Position Vacancy Announcement

Position: The Director of IT Operations & Services at SURS is a senior leadership position responsible for supporting the daily operations of SURS and contributing to the strategic direction planning and management of SURS Information Technology (IT) initiatives. The Director of IT Operations & Services will work closely with the SURS CSTO to develop and implement technology strategies that align with the organizations goals and objectives while fostering innovation and promoting a culture of technological excellence. This role requires a deep understanding of support operations strong technical acumen exceptional leadership and communication skills. This position will oversee the operational units of infrastructure and operations application support office services and facilities.

Position: Director of IT Operations & Services

Position Type: Full-time Based in Champaign IL

Civil Service Classification: Information Technology Manager/Administrative Coordinator

Main Duties

• Provide guidance and mentorship to staff fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment.
• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the IT department Support Services team and facilities ensuring the delivery of reliable and efficient services.
• Collaborate with other senior leaders and stakeholders to understand their technology needs and develop solutions that enhance operational effectiveness.
• Evaluate approve and oversee the implementation of highly complex technical approaches and solutions.
• Provides leadership for planning developing and implementing information technology initiatives.
• Contribute to the development of Continual Operations Improvement and ensure the process is followed.
• Build confidence in IT by creating a track record of accomplishment.
• Oversees initiatives to monitor evaluate and improve customer service delivery.
• Participate in the hiring training development evaluation and appropriate disciplinary processes of direct and indirect reports.
• Draft and manage budgets for assigned projects and any assigned operational areas.
• Select train supervise and conduct regular evaluations of all assigned personnel; ensure ongoing training for personnel to maintain up-to-date technical expertise.
• Ensure adequate staffing scheduling and resources to provide high-quality services.
• Be available evenings nights and weekends to respond to calls regarding questions or problems with SURS computing resources or facilities.
• Establish SLAs OLAs & KPIs for all operational units to ensure the quality of services is met.

• Collaborate with the CSTO to develop and execute SURS IT strategic plan aligning technology initiatives with divisional & organizational goals.
• Provide leadership to high-value cross-functional strategic initiatives.
• Assist in developing and implementing policies standards and procedures to ensure effective and secure use of IT resources & SURS facilities.
• Stay abreast of emerging technologies and industry trends to provide recommendations on their potential impact and relevance to SURS.

• Lead the development and implementation of best practices and standards in process design architecture and operations of all aspects of service-oriented information technology delivery.
• Support the CSTO and IT leadership peers in establishing IT governance frameworks including project prioritization resource allocation and performance measurement.
• Ensure compliance with relevant laws regulations and policies related to data security privacy and intellectual property.
• Support and work to improve disaster recovery and business continuity plans.
• Works with SURS InfoSec team to implement appropriate information security measures and components to protect SURS computing resources from malicious attacks.

• Foster effective partnerships with organizational units to understand their technology requirements and provide innovative solutions.
• Collaborate with external vendors consultants and industry partners to evaluate and procure germane solutions that align with organizational needs.
• Participate in RFP committees and ensure appropriate solutions are procured to align with SURSs technology stack.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

1. Any one or any combination totaling 5 years (60 months) from the following categories:
   1. College coursework which includes Information Technology (IT) IT Management Programming IT Systems or a closely related discipline as measured by the following conversion table or its proportional equivalent:
      • 30 semester hours equals one (1) year (12 months)
      • Associates Degree (60 semester hours) equals eighteen months (18 months)
      • 90 semester hours equals two (2) years (24 months)
      • Bachelors Degree (120 semester hours) equals three (3) years (36 months)
   2. Work experience in IT-related functions such as hardware/software support programming network design network engineering IT systems integration or closely related field which includes supervisory or lead worker capacity.
2. 6 Years of progressively responsible experience in leading and managing an IT team or organization.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs)

• Strong supervisory project management administrative budget management and technical skills are required.
• The ability to maintain confidentiality with information processed stored transmitted or accessed by the systems is required.
• Strong knowledge of emerging technologies trends and best practices in IT.
• Proven ability to lead and motivate diverse teams fostering a collaborative work environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and proficiency in writing technical specification documents.

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters degree from an accredited college or university in Computer Science Business Management Information Systems or another related field.
• 6 years of experience in one or more technology areas: System Administration Network Administration Help Desk Cloud Solutions and Application Integration and/or Programming/Web Development.
• Experience in strategic planning technology implementation and IT governance.
• Experience in developing KPIs for operational excellence.
• Experience with enterprise architecture and cloud infrastructure.
• Experience in a fiduciary environment.
• Knowledge of facilities management & maintenance.

Position Information

This is a full-time position is based in Champaign IL. During the initial training period fully in-office workdays may be successful completion of the initial training period. this position may transition to a hybrid role. The starting salary range for this position is $120400 - $160500. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the full range for a position. Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience while also considering internal equity.

Benefits

• Insurance benefits including medical vision and dental
• Participation in SURS retirement plan
• Paid vacation sick leave and 10 paid holidays
• 2 additional floating holidays after 6 months of employment
• Paid Parental Leave after six months of employment
• Casual/business casual attire (dependent on job duties)
• Flexible work environment
• Free parking
• 37.5-hour standard work week
• Find more details regarding the benefits SURS offers at:SURS Employee Benefits - SURS

Application Process

About SURS

SURS is the administrator of a cost-sharing multiple-employer public employee retirement system that provides retirement survivor disability and death benefits to employees of Illinois state universities community colleges and certain other affiliated organizations and agencies. SURS was created in 1941 by an act of the Illinois General Assembly and is governed by the Illinois Pension Code (40 ILCS 5/15-101 et seq.). SURS provides benefit services to over 255000 members who work for 61 employers. SURS is responsible for investing assets in a diversified portfolio of U.S. and foreign stocks bonds real estate and alternative investments. SURS maintains a defined benefit plan which on June 30 2024 had assets valued at approximately $24.3 billion. SURS also administers two defined contribution plans the Retirement Savings Plan which on June 30 2024 had assets of approximately $4.3 billion and the Deferred Compensation Plan which had assets of approximately $67.4 million. Northern Trust serves as SURS master trustee custodian.

State Universities Retirement System is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and to providing reasonable accommodations on the basis of disability pregnancy childbirth or related conditions and religious beliefs practices or observances. Individuals requiring a reasonable accommodation to complete the application or interview process may submit a request by email at.