Assistant Director, Information Technology

Overview

The Assistant Director, Information Technology serves as the key technology advisor to leadership within the School of Engineering Dean's Office and acts as a liaison with six academic departments and five interdisciplinary centers within engineering, other campus departments, Princeton's Office of Information Technology (OIT), and external constituents. This position provides support and oversight for a broad range of services, including technological needs in respect to facility renovations, teaching and research laboratories, and various high-profile and high-traffic event, meeting, and teaching classrooms across the engineering neighborhood, which encompasses eight buildings. The Assistant Director provides high-level computing and technical support for over 200 faculty and staff within the school and deploys others at his/her discretion. Using complex trouble-shooting skills and sound decision-making skills, this role is a strong advocate and knowledge expert, and regularly reviews technology as it relates to business processes, teaching needs, and research laboratory operations, and pro-actively leads initiatives on how to more efficiently utilize technology.

Additionally, this position serves as a key resource on the University's critical infrastructure standards & practices committee and provides direct oversight of the School of Engineering's gas monitoring systems including its design, implementation, and ongoing maintenance.

This position is onsite.

Responsibilities

IT Leadership and Management

• Serves as key strategic technology advisor to the Dean, Vice Dean, Associate Dean of Admin and Finance, and other senior leaders within the school (including departmental chairs and center directors).
• Holds regular meetings with technical staff across eleven units within SEAS; defines, implements, communicates, and continually improves the applied use of technology in SEAS' administration, research, scholarship, and pedagogy.
• Serves as the main point of contact for technical aspects of capital projects, building renovations, and infrastructure upgrades.
• Represents SEAS at conferences/meetings with education peers; manages one full-time staff member.
• Maintains technical certifications relevant to current IT trends in operating systems, IT security and project management.

Computing Support

• Ensures efficient and effective support of departmental desktops, laptops, tablets, smart phones, printers, projectors, and other electronic and audio-visual devices and equipment.
• Provides guidance to over 200 faculty and staff on computing purchases (hardware, software, mobile technology, and other applications) and maintains over 600 devices school-wide.
• Performs research and analysis necessary for developing appropriate recommendations regarding hardware/software configurations, policy standards, user needs, and capabilities/limitations of hardware and software.
• Manages back-ups, system life-cycles, software versioning, and technology assets.

Office Productivity

• Support all office productivity applications, including Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office, email, University business applications, and in-house applications.
• Maintain standardized Intune, JAMF and FCP machines, CyberArk, EntraID Directory, and Windows server administration.
• Administer, design, and develop Smartsheet, PowerApps, MS SharePoint applications for broad SEAS deployment, such as automating nominations for undergraduate awards and SEAS research project funding applications.
• Communicate all OIT alerts and best practices to faculty staff, and students.
• Administer procedures and configure devices ensuring safe travel abroad for faculty and staff, compliant with University policies.
• Be familiar with TigerData, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive cloud storage solutions.

Data and Web Management

• Develops and supports in-house database systems, inventory systems, and building technology infrastructure.
• Designs and deploys user databases on new printing/imaging/copier system(s) ensuring security and functionality for electronic documents.
• Serves as a consultant to departmental technical support on school-wide projects such as platform adaption (i.e., Drupal).
• Works closely and serves as main point of contact within the engineering community on OIT initiatives.
• Plays an integral role in implementing new or improved building technology for school-wide systems and acts as system administrator for infrastructure systems such as nitrogen gas meter billing system and mail room automation services.

Critical Infrastructure

• Ensures the availability, reliability, and performance of mission-critical infrastructure of the gas monitoring services, including server environments, networks, workstations, and cloud solutions.
• Develops and maintain disaster recovery and business continuity plans for all critical infrastructure across multiple sites.
• Manages and executes software and hardware integrations with research, operations, and other campus systems to ensure seamless functionality across multiple platforms and locations.
• Enables change management processes, ensuring that new systems, software updates, and hardware changes are thoroughly evaluated, tested, and implemented with minimal disruption to daily operations across all facilities.
• Apply IT best practices for service delivery, system lifecycle management, and continuous improvement of critical infrastructure and software solutions across multiple facilities.
• Review and recommend the use of new technologies and systems that may improve operational efficiency, security, or research capabilities.

Training and Liaison Services

• Educate and train faculty and staff on proper computing techniques. Train faculty, staff, students, and visitors on using conference and meeting rooms AV equipment.
• Assist faculty in use of classroom technology equipment. Monitor, inventory, and maintain department AV technologies.
• Act as liaison to OIT for all technical issues and projects. Facilitate engineering SCAD meetings to share best practices in an ever-changing research and teaching environment.
• Fully leverage training opportunities provided by the SCAD/DCS program. Represent SEAS at monthly SCAD/DCS and OIT security meetings.
• Support 10 event/meeting spaces across multiple buildings, some with large outside usage.
• Provide technical guidance and support at all large events in school by directing all AV and technical needs.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of prior work experience in IT
• Proven leadership with respect to solutions using technology
• Comfort with senior leadership and ability to thrive in high pressure situations
• Ability to prioritize, delegate and manage multiple, competing goals and tasks
• Exceptional communication skills, project management skills, & ability to speak to and generate documentation for a broad-range of constituents.
• Experience in managing teams and/or individuals directly
• Certifications in Microsoft and Apple products
• Strong experience in MS Windows and Apple hardware/software
• Bachelor's degree in information technology or a related field

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience in a university setting.
• Experience in renovation projects and the intersection of new facilities and technology.
• Understanding of and appreciation of Princeton's culture.
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional certification (CISSP)

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's qualifications, work experience, education/training, key skills, market, collective bargaining agreements as applicable, and organizational considerations when extending an offer. The posted salary range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate for a full-time position; salaries for part-time positions are pro-rated accordingly.

If the salary range on the posted position shows an hourly rate, this is the baseline; the actual hourly rate may be higher, depending on the position and factors listed above.

The University also offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees. Please see this link for more information.

Standard Weekly Hours

Eligible for Overtime

Benefits Eligible

Probationary Period

Essential Services Personnel (see policy for detail)

Physical Capacity Exam Required

Valid Driver’s License Required

Experience Level

Salary Range