Director Technology Strategy

Department: SoC Administration
Salary/Grade: ITS/81

Target hiring range for this position will be between $110,000-$125,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data

Job Summary:

The Director of Technology Strategy serves as a trusted technology partner to faculty and staff within the School of Communication. This consultative role focuses on understanding the unique research, teaching, and operational needs of the School and connecting them with the vast array of technology resources available at the School, University, and industry levels. The ideal candidate will be an innovative thinker who can translate complex technical capabilities into practical solutions that advance academic excellence and operational efficiency.

This role ensures tight partnership with Northwestern IT in the acquisition, design, implementation, and lifecycle of applications and IT infrastructure. The Director, collaborating with Northwestern IT, defines system goals and implements information security requirements, ensuring smooth integration with existing systems. They partner with Northwestern IT and other campus units to uphold security standards and university policies, solve complex problems, and provide guidance to other systems analysts, contractors, and consultants in the delivery of IT solutions. They understand and advocate for school-based needs.

Specific Responsibilities:

Technology Discovery & Consultation:

• Serve as the primary technology advisor to faculty and staff, conducting needs assessments and recommending appropriate technology solutions.
• Maintain comprehensive knowledge of School-level IT infrastructure, University IT services, and emerging technologies in higher education and communications fields.
• Actively research and evaluate new technologies that could benefit research, teaching, and administrative functions.
• Create and maintain a technology resource catalog accessible to all School personnel.

Research and Technology Support:

• Partner with faculty to identify and implement technology solutions for research projects, including data collection tools, analysis software, visualization platforms, and collaboration systems.
• Connect researchers with Northwestern IT's high-performance computing resources, data storage solutions, and specialized research software.
• Facilitate access to University-wide research tools and services, including Quest computing cluster, research data storage, and specialized software licenses. Provide guidance on research data management, security, and compliance requirements.

Teaching and Learning Technology:

• In coordination with Northwestern IT, advise faculty on pedagogical technologies, including Canvas LMS enhancements, lecture capture, interactive polling systems, and multimedia creation tools.
• Support innovative teaching methods by recommending and implementing technologies for hybrid learning, virtual reality applications, digital-interactive storytelling, game development, and media production.
• Collaborate with Northwestern IT and the Teaching and Learning Technologies team to ensure faculty awareness of available resources.
• Collaborate with Northwestern IT to ensure faculty have access to sufficient training materials and conduct workshops on teaching technologies.

Strategic Technology Planning:

• Participate in School-level technology planning and budgeting processes.
• Assess technology gaps and opportunities, making recommendations for School-specific investments versus leveraging University-wide resources.
• Serve as liaison between the School and Northwestern IT, ensuring alignment of local needs with University technology strategy.
• Collaborates with peers and in IT governance committees to share local requirements and aide in central IT effort prioritization discussions.
• Track technology trends in communications, media, and related fields to inform strategic planning.

Implementation and Project Management:

• Lead or coordinate technology implementation projects, working with Northwestern IT and external vendors as needed.
• Manage project timelines, stakeholder communications, and change management processes.
• Ensure successful adoption of new technologies through training, documentation, and ongoing support planning.

Supervises:

• Lead work direction and/or staff such as team members, subordinates, contractors, vendors, students, etc.
• Manage complex projects ensuring timelines, deliverables and expectations are met.

Miscellaneous

Performed other duties

Minimum Qualifications: (Education, experience, and any other certifications or clearances)

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in a major such as computer science, information technology, or related; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.
• 6 years functional/business/system analysis or other relevant experience required.
• Information Security
• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Access, Outlook)
• Microsoft SharePoint
• Third-party vendor risk management
• Cloud infrastructure
• Critical Thinking
• Business Intelligence Application Design
• Decision Making
• Judgment
• Problem Solving
• Troubleshooting
• Use-Case Analysis
• Budgeting
• Agile Environment
• Collaboration And Teamwork
• Functional Documentation
• Organizational Skills
• Planning
• Workflow Development & Documentation
• Write Proposals And Project Charters

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Demonstrated ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical audiences.
• Strong knowledge of higher education technology landscape, including learning management systems, research computing, and collaboration tools.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with ability to build relationships across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Project management experience with proven ability to manage multiple priorities. Understanding of information security principles and data privacy requirements.

Preferred Qualifications: (Education and experience)

• Master's degree in relevant field.
• Experience in academic or research institution settings.
• Familiarity with communications and media production technologies.
• Knowledge of research data management and computational research methods.
• Experience with enterprise IT service management frameworks.
• Certifications in relevant technologies or project management (PMP, ITIL, etc.).
• Understanding of accessibility standards and inclusive technology design.

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Excellent verbal and written communication, organization, planning and leadership skills;
• Ability to distill complex concepts into easy-to-understand frameworks and presentations
• Ability to lead requirements sessions with clients and project teams;
• Strong leadership, verbal and written communication skills with ability to articulate results and issues to internal and client teams
• Proven ability to work creatively and analytically in a problem-solving environment
• Consultative mindset with strong listening and needs assessment skills

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.