Associate VP for Information Technology Services & Chief Information Officer

WWU College of Business & Economics; Bellingham, Northern (WA, KY); Hybrid; USD 205,000 - 236,000; Full time

Job summary

Western Washington University in Bellingham seeks an experienced executive to serve as Associate Vice President for Information Technology Services and Chief Information Officer. The role provides strategic leadership for all IT services, infrastructure, software, and user support across the university.

The AVP ITS/CIO will lead digital transformation, oversee a large IT budget, and drive innovation while fostering a culture of inclusion, transparency, and accountability.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of IT and information security leadership.
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.
• Experience in preparing and maintaining complex budgets.
• Understanding of the values and principles that guide public higher education.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including demonstrated experience.
• Successful experience supervising technology personnel and coaching.
• Demonstrated leadership in collaborative decision-making across units.
• Demonstrated experience in strategic planning and execution of IT solutions within a complex environment.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for ITS and the CIO functions.
• Lead planning for technology strategy and ERP/Workday implementation.
• Oversee IT budgeting and financial planning to optimize costs.
• Foster collaboration and a culture of inclusion across university units.

Skills

Leadership

IT governance

Budget management

Strategic planning

Communication

Diversity & inclusion

Education

Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution

Master's degree preferred, in relevant discipline

Tools

Workday ERP

IT governance

Budgeting tools

Job description

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Associate VP for Information Technology Services & Chief Information Officer

Position Title: Associate VP for Information Technology Services & Chief Information Officer

About the University

Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

About the Department

The division of Business and Financial Affairs supports Western's mission , which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. All are encouraged to apply, including women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.

For more information about Information Technology Services, visit https://its.wwu.edu and the Division of Business and Financial Affairs at: https://bfa.wwu.edu/ .

The Associate Vice President for Information Technology Services/Chief Information Officer provides strategic leadership for all aspects of the university’s information technology, including infrastructure, software, and user services.

The AVP ITS/CIO provides strategic planning for technology at Western, provides leadership, and fosters teamwork across all Information Technology Services (ITS) units, which comprise more than 100 employees. The AVP ITS/CIO supervises Academic Technology and User Services, Enterprise Application Services, Enterprise Infrastructure Services, and the Information Security Office.

The AVP ITS/CIO must manage, inspire, and lead a diverse team of dedicated professionals and support staff. They foster and sustain a workplace that promotes and values accessibility, equity, inclusion, and diversity. Understanding key performance metrics and implementing effective strategies to improve service and project delivery are essential. Clear, persuasive, and proactive communication is critical to achieving ITS's strategic goals.

The ideal candidate is a visionary leader with extensive experience in information technology and a passion for driving innovation to advance student success.

Opportunities and Expectations for Leadership

The AVP ITS/CIO will join Western Washington University at an exciting time. Western launched a guaranteed admissions program in 2026 and expanded it to include all Washington residents for 2027 offering a direct path to a highly rated public university in the Pacific Northwest. We will be launching a major campaign in the coming year with a focus on scholarships and support for a new College of Health Sciences. We are also moving to a new Enterprise Resource Planning tool with implementation beginning in summer of 2027.

Recognizing the challenges facing our society, the university has developed an ambitious strategic plan to advance inclusive student success, increase impact in Washington State and beyond, and enhance academic excellence. To that end, the successful candidate will bring innovative solutions to the following areas of opportunity.

Drive a vision of integrated service delivery.

This is a unique opportunity to foster a cohesive unit that provides integrated services to the university. This will require the ability to engage various employee groups and enhance a culture of mutual respect and trust, continuous improvement, transitional change, and operational excellence. A demonstrated track record of integrity and success leading organizations through transformative improvement, including the ability to originate change, deliver results, and foster a continuous improvement environment, is key. The successful candidate will ensure the unit's services are supported by the most appropriate systems, processes, and tools. The AVP ITS/CIO must have deep familiarity with AI trends, IT governance, cloud computing, and enterprise infrastructure. Demonstrated knowledge of cybersecurity risk management, data protection, and regulatory compliance methods, practices, and procedures, along with experience developing and monitoring a large IT budget with a focus on optimizing operational costs, is also essential.

