Senior Director Student Information and Systems Design, Information Technology [R0149151]

The University of Nevada Las Vegas invites applications for Senior Director Student Information and Systems Design Information Technology R0149151.

ROLE of the POSITION

The Senior Director of Student Information and Systems Design provides strategic leadership and oversight for UNLVs student information systems (branded as MyUNLV powered by Oracle PeopleSoft Campus Solutions). This role encompasses both functional leadership and technical management of all Campus Solutions modules including admissions recruitment registration financial aid academic advising student financials and campus community and the newly implemented Oracle Student Financial Planning (SFP) ensuring their effective implementation maintenance integration and optimization to support the universitys academic and administrative goals.

The Senior Director acts as the principal owner of MyUNLV directing cross-functional teams in enhancing system capabilities data integrity and user experience. Reporting to the Assistant Vice President for Digital Enablement (within the Office of Information Technology) this position collaborates extensively with academic and administrative stakeholders to align system functionality with institutional strategy.

The expanded scope of the role now includes direct oversight of the PeopleSoft technical developers in addition to the functional analysts thereby unifying accountability for both the functional use and technical development of line with industry best practices for higher-education IT leadership the Senior Director serves as a bridge between campus business units and technology teams ensuring that MyUNLV is leveraged to its full potential in support of student success regulatory compliance and operational efficiency.

Key Duties

Strategic SIS Leadership: Lead the planning and direction of MyUNLV aligning system capabilities and enhancements with institutional goals and student success initiatives. This includes formulating long-term SIS roadmaps upgrade cycles and innovation strategies in collaboration with university leadership.

Functional Oversight: Provide functional leadership for student-related processes by working closely with Enrollment Management and Academic Affairs units (Admissions Registrar Financial Aid Academic Advising Graduate College etc.) to ensure MyUNLV supports and optimizes these offices workflows. The Senior Director facilitates needs assessment prioritizes enhancements or fixes and ensures that delivered solutions meet end-user requirements and improve service delivery to students and staff.

Technical Oversight: Directly oversee the MyUNLV technical team responsible for system configuration development integration and support. This includes guiding technical staff in implementing new modules or features applying updates and patches optimizing system performance and maintaining integrations with other systems. The Senior Director ensures that technical efforts are coordinated with functional priorities and that the systems architecture and configurations adhere to best practices and Oracle guidelines for stability and security.

Systems Integration & Collaboration: Champion cross-functional collaboration and systems integration efforts. Work closely with other enterprise platform teams (e.g. Learning Management Systems Customer Relationship Management such as Salesforce document imaging systems identity management data warehouse/BI platforms and the Universitys finance/HR systems) to ensure MyUNLV interfaces smoothly with the broader campus technology ecosystem. This involves coordinating data feeds ensuring consistent user experience across platforms and jointly planning initiatives that span multiple systems for a seamless student and staff experience.

Data Management & Reporting: Oversee student data reporting and analytics functions related to MyUNLV. Leverage the SIS to provide strategic data insights and ensure accurate timely reporting for institutional needs (e.g. enrollment statistics retention compliance reports). Develop and implement data reporting strategies and data governance policies that enhance decision-making and institutional effectiveness while also ensuring compliance with federal state and institutional reporting requirements (such as IPEDS accreditation National Student Clearinghouse and FERPA regulations).

Policy Compliance & Best Practices: Ensure that usage of MyUNLV aligns with university policies and industry best practices. This includes enforcing data security and privacy standards maintaining audit compliance within PeopleSoft modules and minimizing customizations in favor of delivered (out-of-the-box) functionality where possible. The Senior Director stays informed on Oracles product roadmap and higher-education technology trends to guide UNLV in leveraging new features and preparing for future changes (e.g. PeopleSoft updates or transition to cloud-hosted solutions).

Team Leadership & Development: Provide high-level supervision and mentorship to a diverse team of functional analysts business systems analysts technical developers and reporting specialists. Set clear performance expectations oversee workload and project assignments and support professional development opportunities to build team capacity. Foster a collaborative inclusive work environment that encourages innovation customer service excellence and accountability.

Resource Management: Manage the budget and resources for the student information systems area. Develop annual operating budgets and project budgets for MyUNLV-related initiatives and monitor expenditures to ensure they remain within approved limits. Make data-driven recommendations for resource allocation (e.g. staffing training procurement of third-party tools or consulting services) to effectively support and enhance the SIS.

