About Niagara College
Located in the Heart of the Niagara Region – just minutes from one of the world’s most well-known tourism destinations – Niagara College offers more than 130 innovative programs between our state-of-the-art campuses in Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Together, our campuses provide unique living laboratories and top-notch facilities that deliver hands-on applied learning opportunities, world-class applied research, and smaller class sizes in an intimate and friendly environment.
Canada’s leader in applied, experiential learning, NC offers its students a breadth of programs that reflect and respond to the key sectors of our region, our province, and the broader global economy. These programs immerse students within a highly experiential learning environment, enhanced by digital technologies.
Our graduates possess cultural and global competencies; they are innovative, adaptable, and entrepreneurial, pushing the boundaries of the possible for industry in Niagara, in Canada, and abroad.
At Niagara College, more than 10,500 full-time students study in over 130 diploma, graduate certificate, apprenticeship, and bachelor’s degree programs.
We also welcome more than 3,000 Part-Time Studies registrants each year, who study in 600+ credit, vocational and general interest programs.
Our programs provide real-world experience and are taught by passionate faculty committed to student success, resulting in a true one-of-a-kind educational experience.
About The Role
The Chief Information Officer (CIO) plays a strategic leadership role in shaping and managing the College’s digital vision and delivering technological solutions to support its administrative, academic, and business objectives through Information Technology Services.
This role oversees the planning, IT architecture, delivery, and security of the College’s digital infrastructure (including data, computing, communication, client support, audio/video, and network infrastructure) while ensuring alignment with institutional goals and emerging innovative technology trends for stakeholders.
The CIO is responsible for proactively identifying trends, risks, and opportunities, and providing strategic advice to the Executive Team on how the College can optimize and leverage its current and future investments in information and digital technologies.
They lead the design, implementation, and management of enterprise, cloud, and academic technology services, along with secure network solutions that support academic and operational excellence.
This includes developing technology standards, overseeing the enterprise IT project portfolio office, and establishing policies through governance with the college, and through input from industry and other partners.
The CIO identifies technology solutions that enhance teaching and learning, including classroom technologies and corresponding designs, hybrid learning environments, and the College’s Learning Management technologies, including the Learning Management System.
They drive innovation and change in digital tools and services to support technology-enabled course delivery and ensure seamless technical support for students and faculty.
The CIO designs and manages robust security frameworks for data and information protection and access, emergency alert and physical security systems, and campus-wide IT operations.
The CIO ensures the College remains at the forefront of technological and digital innovation and adoption, fostering a connected, secure, and collaborative environment for all stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities
IT Strategy and Digital Transformation:
- Continually assess new and emerging technologies and methodologies for impact, opportunities, and risks to the college.
- Determine future major secure technological directions to complement College strategic plans. Provide input to the executive team and other senior management in developing and managing business strategies, particularly those involving technology.
- Consult and advise on information technology requirements with key stakeholder groups including College community, academic and business leaders and external partners.
- Collaborate with the College’s business and academic leadership to identify opportunities for service and process improvements through innovative technology solutions.
- Create and maintain successful IT governance and project portfolio management structures that support both academic and administrative functions.
- Champion inclusive practices that reflect the College’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
- Guide the ethical adoption and practice of artificial intelligence, including related practices and policies.
Financial Management:
- Assess and recommend both long-term and short-term IT solutions that align with operational and capital budgets, as well as the College’s strategic plan.
- Update, advise, and support the ITS management team as they design, plan, and implement approved initiatives, strategies, and architectures.
- Negotiate agreements and partnerships with vendors and suppliers to maximize cost-effectiveness.
- Ensure that human and computer resources are managed to achieve maximum returns and uptime in a safe, secure, proficient, and cost-effective environment.
- Ensure adequate resources to maintain service levels and redundancy in service level agreements for identified critical systems.
- Ensure that operating and capital budgets are used effectively by optimally utilizing human, fiscal, and physical resources.
- Collaborate with Facility Management and Safety and other departments to align IT infrastructure with sustainability targets.
IT Leadership:
- Demonstrate active leadership by offering support and guidance to the ITS leadership team and, ultimately, to staff, to steer and carry out strategic and operational plans.
- Guide the team in researching and making decisions on long-term technology objectives and response strategies to maintain system stability and meet short-term objectives. Encourage the continuous development of a responsive, innovative, and customer-focused ITS department that provides optimal technology solutions, training, and support to stakeholders.
- Maintain a high level of performance by recruiting, selecting, developing, motivating and evaluating staff while developing budgetary objectives and policies for all ITS staff.
- Nurture strong professional relationships with external contractors, vendors, and consultants to ensure high service levels and that all related contracts and agreements are compliant and optimized.
- Facilitates strong communication between the ITS department and all other college areas using IT services by ensuring effective project implementation plans and clear, achievable client service delivery expectations (service desk and tier 1 through 3 support).
- Support the College’s current and potential strategic partnerships by maintaining a network of colleagues and collaborating with community agents. Represent the College on provincial and national committees, regional task forces, and industry and community interest groups. Secure opportunities for revenue, funding, and partnerships in technology sectors.
- Provide senior Project Management Leadership to strategic systems projects, monitoring development to ensure that timelines and budgets are met.
- Provide management guidance for event spaces and research when requested.
Academic, Administrative and Research Technology Design:
- Participate as a subject matter expert (SME) and oversee academic and administrative technology design and implementation for new or renovated buildings or other College spaces.
- Involved in research grants as SME to ensure compatibility with College technologies and security.
- Ensure that digital learning platforms are adaptable to evolving pedagogical requirements and student needs.
Education and Experience
- A minimum of 13 years of progressive experience in Information Technology leadership or related roles.
- A university degree in engineering, computer science, math, or information science, or equivalency (with an IT focus) or other related discipline.
- Executive Leadership training (MBA/EMBA or senior higher education or CIO leadership) would be an asset.
- Certification or demonstrated training in Project Management processes, such as a PMP designation.
- Demonstrated exposure to business process engineering, IT architecture, and cybersecurity management is considered an asset.
- Solid understanding of IT architecture, networking and information security in a higher education environment.
- Experience in design management of complex, integrated, highly available enterprise-wide networks, large-scale enterprise systems, communications technologies and teaching and learning technologies.
- Leading-edge knowledge of current IT and network technologies and systems methodologies.
- A keen interest in and understanding of the application of technology to teaching and learning at a post-secondary level.
- Proven experience in supervising, guiding, motivating and leading high-tech staff, including delivery and support of a central IT service desk and tier 1 through 3 client support.
- Superior management skills at an executive level.
- Experience leading Incident Management groups.
Niagara College is a place-based organization, and all positions are primarily based on campus. On-campus work allows for close collaboration and a strong team culture. While most work will be done in the office, we offer flexibility for some remote work, as the job allows.
Niagara College is strongly committed to diversity and inclusion within its community. We offer an inclusive work environment and welcome applications from all qualified individuals who believe they can contribute to further enhancing campus diversity and equity efforts.
If requested, accommodation will be made to support applicants with disabilities during the recruitment and selection process.
Note: Credentials obtained outside of Canada require an evaluation to determine the Canadian educational equivalence. This evaluation must support the educational requirements for the position as a condition of employment. For further information, visit: World Education Services http://www.wes.org/ca/.
How to Apply
To express interest in this exciting opportunity, email your cover letter and resume to:
Patrick Rowan, Partner, Feldman Daxon Partners
Email: prowan@feldmandaxon.com