Chief Information Officer - Madison (Career Executive)

State of Wisconsin; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 96,000 - 152,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plans

Generous paid time off

Public pension plan

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

Job summary

The Wisconsin State Public Defenders' Office (SPD) seeks a Chief Information Officer to lead IT strategy, applications development, system administration, and telecom services. You will guide enterprise IT planning and serve on the agency leadership team, supporting approximately 700 staff across 42 locations statewide.

Based in the Madison Administration Office, the CIO will drive technology governance, budgeting, and vendor coordination, while ensuring robust security and compliance.

Qualifications

• Experience leading IT strategy, governance and execution for a multi-location or enterprise-level organization.
• Experience developing and managing IT operating budgets and coordinating vendor procurements.
• Exposure to network infrastructure, security protocols, cloud or on-premise systems, and SDLC processes.
• Supervising teams or contractors, allocating resources, and evaluating performance.

Responsibilities

• Direct and oversee IT strategic planning, applications development, system administration, and telecommunication services.
• Serve on the Agency Leadership Team and provide technical advice and support to ~700 staff statewide.
• Back-up for functional IT services and alignment with the Administrative Services Director.

Skills

Enterprise IT Strategic Leadership

IT Budgeting & Procurement Management

IT Infrastructure, Security & System

Technical Supervision & Team Lead

Job description

Introduction

Are you seeking a rewarding and challenging career? Bring your Informational Technology and Supervisory skills to the Wisconsin State Public Defenders' office (SPD) and make a difference in the lives of Wisconsin residents! SPD is currently recruiting to fill one full-time Chief Information Officer (Management Information Manager classification) based out of our Madison Administration Office.

SPD's mission is to enhance the quality of justice throughout Wisconsin by providing high-quality, cost-effective representation to indigent clients, protecting the rights of accused individuals, and by serving as advocates for effective defense services and a rational criminal justice system. At SPD, we are committed to diversity in hiring, retention, and career development. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status. To learn more, visit our website at http://wispd.gov.

What We Offer:

This is an excellent opportunity to develop a meaningful and rewarding career with the SPD! Our employees have access to an excellent comprehensive benefit and compensation package, including access to the region's best health plans, and generous paid time off starting with 3.5 weeks of vacation, 9 paid holidays, and ample sick leave so that you can truly have work/life balance! SPD employees also enjoy participation is one of the nation's top-rated pension plans. Additionally, if you have student loans, you may be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. To learn more about the value of SPD's total compensation package, please visit our Total Rewards Calculator.

Why Work With Us?

At SPD, we pride ourselves on fostering an inclusive, human-centered and family-friendly culture, where everyone is encouraged to bring their "whole self" to work. Professional development is encouraged and supported, and we offer a wide variety of training opportunities to help you grow in your career. Our leadership's goal is to provide a work environment dedicated to ensuring that each and every staff member is treated with respect and dignity, recognizing each individual's contributions to the team. We encourage all applicants to read about the SPD's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion plan here.

Who We Are:

SPD provides legal representation for persons who are accused of crimes or are defendants in certain specified civil matters, and who meet statutory financial eligibility criteria. The mission of the SPD is to zealously represent clients, protect constitutional rights, and advocate for an effective and fair criminal justice system. Our commitment is to treat our clients with dignity and compassion, as they are at the center of everything we do. To learn more about the various career paths and opportunities at the SPD, click here.

Where We're Located:

Our Madison Administration Office is located just off of the Capital Square award-winning Madison, Wisconsin, at 17 South Fairchild Street. We are within easy walking distance of many shopping and dining options, a weekly farmer's market, the State Capitol Building, and two beautiful lakes with walking & biking paths. There are numerous public transit options and multiple parking lots nearby.

Position Summary

As the Wisconsin State Public Defenders' Chief Information Officer (CIO), the incumbent works independently under the general direction of the Administrative Services Director. The incumbent is responsible for directing and overseeing information technology strategic planning, applications development, system administration, system support, and telecommunication services. There is also the expectation that this position will serve as a back-up for functional IT services. This position serves on the SPD's Agency Leadership Team (ALT) and provides leadership, professional technical advice, counsel, assistance, and support to the agency’s approximately 700 management and staff located in 42 locations statewide.

To view a copy of the position description, please click here.

Salary Information

The starting hourly rate for the position will be $46.14 to $72.84 per hour ($95,971 to $151,507 per year) depending on qualifications and experience. This classification is assigned to pay schedule/range 70-01. A two-year career executive trial period may be required. Pay for current state employees will be set in accordance with the rules of the Wisconsin State Compensation Plan in effect at the time of hire.

Final selected candidates may be eligible for moving expense reimbursement to relocate to the place of employment.

Job Details

Background Check:

We consider all qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. A criminal background check will be done prior to an offer of employment.

Ability to Work in the US:

The SPD does not sponsor work visas at the time of hire or anytime during employment. All persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and complete the required Employment Eligibility Form I-9.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

The State of Wisconsin is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants from all backgrounds. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

Veterans:

The State of Wisconsin offer a special program for qualified veterans with a 30% or greater service-connected disability. If you are a qualified veteran, please visit the Veterans Employment page for application instructions to be considered for the Veterans Non-Competitive Appointment program.

Qualifications

LETTER OF QUALIFICATIONS & RESUME:

You must submit both documents to be considered. It is important that you clearly explain and elaborate on your experience, training and education in your Letter of Qualifications and/or Resume.

Minimum Qualifications

• Enterprise IT Strategic Leadership: Experience participating in or leading short- and long-term IT strategic planning, technology governance, and operational execution for a multi-location or enterprise-level organization.
• IT Budgeting & Procurement Management: Experience managing, developing or contributing to an IT operating budget, evaluating technology investments, or coordinating vendor and technology procurements.
• IT Infrastructure, Security & System Administration: Operational exposure to managing or directing network infrastructure, cyber security protocols, cloud or on-premise systems, and core database management or software development life cycle (SDLC) processes.
• Technical Supervision & Team Leadership: Experience supervising, leading project teams, or mentoring technical personnel (e.g., systems administrators, developers, support staff) or external contractors, including resource allocation and performance evaluation.

Preferred / Well-Qualified Criteria

• Public Sector Governance & Regulated Environments: Familiarity with state government IT governance, working with central state IT agencies (e.g., Wisconsin Department of Administration / Division of Enterprise Technology policies, rate structures, and high-risk project reporting), navigating compliance frameworks in regulated industries, or representing an agency on statewide IT councils.
• Legal Tech & Digital Evidence Architecture: Experience managing legal technology systems, eDiscovery workflows, or high-volume digital media processing pipelines (such as body-worn camera footage, surveillance files, and cell phone extractions using multi-tiered cloud storage like hot vs. archive tiers).
• Frugal Innovation & Operational Automation: Experience leveraging modern tools, scripting, open source applications, automated workflows to optimize systems, or writing custom SQL Server queries to resolve operational bottlenecks under strict budgetary constraints.
• Hands-on Technical & System Administrator Backup: Practical technical background with the ability to provide secondary guidance, troubleshooting, hands-on backup for software developers, database administrators (SQL Server queries), server OS upgrades, or escalation support for core systems, databases, or cloud infrastructure management.