EXECUTIVE IT DIRECTOR - 81112

State of Tennessee; Nashville (TN); Hybrid; USD 118,000 - 154,000; Full time

Job summary

The State of Tennessee seeks an Executive IT Director in Nashville to lead Strategic Technology Solutions, reporting to the Agency CIO. This role supports the Department of Human Services and coordinates major technology functions, driving a phased transition of work from vendors to internal teams.

You will build internal capacity, implement product management practices, and ensure AI decisions meet security, privacy, and regulatory requirements while delivering measurable business value.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and at least 10 years of technology experience, incl. 5+ years leading managers.
• Equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Experience leading complex application portfolios, enterprise operations, large vendor relationships.
• Experience in government, health and human services, Product Management, vendor-to-internal service transitions, or responsible AI and automation preferred.
• Masters degree or credentials in Product Management, IT service management, project or program management, technology financial management, cybersecurity, or organizational change preferred.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate priorities across Portal Operations, Security and Compliance, Enterprise Applications, Infrastructure, and Technology and Business Management while preserving each director's accountability for day-to-day operations.
• Establish and mature Product Management practices across major applications and technology products, including clear product ownership, roadmaps, prioritization, lifecycle planning, and regular portfolio reviews.
• Lead the creation of a common product scorecard that measures roadmap progress, releases, backlog, service performance, adoption, customer feedback, cost, vendor performance, risks, and business outcomes.
• Ensure tech investments address priority business needs and produce measurable value, not just activity or milestones.
• Develop and lead a phased, risk-based plan to shift maintenance and operations work from vendors to internal teams.
• Oversee cross-functional operational performance and provide timely executive escalation for major risks, incidents, and delivery barriers.
• Strengthen vendor and contract performance management by setting expectations and confirming value.

Skills

Executive leadership

Product Management

Vendor & contract management

Budgeting & financial management

AI and automation governance

Cross-functional leadership

Communication & relationship-building

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT/CS/MIS/Business/Public Admin or related field

Masters degree or credentials in PM, ITSM, PM, ITFM, cybersecurity or organizational change preferred

Equivalent combination of education and experience

Job description

Executive Service

Closing Date: 10/01/2026

This position is designated as Hybrid

Background Check

This position requires a criminal background check and CJIS/FTI Fingerprints. Therefore, you may be required to provide information about your criminal history in order to be considered for this position. The Department of Finance and Administration will not sponsor applicants for work visas.

Executive Service

EXECUTIVE IT DIRECTOR

Finance and Administration

Strategic Technology Solutions

Nashville, TN

Minimum Annual Salary: $118,296.00 - $154,140.00

Closing Date: 10/01/2026

This position is designated as Hybrid

Background Check

This position requires a criminal background check and CJIS/FTI Fingerprints. Therefore, you may be required to provide information about your criminal history in order to be considered for this position. The Department of Finance and Administration will not sponsor applicants for work visas.

