Vice President for Information Technology & Chief Information Officer

Sam Houston State University; Huntsville (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Sam Houston State University seeks a dynamic Vice President for Information Technology & Chief Information Officer to lead the institution's IT strategy, operations, and cybersecurity across a diverse campus of students and staff.

The CIO will oversee the central IT unit, align technology initiatives with academic and administrative goals, and collaborate with campus leaders to drive strategic change and data governance while ensuring a secure, student-centered technology environment.

Responsibilities

• Provides strategic vision and leadership for the campus in a rapidly changing information technology environment.
• Leads central information technology infrastructure and services, including administrative systems, networks, cybersecurity, and IT service delivery.
• Partner with Academic, Student Affairs, and Finance to expand learning spaces and support departments.

Job description

Posting Details

Come and join the Bearkat community!

Named after Texas' legendary hero, General Sam Houston, theuniversity boasts a rich historical legacy that resonates with thespirit of Texas, which provides a balance between a peaceful,natural setting and proximity to urban amenities. With a studentpopulation of over 21,000, SHSU offers a vibrant and dynamiccommunity. SHSU has a small town feel with large scaleopportunities. Located in the Piney Woods region of East Texas andjust an hour drive north of Houston, Huntsville provides arearesidents with a sense of community and belonging.

SHSU offers compelling options for individuals seeking a fulfillingand impactful career including a superior benefit package , competitive salaries and a flexible workenvironment fostering work/life balance. SHSU offers programs thatsupport a healthy work-life balance, contributing to employeewell-being and job satisfaction, as well as, professionaldevelopment opportunities with our educational assistance and dependent assistance programs.

Posting Information

This position is security-sensitive and thereby subject to theprovisions of the Texas Education Code §51.215, which authorizesthe employer to obtain criminal history record information.

Requisition

202600031ES

Title

Vice President for Information Technology & Chief InformationOfficer

FLSA status

Exempt

Hiring Salary

Commensurate with education and experience.

Department

Strategic Enrollment and Innovation

Division

Division of Enrollment

Open Date

10/01/2026

Open Until Filled

Yes

Educational and Experience Requirement

Terminal degree or master’s degree in an appropriate fieldrequired; doctorate preferred. Proven and substantiveadministrative experience with a record of accomplishments as anadministrator at a senior educational institution or experience ina related field. A minimum of five years of progressivelyresponsible IT leadership experience in a collaborative ITenvironment; experience as a Chief Information Officer ( CIO )preferred. Demonstrated senior leadership experience, preferably inhigher education, including strategic planning, project planning,visioning, and process transformation. Proven ability to managecomplex projects involving technology innovation, maintenance, andorganizational change while aligning teams and stakeholders withinstitutional goals and strategic priorities. Broad knowledge ofinformation technologies and emerging trends in higher education,including student-centered applications that support theUniversity’s academic and administrative missions. Demonstratedsuccess collaborating with campus stakeholders to establish ITpriorities, plan services, and develop policies, practices, andprocedures. Strong financial management skills and the ability toeffectively manage resources and support strategic initiatives.Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including theability to convey complex technical information in accessible termsand provide consistent messaging to internal and externalstakeholders. Demonstrated leadership characterized by integrity,accountability, collaboration, innovation, and follow-through, withthe ability to inspire and support IT staff, listen to ideas andconcerns, build trust, and lead strategic change aligned withinstitutional priorities.

Nature & Purpose of Position

The Vice President and Chief Information Officer ( CIO ) reports tothe Senior Vice President for Strategic Enrollment and Innovationand serves on the President’s Extended Cabinet as a leader andcollaborator in the university’s strategic planning anddecision-making. Provides strategic vision and leadership for thecampus in a rapidly changing information technologyenvironment.

Primary Responsibilities

Provides strategic vision and leadership for the campus in arapidly changing information technology environment. InformationTechnology (IT) encompasses programs that support approximately21,000 students and 3,000 faculty and staff. Leads the centralinformation technology infrastructure and services, includingadministrative systems and information management, networking,telecommunications, data centers, cybersecurity, IT customerservice and IT administration. The division provides technologies,resources, and services to support learning, research, and thebusiness operations of the University. Our vision is to addresscampus needs with relevant, accessible, sustainable, innovative,and cost-effective technology solutions with service and resourcesto support and promote a culture of creativity and academicaccomplishment. Extends the access, effectiveness, efficiency, andinnovative priorities of technology across campus, ensures theprivacy and security of all digital information and systems, andoversee the effective management and planning of IT assets on thecampus. Supports student success through effective implementationand use of technology supporting the teaching, learning,andresearch environments, while partnering with SHSU leaders tocomplete a roadmap of technology and processes for a more seamlessexperience for students. Leads a strong IT leadership team andcontinue to evolve the structures, capabilities, and services toalign with campus strategies. Maintains a focus on where staff feelvalued and add value. Collaborates with Academic, Student Affairs,and Finance and Operations to expand learning spaces and providetools to support those departments. Enhances research technologyinfrastructure and services to enable various research andscholarship for a global impact and support the continuousimprovement, integration and modernization of SHSU’s administrativeapplications. Leads the efforts to ensure current technology isused to its fullest and new technology and platforms improve theexperience and efficiencies of campus and assist efforts across theinstitution to improve data governance and organizational capacityto use data in decision-making. Serves as the institution’s seniorexecutive accountable for information resources management,ensuring technology planning, reporting, acquisition, governance,compliance,and resource stewardship are aligned with TexasGovernment Code Chapter 2054, Texas Administrative Coderequirements for Information Resources Managers ( IRM ), universitypolicy, and institutional strategy. Ensures the universitymaintains appropriate executive-level oversight of informationresources, including documented accountability, cooperation acrossinstitutional units, continuing education expectations, and clearalignment between IT leadership and executive management consistentwith state IRM roles and responsibilities. Provides leadership forinstitution-wide information security, data protection, riskmanagement, disaster recovery, continuity planning, accessibility,and technology compliance programs, working in coordination withdesignated information owners, custodians, users, and securityofficials to protect information resources and supports effectivepublic stewardship of technology investments. Performs otherrelated duties as assigned.

Provides leadership within the division; works with the ExpandedCabinet and appropriate University governance committees todetermine University-wide information technology to align withstrategies, policies, priorities and resource allocations. Sustainscurrent strategies while planning new directions to meet challengesand opportunities.

This position may be designated as a Campus Security Authority (CSA ).

Other Specifications

Further details can be found here: https://wittkieffer.com/positions/a1wun000002926hmaq

Full Time Part Time

Full Time

Quicklink

https://shsu.peopleadmin.com/postings/48803

EEO Statement

EEO Statement

Sam Houston State University is an Equal Employment OpportunityEmployer and Smoke/Drug-Free Workplace. All qualified applicantswill receive consideration for employment without regard to race,creed, ancestry, marital status, citizenship, color, nationalorigin, sex, religion, age, disability, or protected veteranstatus. The University takes seriously the initiative to ensureequal opportunity in the workforce and to comply with Title VII asinterpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court. Sam Houston State Universityis an “at will” employer. Employees with a contract will haveadditional terms and conditions. Security-sensitive positions at SHSU require background checks in accordance with Education Code§51.215.

AnnualSecurity and Fire Safety Report

Applicant Documents

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