Associate Chief Information Officer, Research Information Technology

Witt/Kieffer, Inc.; Amherst (MA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 215,000; Full time

Job summary

WittKieffer, in partnership with the University of Massachusetts Amherst, seeks an Associate Chief Information Officer, Research Information Technology to provide executive leadership over the institution’s research technology portfolio.

The ACIO will develop a multi-year strategy, oversee research systems and secure environments, lead diverse teams, and drive adoption of advanced technologies in support of sponsored programs and national cyberinfrastructure.

Qualifications

• Masters degree in technology, business, or related field.
• Seven years of progressive experience in Information Technology.
• Doctoral degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a multi-year Research Technology strategy.
• Provide executive oversight of research administration applications and services.
• Oversee secure research environments with HIPAA, FERPA, CUI, NIST 800-171, CMMC compliance.
• Build relationships with faculty, research centers, and administrative partners to anticipate needs.
• Lead and develop teams delivering research applications, research computing, and data services.
• Evaluate and deploy emerging capabilities for data-intensive science and AI-enabled research.

Skills

Executive leadership

Strategic planning

Research IT

Security/compliance

Education

Master's degree

Doctoral degree preferred

Job description

WittKieffer is proud to partner with the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) to conduct the national search for their next Associate Chief Information Officer, Research Information Technology. This is an exciting opportunity to join one of the world’s leading public research universities.

Reporting to the Chief Information Officer, the Associate Chief Information Officer, Research Information Technology (ACIO) provides executive leadership for the institution’s research technology portfolio, with responsibility for long-range planning across research applications, research computing, research data management, secure data and computing environments, and the strategic adoption of advanced technologies.

The successful Associate Chief Information Officer, Research Information Technology candidate will:

• Develop and execute a multi-year Research Technology strategy that advances institutional research priorities, anticipates sponsor expectations, and aligns investments with national cyberinfrastructure direction.
• Provide executive oversight of research administration applications and enabling services, ensuring reliability, integration, and a strong user experience for researchers and research administrators.
• Oversee secure research environments that support regulated and sensitive data, maintaining appropriate controls and operational rigor across HIPAA, FERPA, CUI, NIST 800-171, CMMC, and evolving federal requirements.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with faculty, research centers, core facilities, and administrative partners to stay ahead of emerging needs and remove barriers to research progress.
• Lead and develop teams delivering research applications, research computing, secure data services, research software engineering, and related support functions, with clear roles, expectations, and professional growth pathways.
• Evaluate and deploy emerging capabilities for data-intensive science, cloud-native research workflows, AI-enabled research use cases, and advanced visualization, with disciplined pilots and adoption plans.

The preferred candidate will possess a Masters’s degree in technology, business, or related field and seven years of progressive experience in Information Technology. A doctoral degree is preferred.

The target salary range for this position is between $175,000 and $215,000 annually, commensurate with experience.

UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, caste, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, disability, political belief or affiliation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related condition(s), veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, natural and protective hairstyle and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University.To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans.It is the policy of UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.