focused committed and capable of producing expected results. Create and maintain a teamwork environment conducive to productive output, successful staff advancement and a rewarding work experience. Establish and enforce department policies, procedures and standards.
• PMO, Applications and Systems Development– Interface with and support management in all areas and at all levels in the definition of requirements, selection, design, development, implementation, and support of information systems, providing Service Management input into resource and system technology requirements.
• Application Purchases - Manage or oversee information system project teams responsible for the systematic requirements definition, identification, product evaluation, selection, and contract negotiation for purchased application.
• Communications – Develop effective written and oral mechanisms to document and report on information systems strategies, plans, priorities, budgets, schedules, and the current status of major projects and assignments.
• Contract Negotiations – Assist with approving contracts for the acquisition of information systems, including software, hardware and support services, following established processes.
• Teamwork – Promote and demonstrate good teamwork on assigned projects through actions and job performance.
• Customer Service– Develop and administer effective Customer Service Plans which includes provisions to accept record, prioritize, assign, track, resolve and report on customer service problems and issues. Assist with establishing departmental programs, which promote and emphasize the commitment to exceptional customer service standards.