Chief Information Officer

UCF IT:
The University of Central Florida (UCF) invites applications, expressions of interest, and nominations for the role of Chief information Officer. UCF seeks an experienced and highly effective information technology leader with strong interpersonal and communication skills to provide decision-making support to the Vice President for Administrative Operations and Chief Infrastructure Officer (referred to as Vice President for Administrative Operations herein) and the University’s executive and academic leadership to optimize the strategic allocation of university resources.

About the University:

With more than 69,000 students, UCF is the largest university by enrollment in Florida and one of the largest universities in the nation. It has more than 13,000 employees and an operating budget of over $2 billion. UCF researchers received $217.1 million in fiscal year 2023 for funded research. In Fall 2023, the freshman class had an average SAT combined score of 1332, the Burnett Honors College enrolled 510 new students, and the number of incoming National Merit Scholars ranked UCF among the top 25 colleges and universities. Additional details are available at this link.  
 

The University offers 104 bachelor’s, 97 master’s, 33 research doctorates, 3 professional doctorates and 3 specialist degree programs, and it leads all universities in Florida in conferring more than 18,000 degrees a year. UCF is committed to innovative community partnerships, world-class research with local impact, and the integration of technology and learning.
 

UCF’s main campus is 13 miles east of downtown Orlando and adjacent to one of the top research parks in the nation. The University also has an accredited College of Medicine in the Medical City at Lake Nona, Rosen College of Hospitality Management located off International Drive, a campus in downtown Orlando, and UCF Connect locations throughout Central Florida.

Strategic Plan:

The University of Central Florida strategic plan, Unleashing Potential, Becoming the University for the Future 2022-2027, outlines steps to becoming a top 50 public research university and a designated preeminent university by the State University System of Florida by 2027, and a top 25 public research university with outcomes comparable to members of the Association of American Universities by 2033. The goals and priority initiatives in the plan include:

• Student Success and Well-Being

• Discovery and Exploration

• Community and Culture

• Innovation and Sustainability
   

UCF remains committed to delivering efficient results and improving student and research outcomes, and new recurring and non-recurring resources are needed to fuel the pursuit of international recognition and world-class academic programs. The University will focus on optimizing existing operations while also generating new resources to support the priorities set forth in this plan.

The Opportunity:

The Chief Information Officer (CIO) is responsible for establishing and executing the university-wide IT strategy, ensuring its integration with academic and administrative strategies. The role oversees the delivery of all information and technology capabilities required for successful academic and administrative performance.

Responsibilities:
1.    Strategic Planning and Execution (25%):

• Develop the IT strategic plan and technology roadmap.

• Collaborate with academic and administrative partners to define and execute the digital strategy.

• Oversee the strategic direction, design, development, operation, and support of IT systems and programs.
   

2.    IT Operations Management (35%):

• Develop and control the annual operating and capital expenditure budget and lead efforts toward operational efficiency and cost-saving initiatives.

• Ensure the reliability, security, and scalability of IT infrastructure and services.

Network Management: ensures that design and architecture of the network supports the university needs; develops and maintains a robust network architecture, implementing tools and processes for continuous performance monitoring to ensure optimal speed, reliability, and security, and ensuring the network infrastructure can scale to accommodate growth in users, devices, and applications; maintain network security measures such as firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems, and secure access controls to protect against cyber threats, developing and maintaining processes for quickly identifying and resolving network incidents to minimize downtime, implementing a structured change management process to ensure that network changes are planned, tested, and documented to minimize disruptions, and regularly assessing network capacity and planning for upgrades to handle current and future demands.

Systems Operations and Infrastructure: ensures server management is secure, reliable and scalable; storage management has adequate capacity, performance and protection; virtualization is being used to optimize resources and flexibility; cloud integration is used cost effectively to enhance scale and flexibility; backup and recovery systems protect against loss to ensure business continuity; patch management stays current with all updates; monitoring and maintenance tool are used for high availability and performance; systems comply with university policies, industry standards and regulatory requirements.