Stakeholder Communication: Serve as the primary liaison for MyUNLV-related communications campus-wide. This involves informing stakeholders of new system features or changes providing timely updates on system issues or outages and guiding the campus through major PeopleSoft events (upgrades new module rollouts etc.). The Senior Director directs SIS governance and user advisory groups or steering committees to gather feedback and set priorities ensuring transparency and stakeholder engagement in governance of the student information system.

PROFILE of the OFFICE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

With a focus on excellent customer service UNLV Information Technology (UNLV IT) provides a full range of IT services from leadership and enterprise solutions to training and support for our students faculty and staff.

As a partner in teaching learning research and administration at a Top-Tier university we are seeking team members who value innovation collaboration and excellence. We believe that every person brings unique experiences and perspectives that strengthen our team and help us serve UNLVs broad community with empathy which is a key to our success.

Applicants seeking a values-driven environment that celebrates individuality and that are committed to service are highly encouraged to apply.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

This position requires an earned Bachelors Degree from an accredited college or university as recognized by the United States Department of Education and/or the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) in Computer Science Information Systems Business Administration Higher Education Administration or a related field and a minimum of eight years of progressively responsible experience in managing or supporting enterprise information systems with at least five years specifically in a student information system environment (PeopleSoft Campus Solutions preferred). This experience should include demonstrated success in leading projects or teams for system implementation upgrade or enhancement. Candidates should have substantial exposure to the functional operations of key student services (e.g. admissions registration financial aid) as well as familiarity with the technical underpinnings of an ERP system.

Credentials must be obtained prior to the start of employment.

ACCEPTED EQUIVALENCIES FOR DEGREE REQUIREMENT

UNLV may consider additionalrelevantexperience in place of formal education requirements:

Preferred:

• Masters degree in a relevant field (such as an Computer Information Systems or M.S././Ph.D. in Higher Education) is highly desirable as it indicates advanced expertise in organizational leadership and technology management.

• Over 10 years of experience in higher education information technology including leadership roles that oversaw both functional and technical aspects of an SIS.

• Experience at an institution similar in size and complexity to UNLV (R1 research university with a diverse student population) is a plus. Direct experience with Oracle PeopleSoft Campus Solutions 9.2 (student administration modules) and Student Financial Planning or other cloud-based ERP student information system solutions is strongly preferred.

• Experience leading a major upgrade or module implementation in PeopleSoft Campus Solutions or Oracle Student Financial Planning would be considered ideal.

• Experience with ancillary systems (CRM systems for recruitment like Salesforce learning management systems data warehouses etc.) and their integration with a SIS is beneficial.

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS & ABILITIES

The incumbent must have specific knowledge skills and abilities in the following areas:

KNOWLEDGE

Required

• Higher Education: Comprehensive knowledge of higher education student administration processes and the lifecycle of student data from recruitment and admissions through enrollment retention and graduation. This includes understanding how offices like Admissions Registrar Financial Aid and Advising operate and how those functions are interrelated within a university setting.

• Peoplesoft Campus Solutions: Deep expertise and knowledge of Oracle PeopleSoft Campus Solutions modules and functionality. Familiarity with the data structures capabilities and configuration options of PeopleSoft in areas such as Campus Community Student Records (Registration) Academic Advisement Student Financials Financial Aid (including the cloud-based Student Financial Planning product) and Admissions is expected. The candidate should understand how these modules interact and the basics of PeopleSoft development tools (e.g. PeopleTools PSQuery etc.) enough to effectively guide technical staff and communicate with Oracle support.

• Enterprise architecture and integrations: Advanced knowledge of enterprise IT architectures and integration principles. The Senior Director should understand how large systems interface (APIs web services integration middleware) and be aware of best practices for integrating an SIS with other enterprise solutions (for example identity management systems for single sign-on or data warehouses for analytics).

• Data governance and security: Strong understanding of data governance and security practices related to student information. This includes knowledge of data privacy laws and regulations (FERPA GDPR if applicable to any international data etc.) records retention requirements and general principles for ensuring data integrity and security in an ERP environment.

• Reporting and analytics: Expertise with reporting and analytics tools in a higher ed context. This may involve knowledge of SQL reporting query tools (PeopleSoft Query SQL Developer etc.) business intelligence platforms and how to interpret and use data for decision support. Also understanding survey and compliance reporting (common higher ed surveys IPEDS) is beneficial as it relates to how the SIS data is used.

• Sector awareness: Awareness of current trends and best practices in higher education IT. For example understanding the movement toward cloud-based solutions mobile-first student services student success and retention technologies and how legacy systems like PeopleSoft are evolving (Oracles updates use of fluid interface etc.). Knowledge of peer institutions approaches to managing student systems (perhaps through involvement in professional networks) is valuable for benchmarking and continuous improvement.