Who We Are And What We Do

The Executive IT Director is a senior leader within the Strategic Technology Solutions (STS) organization that supports the Department of Human Services and reports to the Agency CIO. The position provides executive leadership across the agency's major technology functions and exercises authority delegated by the Agency CIO. The role helps turn technology strategy into clear priorities, coordinated execution, and measurable business value. The primary focus of the position is to strengthen Product Management across the application portfolio and lead a phased transition of appropriate work from vendors to internal teams. This includes building internal capacity, retaining institutional knowledge, improving vendor accountability, and ensuring that technology work is tied to agency priorities and measurable outcomes. The Executive IT Director will also coordinate cross-functional priorities, support responsible use of AI and automation, and help maintain reliable, secure, and compliant services. The position works closely with agency executives, program leaders, finance, procurement, statewide technology partners, and vendors. The successful candidate must be able to lead through influence, make sound decisions, communicate clearly, and represent STS as assigned by the Agency CIO.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate priorities and decisions across Portal Operations, Security and Compliance, Enterprise Applications, Infrastructure, and Technology and Business Management while preserving each directors accountability for day-to-day operations.
• Establish and mature Product Management practices across major applications and technology products, including clear product ownership, roadmaps, prioritization, lifecycle planning, and regular portfolio reviews.
• Lead the creation of a common product scorecard that measures roadmap progress, releases, backlog, service performance, adoption, customer feedback, cost, vendor performance, risks, and business outcomes.
• Ensure that technology investments and delivered work address priority business needs and produce measurable value, rather than focusing only on activity, milestones, or output.
• Develop and lead a phased, risk-based plan to shift appropriate maintenance and operations work from vendors to internal teams.
• Assess internal readiness, staffing, skills, operating procedures, service levels, knowledge-transfer needs, and continuity risks before work is transitioned.
• Oversee cross-functional operational performance, resolve issues that span multiple technology areas, and provide timely executive escalation for major risks, incidents, and delivery barriers.
• Strengthen vendor and contract performance management by setting clear expectations, reviewing service and delivery measures, addressing gaps, and confirming that the agency receives the expected value.
• Establish a structured approach for evaluating and prioritizing AI and automation opportunities based on business value, feasibility, security, privacy, compliance, data quality, and appropriate human oversight.
• Partner with Security and Compliance leadership to ensure that product, operational, modernization, and AI decisions meet cybersecurity, privacy, accessibility, records, and regulatory requirements.
• Work with IT leadership, finance, procurement, and agency leadership to align technology spending with agency priorities, track costs and savings, and ensure investments deliver measurable value.
• Pursue measurable efficiencies through contract optimization, budget planning and spending reviews, software-license and cloud-cost management, automation, stronger demand management, and appropriate vendor-to-internal transitions.
• Build internal leadership and technical capacity through workforce planning, succession planning, targeted development, cross-training, and disciplined knowledge transfer.
• Develop executive reporting on product value, delivery, service performance, financial performance, vendor results, workforce capacity, and key risks.
• Build strong working relationships with agency executives, business and program leaders, statewide technology partners, and vendors to align technology decisions with agency priorities.
• Promote a culture of accountability, service, continuous improvement, collaboration, and ethical decision-making.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Management Information Systems, Business Administration, Public Administration, or a related field, and at least 10 years of progressively responsible technology experience, including at least five years leading managers or major enterprise technology functions.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Experience leading complex application portfolios, enterprise operations, large vendor relationships, technology financial management, organizational change, and cross-functional executive initiatives is required.
• Experience in government, health and human services, Product Management, vendor-to-internal service transitions, or responsible AI and automation is preferred.
• A masters degree or relevant experience or credentials in Product Management, IT service management, project or program management, technology financial management, cybersecurity, or organizational change are preferred.

Skills

This position requires the following:

• Executive leadership and the judgment to make sound decisions across strategy, operations, people, finances, risk, and service delivery.
• Strong knowledge of Product Management, including product ownership, roadmaps, prioritization, lifecycle management, customer needs, adoption, and outcome measurement.
• Experience leading large-scale maintenance and operations, modernization, or service-transition efforts without disrupting critical business services. Strong vendor, contract, negotiation, and performance-management skills, including the ability to evaluate cost, service, risk, and value.
• Financial understanding sufficient to manage budgets, identify efficiencies, test assumptions, and validate savings with finance and procurement partners.
• Working knowledge of AI and automation opportunities and the governance needed to address security, privacy, compliance, data quality, and human oversight. Broad understanding of enterprise applications, infrastructure, cloud services, cybersecurity, compliance, quality assurance, data, integration, and service management.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to use performance information and connect technical work to agency priorities, customer experience, service performance, cost, risk, and measurable business outcomes.
• Ability to build internal capacity through workforce planning, coaching, succession planning, cross-training, and knowledge transfer.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, facilitation, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to lead through influence, resolve conflict, and build agreement across organizational boundaries.
• Ability to remain composed, accountable, decisive, and ethical in a fast-moving environment with high visibility and public-service responsibilities.

Pursuant to the State of Tennessee's Workplace Discrimination and Harassment policy, the State is firmly committed to the principle of fair and equal employment opportunities for its citizens and strives to protect the rights and opportunities of all people to seek, obtain, and hold employment without being subjected to illegal discrimination and harassment in the workplace. It is the State's policy to provide an environment free of discrimination and harassment of an individual because of that person's race, color, national origin, age (40 and over), sex, pregnancy, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status or any other category protected by state and/or federal civil rights laws.