• Monitor key employee performance metrics such as productivity, engagement, and retention rates. Partner with HR for innovative solutions in recruitment, development, and retention of the IT workforce.

• Develop and implement policies and procedures for efficient use of university-wide data processing, networking, shared services, and tele data services.

• Lead the development of enterprise technology standards, governance processes, and performance metrics.

• Responsible for leadership in forming and enforcing university information security practices, policies, and procedures.
   

3.    Innovation and Digital Transformation (15%):

• Stay updated with new technologies and platforms, monitoring the rate of new technology adoption and digital tools across the university.

• Lead the establishment and execution of a digital workplace strategy.

• Promote a customer service-oriented culture and cooperation within UCF IT and across the university
   

4.    Information Security and Risk Management (15%):

• Develop and implement a comprehensive information security strategy that reduces detection time while also minimizing the number of security incidents.

• Ensure compliance with university, local, state, and federal regulations.

• Oversee the development and enforcement of information security policies, procedures, and standards.

• Conduct regular security assessments and audits to identify and mitigate risks.

• Take an active role in incident response efforts and oversee the university's cybersecurity program.

• Develop and implement a comprehensive information security strategy to protect the university's data and systems.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree required; At least fifteen years of relevant IT experience, with a minimum of 10 years in leadership roles. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or higher preferred.

• Able to provide examples of success in the following areas: developing and implementing an IT strategic plan, producing uptime and reliability of infrastructure and services, creating positive results with stakeholders, effective compliance with regulation and information security, developing high functioning teams and being innovative with technology strategy.

• Technical Skills: Extensive knowledge of IT infrastructure, systems, and applications.

• Leadership Skills: Proven ability to lead and manage large, complex teams.

• Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Interpersonal Skills: Strong ability to build and maintain effective working relationships.

• Innovation and Adaptability: Ability to stay current with emerging technologies and drive innovation.

• Compliance and Security: Knowledge of information security practices and ability to ensure compliance

Special Instructions to the Applicants:

UCF has retained Storbeck Executive Search, a national executive search firm, to assist in this search. For best consideration, applicants should submit a cover letter and resume directly to:
Steve Leo, Managing Director

Dr. Jennifer Mason, Managing Director

Vicki Henderson, Senior Associate

UCFCIO@storbecksearch.com
 

Are you ready to unleash YOUR potential?

As a next-generation public research university and Forbes-ranked top employer in Florida, we are a community of thinkers, doers, creators, innovators, healers, and leaders striving to create broader prosperity and help shape a better future. No matter what your role is, when you join Knight Nation, you’ll play an integral role at one of the most impactful universities in the country. You’ll be met with opportunities to connect and collaborate with talented faculty, staff, and students across 13 colleges and multiple campuses, engaging in impactful work that makes a positive difference. Your time at UCF will provide you with many meaningful opportunities to grow, you’ll work alongside talented colleagues on complex projects that will challenge you and help you gain new skills and you’ll have countless rewarding experiences that go well beyond a paycheck.

Working at UCF has its perks! UCF offers:

• Benefit packages, including Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Flexible Spending, and Employee Assistance Program 

• Paid time off, including annual and sick time off and paid holidays

• Retirement savings options 

• Employee discounts, including tickets to many Orlando attractions 

• Education assistance 

• Flexible work environment 

• And more…For more benefits information, view the UCF Employee Benefits Guide.

Dive into our Total Rewards Calculator to discover the diverse selection available to you, giving you a glimpse into the benefits that together shape your comprehensive rewards package at UCF.

Unless explicitly stated on the job posting, it is UCF’s expectation that an employee of UCF will reside in Florida as of the date the employment begins.

#LI-DNI

Department

Work Schedule

Type of Appointment

Expected Salary

Job Posting End Date

As a Florida public university, the University of Central Florida makes all application materials and selection procedures available to the public upon request.  

UCF is proud to be a smoke-free campus and an E-Verify employer. 

If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 407-823-1336 or email onac@ucf.edu.