Senior Director, Information Technology

Senior Director of Information Technology

Department: Information Technology
Reports To: Vice President of Data and Technology

Position Summary

The Senior Director of Information Technology provides strategic leadership, governance, compliance oversight, and long-range planning for the college’s technology environment. This position is responsible for establishing institutional technology policies, ensuring regulatory compliance, managing cybersecurity governance, and aligning technology initiatives with the college’s academic and operational mission.

The Senior Director focuses on institutional strategy, risk management, regulatory compliance, accreditation support, cybersecurity governance, and future technology planning rather than daily operational support activities.

This role establishes enterprise technology architecture and governance while delegating operational implementation and day-to-day IT service delivery to the Director of Information Technology Operations.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Institutional Planning

• Translate institutional priorities into an integrated technology architecture and systems roadmap.
• Align technology initiatives with institutional goals, enrollment growth, academic priorities, and operational objectives.
• Develop and maintain the college’s long-term technology plan.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend future technology investments.
• Advise senior leadership on institutional technology risks, opportunities, and innovation strategies.
• Lead enterprise-wide technology governance initiatives.

Enterprise Architecture & Systems Integration

• Define and maintain the college’s enterprise technology architecture, including system integration, data flow, and platform strategy across institutional systems.
• Establish standards for interoperability, data exchange, identity management, and system design across all technology platforms.
• Evaluate and approve the technical architecture of new systems, integrations, and third-party solutions prior to implementation.
• Evaluate, select, and approve enterprise software platforms and institutional technology standards in alignment with institutional strategy and enterprise architecture requirements.
• Ensure alignment and effective integration between enterprise systems, including the student information system, learning management system, financial systems, and other core platforms.
• Identify and mitigate risks related to system fragmentation, duplicate data, and unsupported integrations.
• Collaborate with institutional leadership to ensure technology architecture supports data governance, reporting, and institutional effectiveness initiatives.

Policy Development & Governance

• Develop, implement, and maintain institutional IT policies, standards, and procedures.
• Establish governance frameworks for acceptable use, cybersecurity, data retention, access control, and technology risk management.
• Ensure institutional adherence to approved technology policies and operational standards.
• Lead policy reviews and updates in response to regulatory or technological changes.

Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management

• Oversee institutional compliance with: 
  • Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA)
  • Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
  • Federal and state cybersecurity requirements
  • Data privacy and information security regulations
• Coordinate institutional cybersecurity risk assessments and remediation planning.
• Oversee development and maintenance of security awareness and compliance training programs.
• Collaborate with auditors and regulatory agencies regarding IT-related compliance matters.

Accreditation & Institutional Reporting

• Support accreditation activities including Middle States compliance documentation and reporting.
• Maintain documentation and evidence related to institutional technology governance and security controls.
• Participate in institutional assessment, governance committees, and compliance initiatives.
• Ensure technology planning supports accreditation standards and institutional effectiveness initiatives.

Cybersecurity Governance

• Establish cybersecurity strategy and governance frameworks.
• Establish and oversee enterprise security policies, incident response planning, and cybersecurity preparedness.
• Ensure appropriate operational controls and incident response capabilities are implemented by IT operations.
• Evaluate institutional technology risks and mitigation strategies.
• Coordinate cybersecurity insurance requirements and risk management efforts.

Budgeting & Administration

• Develop the institutional IT budget and long-term capital planning, while delegating operational budget management and purchasing execution to IT operations leadership.
• Present technology initiatives, risks, and recommendations to executive leadership and governing boards.
• Negotiate technology partnerships and provide final approval of enterprise software contracts negotiated by IT operations leadership.
• Ensure appropriate allocation of resources to support institutional priorities.

Collaboration & Institutional Leadership

• Partner with academic and administrative leadership to support institutional initiatives.
• Serve on committees and institutional planning groups.
• Represent the college in technology consortiums, professional organizations, and external partnerships.
• Promote innovation and strategic use of technology across the institution.

Management & Supervision

• Supervise the Director of Information Technology Operations.
• Provide strategic direction for IT operations and service delivery.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity or related field; master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 7 years of progressive IT leadership experience.
• Demonstrated experience with IT governance, policy development, cybersecurity, and compliance management.
• Strong knowledge of GLBA, FERPA, cybersecurity frameworks, and higher education regulatory requirements.
• Experience supporting institutional accreditation, regulatory review, or compliance processes in higher education preferred.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and strategic planning skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in higher education leadership.
• Professional certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CRISC, ITIL, or PMP.
• Experience developing enterprise cybersecurity programs and governance structures.
• Experience presenting to executive leadership and governing boards.

Working Conditions

• Occasional evening or weekend work related to strategic initiatives, compliance deadlines, or incident management.
• Participation in institutional emergency planning and crisis management activities.

Pennsylvania Institute of Technology shall, in its discretion, modify or adjust the position to meet the school’s changing needs. This job description is not a contract and may be adjusted as deemed appropriate at the employer’s sole discretion.

Pennsylvania Institute of Technology (P.I.T.) has a policy regarding post-offer background screening for all appropriate faculty, staff, and volunteers of the College. This policy includes but is not limited to verifying credentials, criminal history, credit status, and other information related to employment decisions.

The College requires all new employees to have successfully completed background clearances. New employees must complete the background clearances prior to hire and, for those employees having direct contact with minors other than those described above, prior to the time they will begin having direct contact with minors and every 60 months thereafter. The College also reserves the right to require any employee to have a background check in its discretion during employment. Clearances required include a PA Statewide Criminal Record search, PA Child Abuse History, and FBI Criminal History record fingerprint search. A criminal record may be considered justification not to hire or for employment termination, depending upon the circumstances and record.

Pennsylvania Institute of Technology complies with all applicable anti-discrimination laws. PIT’s policy is to employ individuals who best meet the qualifications established for a position without regard to age, race, gender, political belief, sexual orientation or non-job-related disability. Equal opportunity is given in all areas of employment practice, including hiring, working conditions, employee treatment, promotion, and other terms and conditions of employment.