Foster a culture of collaboration.

The AVP ITS/CIO must have strong interpersonal skills, the ability to influence at all levels within the university and local community, and the capacity to function as an effective change agent. The successful candidate will model a collaborative way of working, both within the unit and with university stakeholders. This means that the individual must be very effective at cultivating and establishing trust and credibility with others. The successful candidate will model and promote a culture where accessibility, diversity, inclusion, and equity are highly valued and integrated in information technology operations.

Lead efforts to advance a Culture of Care and Open Accountability, which are fundamental principles integral to the success of Western Washington University.

The division conducted a culture and climate assessment in 2022, which led to a report outlining the steps needed to develop and maintain a Culture of Care and Open Accountability . The successful candidate will be expected to continue this work throughout the IT unit. They should be able to demonstrate a record of fostering an equitable workplace that includes internal and external stakeholders, with advocacy on behalf of all constituents, including individuals from different cultural backgrounds and social identities.

Demonstrate a strong commitment to innovation and best practices.

The AVP ITS/CIO will be a results-driven leader who can assess current systems, resources, practices, and processes to develop a vision for a modern and forward-looking technology infrastructure. The successful candidate will foster an environment of strategic thinking and apply data-based decision-making. They will need to establish metrics to generate baselines and implement tools to evaluate results and assess impact. They will need to build and measure key performance indicators and share outcomes with staff to identify areas for improvement.

Western is implementing a new ERP, Workday, over the next three years. Implementation for Finance, Payroll, and Human Resources will begin in July 2027, with go-live in summer 2028. Implementation for the Student platform will begin in Fall 2028, with go-live in Fall 2029. The successful candidate will be pivotal in driving Western's operational excellence strategy through the ERP implementation. The AVP ITS/CIO will lead digital transformation and provide recommendations on using AI in operational software that aligns with Western’s values.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible management and leadership experience in information technology and information security.
• An earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, or international equivalent.
• Experience in preparing and maintaining complex budgets.
• An understanding of the values and principles that guide public higher education.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including demonstrated experience. Ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences, with a strong customer service focus.
• Successful experience supervising technology personnel, including leading, managing, coaching, and developing those individuals utilizing methodologies for continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated leadership skills in collaborative decision-making and building constructive professional relationships across organizational units.
• Demonstrated experience in strategic planning and execution of information technology solutions within a complex environment.
• Demonstrates a commitment to and experience in championing diversity, equity, and inclusion by fostering a collaborative environment where every voice is heard and valued.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree from an accredited institution or international equivalent, in a discipline relevant to this position.
• Experience as a senior/executive leader in a complex information technology organization.
• Significant experience and skill in negotiating with vendors, contractors, and others.

Conditions of Employment All employees must comply with our Immunization policies, including Proof of Rubeola Measles Immunity within 60-days of hire. Please reach out to [e-mail] if you need information regarding medical or religious exemption and applicable accommodations.

This position requires a fingerprint background check.

Salary Hiring range is $205,363 - $236,168/year depending on qualifications and experience. Through longevity position tops out at $266,972/year.

Nominators and prospective candidates may also arrange a confidential conversation about this opportunity with Jessica Kingery, Senior Talent Strategist, [e-mail]

Closing Date Notes Position closes 10/25/2026.

Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with applicable laws, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, citizenship or immigration status, pregnancy, use of protective leave, genetic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, creed, religion, veteran or military status, disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal (including a service animal in training) by a person with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. See WWU’s Policies on Prohibiting Discrimination Based on A Protected Class and Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Sex . Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Western Washington University, Old Main 126 (MS 9021), 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360.650.3307 (voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); [e-mail]

WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources Disability Services , 360.650.3751 or 711 (Washington Relay).

All new employees must comply with the immunization policy and show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. A thorough background check will be conducted on all new hires which includes a sexual misconduct background check .