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Brown University
  • Position Number: 3079133
  • Location: Providence, RI
  • Position Type: Academic Vice Presidents and Provosts

Brown University, a private coeducational research university and member of the Association of American Universities, seeks a bold, accomplished, and strategic leader to serve as the Vice President for Information Technology & Chief Information Officer (VPIT-CIO). Reporting to the University's new Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration and serving as a member of the President's cabinet, the VPIT-CIO will advance Brown's mission by leading an enterprise technology organization in providing innovative technology, data, and digital solutions for faculty, students, and staff. The VPIT-CIO will be a strong collaborator and creative problem-solver who prioritizes solutions that are efficient, secure, sustainable, and scalable to meet the ever-evolving needs of a complex organization.

Brown University's new IT leader has the opportunity both to establish exciting directions for IT transformation and to strengthen the core value proposition of a central IT function in a world-class research university. A new IT leader is expected to lead a central IT division that will deliver reliable, secure, financially sustainable, and architecturally integrated technology solutions to faculty, staff, and students to advance education and research, while at the same time supporting lifelong engagement for Brown's alumni. As the University turns again to long-term planning and investment, the belief that wisely designed, sustainably architected, and suitably funded information technology can have a transformative impact on how Brown continues to pursue its distinctive future.

The successful candidate will bring important skills, attributes, and competencies to the Brown community. Chief among them are organizational and emotional intelligence, domain expertise, highly developed leadership skills, a commitment to disciplined, purposeful innovation in thought and practice, and experience advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. They will bring knowledge of the established and emerging technologies relevant to the work of a top-tier research university balanced with the experience and ability to think institutionally and make judicious and sustained investments. They will have the ability to earn the trust of colleagues at all levels so as to advise the Brown community on how information technology can best support and enhance teaching and learning, research, and administrative operations. They will have the empathy and interpersonal skills needed to lead, engage, and motivate a cadre of loyal, talented IT professionals who work in service to and partnership with clients and customers across and beyond campus.

The VPIT-CIO must therefore be a strategic and highly experienced technology leader with demonstrated success in cultivating partnerships and fostering collaboration and innovation while leading a large-scale IT organization that serves a complex enterprise with multiple centers of gravity. They will bring experience in developing a strategy for a decentralized, multi-constituency organization and a track record of success working collaboratively with interdisciplinary teams to develop and obtain broad support for ambitious and innovative long-range plans. And they must bring a reputation for integrity and openness and a blend of expertise, demeanor, and discipline that inspires confidence at all levels.

Qualifications

  • An undergraduate degree from an accredited educational institution; a graduate degree is preferred but not required

  • 10-years of leadership experience in complex, mission-driven organizations with multiple constituent groups and inclusive decision-making practices, including engagement with executive leadership and governance

  • The ability to maintain an institutional and strategic perspective while helping staff to prioritize and manage shorter-term activities

  • Substantial knowledge of cybersecurity and of risk-based information security programs and practices

  • Experience developing business cases for strategic and sustainable technology investments

  • Experience managing, developing, presenting, and managing budgets comprising multiple funding sources

  • Experience building and leading a large IT service organization

  • Experience across at least a portion of the IT portfolio represented in OIT

  • Experience implementing and/or refining IT governance frameworks and change-management programs

  • Excellent interpersonal skills and highly effective written and oral communications

  • Experience in negotiating contracts and building innovative, mutually beneficial vendor relationships

  • Appreciation for the implications of operating in an organization subject to multiple regulatory frameworks


Experience in a research university with an academic health system is preferred; candidates with a public-sector or corporate background that entails exposure to or engagement with teaching or research, patient care, or large-scale data analytics, are welcome to apply. The VPIT-CIO is a full-time senior-level administrative position with established expectations of on-campus, in-person presence.



Brown University has engaged Opus Partners to support the recruitment of this position. Craig Smith, Partner, and Abigail Maynard, Associate, are leading the search. Confidential inquiries, applications, and nominations should be submitted by email to Abigail at abigail.maynard@opuspartners.net.

A complete application will include a resume and cover letter. Brown University values diversity, equity, and inclusion, and seeks a leader who is committed to promoting these values throughout the organization. We encourage candidates to address in their cover letters how they might promote these values as the VPIT-CIO and to highlight past professional support of initiatives designed to remove barriers and to increase participation by groups historically under-represented in IT.

Brown University is committed to diversity and non-discrimination and supports the employment of qualified individuals with disabilities in the workplace. Brown will comply with all federal and state laws and regulations, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Brown University is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and encourages applications from Minority/Female/Differently Abled/Veteran individuals. Brown University is also an E-Verify employer.


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