Director Student IT Services

University of Colorado System; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 172,000 - 177,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits (no-cost or low-cost)

Dental benefits

Retirement plan options

Paid holidays

Parental leave

Tuition benefit

RTD EcoPass

Free onsite parking

Job summary

University of Colorado System Administration seeks a Director of Student IT Services to lead the enterprise student technology portfolio, aligning investments with university priorities and ensuring reliable service delivery. You will partner with campus IT leaders, enrollment, and student services to drive strategy, roadmaps, and governance across CU campuses.

The role requires strategic leadership, strong stakeholder engagement, and experience managing complex technology ecosystems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Seven or more years in a senior IT leadership role.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategy and long-range plans for enterprise student technology portfolio.
• Build relationships across campuses and System Administration.
• Ensure reliable service delivery and governance.
• Lead organizational improvement and talent development.
• Oversee budgeting, staffing strategy, and vendor management.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Portfolio management

Cross-campus collaboration

Vendor management

Stakeholder communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

PeopleSoft Campus Solutions

uAchieve

Parchment

studentCRM/admissions platforms

NameCoach

Job description

Join Our Team and Make a Difference in HigherEducation!

At the System Administration office at the University of Colorado, we are dedicated to building a workplace where everyone feels valued, supported, and empowered to thrive. Our office is committed to fostering a culture where employees find community, a sense of belonging, and the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to our mission and purpose.

By joining our team, you'll have a direct impact on shaping the future of higher education. In addition to the Office of the Board of Regents, the University of Colorado's system administration includes 19 units that provide essential services to CU's campuses in Aurora, Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Denver, as well as the Office of the President. While not a part of any one campus, we are proud to serve in the centralized office for the University system. Together, we ensure CU continues to deliver outstanding education, groundbreaking research, and valuable service to our communities.

We believe in creating an environment where the unique experiences and perspectives of everyone are embraced, enriching the work we do and the strategic outcomes we pursue. If you're passionate about making a difference, contributing to a dynamic team, and supporting a mission that matters, we encourage you to apply and be part of our journey.

Position Summary

University Information Services (UIS) provides enterprise technology services, applications, and platforms that support the University of Colorado campuses and System Administration. UIS partners with university leadership and business organizations to deliver secure, reliable, and innovative technology solutions that advance the university's mission.

CU Student IT Services (CU-SIS) delivers and supports a portfolio of enterprise student technology products and services serving prospective students, current students, alumni, faculty, staff, and administrative offices across all four campuses and System Administration. The portfolio includes student information systems, enrollment and admissions technologies, financial aid systems, student financial services, degree planning and audit solutions, international student services systems, student communications platforms, reporting and analytics capabilities, and a growing ecosystem of integrated software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications.

The Director of Student IT Services provides strategic leadership, operational oversight, portfolio stewardship, and organizational direction for CU-SIS. This position is responsible for aligning technology services and investments with university priorities, fostering strong relationships with campus and system stakeholders, ensuring reliable service delivery, and developing a high-performing team capable of supporting an increasingly interconnected student technology ecosystem.

This position reports to the Assistant Vice President of IT Service Strategy and is exempt from the State of Colorado Classified Staff system.

Where You Will Work

Applicants must be Colorado residents or able to relocate to Colorado within a month of starting employment with University of Colorado System Administration.

This role is eligible to work remote within Colorado. Occasional travel to the System office and campuses will be expected.

Applicants: please note, leadership may adjust in-office work requirements with a minimum of three months' notice before any change can be implemented.

Equal Opportunity Statement

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Duties and Responsibilities

Enterprise Student Technology Strategy & Portfolio Leadership

• Lead the development and execution of strategy, roadmaps, and long-range plans for the university's enterprise student technology portfolio.
• Align technology investments, services, and priorities within institutional objectives, student success initiatives, enrollment goals, regulatory requirements, and operational needs.
• Guide evaluation and adoption of new technologies, vendor solutions, and service models.
• Develop and communicate portfolio priorities, opportunities, risks, dependencies, and resource needs.
• Participate in higher education communities, professional organizations, and peer networks to identify emerging trends, best practices, and opportunities for innovation.