SKILLS

Required

• Leadership and Management Skills: Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to inspire direct and influence a team of IT and functional professionals. This includes strong skills in team building conflict resolution and the ability to delegate effectively while maintaining accountability. The Senior Director must be adept at coaching and developing talent as well as structuring the team for optimal performance.

• Strategic Planning and Organizational Skills: Strong skills in strategic thinking and planning; the ability to set a vision for the student information systems and break it down into actionable plans. Must be highly organized capable of managing multiple projects and priorities simultaneously (from day-to-day operational support to long-term initiatives). Proficiency in project management practices is important including developing timelines managing risks and ensuring stakeholder communication.

• Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills: Excellent analytical skills to tackle complex problems that span technical and functional domains. The Senior Director should be able to quickly diagnose issues and formulate effective solutions. Creative problem-solving and continuous improvement mindset are key seeking not just to fix issues but to enhance system utility.

• Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Outstanding communication skills both written and verbal. The ability to communicate complex technical information in accessible terms to non-technical stakeholders (like explaining system limitations or needs to a Vice Provost or front-line staff) is crucial. Equally important is the skill to listen to and understand the needs of various user groups. Strong presentation skills are beneficial for leading training demos or presenting proposals to governance committees. Interpersonal skills must include the ability to build relationships and trust across hierarchical lines from executive leadership to staff and faculty end-users as well as across functional/technical divides.

• Technical Proficiency: While this is a leadership role a solid technical acumen is necessary. Proficiency with standard office and collaboration software is assumed (MS Office suite project management tools etc.) but more importantly a degree of proficiency with PeopleSoft Campus Solutions is expected; for instance being able to navigate the system run queries understand configuration setups and perhaps use reporting tools. Experience with SQL or understanding how to read and interpret technical documentation is also a valuable skill for communicating with developers.

• Negotiation and Vendor Management: Skilled in negotiating priorities and managing vendor relationships. This includes being able to work with Oracle or other vendors to resolve issues and advocating for UNLVs needs. Internally it involves negotiating with stakeholders on project scopes timelines and resource allocation when demands exceed capacity finding win-win solutions and managing expectations diplomatically.

ABILITIES

Required

• Ability to Lead Cross-Functional Initiatives: Proven ability to work across departmental lines and lead cross-functional projects or committees. The Senior Director must be able to bring together diverse perspectives (IT staff administrative staff faculty representatives etc.) and drive consensus toward common goals in student system improvements.

• Independent Decision-Making and Judgement: Ability to make sound decisions independently in a complex environment. This includes knowing when to make a call on a configuration or process change and when to escalate or seek broader input. Must be comfortable operating with a high level of responsibility making day-to-day decisions that keep the SIS running effectively while also recognizing the limits of authority (knowing which decisions require higher-level approval or stakeholder buy-in).

• Adaptability and Resilience: Ability to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances requirements and technologies. The higher education landscape is constantly changing and the SIS must adapt to new policies (e.g. emergency remote instruction needs new state/federal regulations etc.). The Senior Director should be able to pivot plans and resources as needed. They should handle pressure well such as during peak periods (registration start of term) or when responding to critical system issues remaining calm and effective.

• Attention to Detail: Keen ability to pay attention to details especially when it comes to data accuracy system configuration settings and policy compliance. Small errors in an SIS can have large impacts (e.g. a misconfigured tuition calculation or a wrong reporting parameter) so the Senior Director must foster a detail-oriented culture and personally be vigilant in reviewing critical configurations or reports.

• Innovative Mindset: Ability to envision and drive innovation finding new ways the student information systems can serve the university. Whether its implementing a new module integrating a chatbot for student services or leveraging analytics for proactive interventions the Senior Director should not only maintain existing systems but also push for evolution and enhancements that add value.

• Collaboration and Teamwork: A commitment to collaboration demonstrated by an ability to work collegially within the IT leadership team and with functional leaders. The Senior Director must be able to lead by influence as well; for example convincing departments to adjust a business process to align with system best practices or encouraging the adoption of new features. This requires the ability to build consensus empathize with user concerns and maintain a service-oriented approach.

COMMITMENT to CAMPUS VALUES

The following attachments are required for consideration:

• A letter of interest

• A detailed resume listing qualifications and experience

• The names addresses and telephone numbers of at least three (3) professional references who may be contacted. References will not be contacted until the search chair notifies you in advance.

Note applicants should fully describe their qualifications and experience with specific reference to each of the minimum and preferred qualifications because this is the information on which the initial review of materials will be based.