Business Relationship Management & Cross-Campus Collaboration

• Serve as a strategic partner to student affairs, enrollment management, registrars, bursars, financial aid offices, advising organizations, institutional leadership, and campus IT leaders.
• Build trusted relationships across campuses and System Administration to understand current needs, future priorities, and emerging challenges.
• Facilitate discussions regarding business strategy, technology roadmaps, service improvements, governance, and investment decisions.
• Communicate business value, tradeoffs, risks, and opportunities associated with enterprise student technology investments.
• Represent campus and System Administration interests within UIS and advocate for UIS capabilities and service offerings across the university.

Service Delivery, Operations, & Organizational Effectiveness

• Ensure reliable delivery, support, and continuous improvement of enterprise student technology services.
• Establish and maintain effective operational practices, service management processes, portfolio governance, demand management, and work intake procedures.
• Lead organizational improvement initiatives that enhance transparency, accountability, collaboration, and service effectiveness.
• Oversee planning and coordination for major upgrades, implementations, integrations, maintenance activities, and service transitions.
• Monitor service performance, operational metrics, customer feedback, and organizational outcomes to support informed decisionmaking.

Team Leadership & Talent Development

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing team through recruitment, coaching, mentoring, performance management, and succession planning.
• Establish clear expectations and accountability while fostering an inclusive, collaborative, and customer-focused culture.
• Support employee growth through professional development, career planning, leadership opportunities, and knowledge sharing.
• Develop future leaders and strengthen organizational resilience through delegated leadership and capacity building.
• Foster an environment that supports employee engagement, well-being, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Resource, Capacity, & Investment Stewardship

• Lead resource planning, capacity management, budget development, staffing strategy, and vendor management activities.
• Evaluate current and future demand to ensure appropriate alignment between organizational capacity and customer needs.
• Support governance and technology acquisition processes by helping stakeholders assess business value, implementation impacts, operational support requirements, and long-term sustainability.
• Manage vendor relationships and technology investments to maximize value, reduce risk, and improve institutional outcomes.
• Provide leadership regarding capacity constraints, investment priorities, staffing needs, and portfolio tradeoffs.

Applications Used/Managed

The Director provides oversight and stewardship for enterprise and enterprise-dependent student technology services, including but not limited to: PeopleSoft Campus Solutions, uAchieve Degree Audit and related tools, Nelnet, Sunapsis, NameCoach, Parchment, studentCRM/admissions platforms, degree planning and advising solutions, scheduling and workflow platforms, reporting and analytics tools, integrations, and other student-facing or student-supporting systems used across CU campuses and System Administration.

Salary

The anticipated hiring range has been established at $172,000- $177,000.

CU System Administration takes into consideration a combination of the selected candidate's education, training and experience as it relates to the position, as well as the position's scope and complexity, internal pay equity and external market value when determining a salary level for potential new employees.

Benefits

• No-cost or low-cost medical & dental plan options, some inclusive of IVF assistance.
• Disability, Life, Vision Insurance options.
• Multiple retirement planning options including a mandatory401(a) plan where CU contributes 10% of your gross pay, a 401k or 403b plan and a 457 deferred compensation plan.
• Pre-tax savings plans, such as Health care and Dependent care flexible spending accounts.
• Embrace a healthy work-life balance with ample sick and vacation leave, along with at least 12 paid holidays. This includes a dedicated week off for winter break.
• 6 weeks of parental leave to adjust to the joys of parenthood.
• A tuition benefit program for you and/or your dependents.
• Free RTD EcoPass and free onsite parking at our 1800 Grant Street Office.
• Many additional perks & programs with the CU Advantage.

Additional taxable fringe benefits may be available.

For more information on benefits programs, please review our Comprehensive BenefitsGuide.

Access our Total Compensation Calculator to see what your total rewards could be at CU. (This position is a University Staff position)

Minimum Qualifications

Please include all relevant experience in your resume to be accurately assessed against these qualifications. You must meet all minimum requirements at the time of application to be considered for this role.

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education, or equivalent professional experience (professional experience may be substituted for the educational requirement on a year-for-year basis)
• Seven