The Assistant Vice President of Information Technology (AVP, IT) is Mitchell Hamline School of Law’s senior technology leader, responsible for the strategy, operations, security and effectiveness of the School’s information technology environment.

The AVP provides strategic direction and operational leadership across enterprise applications, infrastructure, academic technology, cybersecurity, infrastructure, and technology services. The position leads IT professionals while maintaining the technical knowledge and experience necessary to evaluate solutions, guide complex decisions, address operational challenges, and ensure effective delivery of technology services.

Working across academic and administrative areas, the AVP aligns technology priorities, resources, and investments with institutional needs. The position advances technology governance, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies while ensuring reliable, secure, and responsive services for the Mitchell Hamline community.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Technology Strategy and Leadership

• Develop and execute a multi-year technology strategy aligned with the Law School’s academic mission, strategic priorities, and administrative needs.
• Advise senior leadership on technology strategy, AI and emerging technology, digital transformation, cybersecurity, risk, and significant technology investments.
• Translate institutional priorities into technology roadmaps, initiatives, and resource priorities.
• Build partnerships across academic and administrative areas to identify opportunities for technology-enabled improvement and innovation.

Technology Governance and Digital Transformation

• Develop and propose institution-wide governance for technology, systems, data, and AI, including decision rights, ownership, standards, and accountability.
• Lead responsible evaluation and adoption of AI, automation, integration, and other emerging technologies.
• Partner with institutional leaders to modernize processes and improve teaching, learning, service delivery, and institutional effectiveness.
• Ensure significant technology decisions consider value, security, privacy, accessibility, integration, cost, sustainability, and risk.

Cybersecurity and Institutional Resilience

• Provide executive leadership for cybersecurity, technology risk, disaster recovery, and business continuity.
• Establish appropriate standards for access, security, change management, documentation, backup, and continuity across institution-critical systems.
• Ensure significant technology risks are identified, addressed, and communicated to institutional leadership.
• Partner with appropriate institutional and external resources on privacy, compliance, security, and incident response.

IT Organizational Leadership and Service Delivery

• Lead the Information Technology function through technology professionals responsible for enterprise applications, infrastructure and support, academic technology, cybersecurity, and related services.
• Establish priorities, service expectations, accountability, staffing, and organizational capacity appropriate to the Law School’s needs. Recruit, develop, evaluate, and retain a strong technology team while promoting cross-training, succession planning, and reduction of single points of failure.
• Ensure reliable, secure, accessible, and responsive technology services for students, faculty, and staff.
• Ensures that IT infrastructure meets the needs of faculty, staff, and students

Financial, Portfolio and Vendor Leadership

• Develop and manage the IT budget and multi-year technology investment plan.
• Prioritize major technology initiatives and oversee significant implementations and institutional technology investments.
• Manage technology related vendors, consultants, contracts, licensing, and external technology partners.
• Identify opportunities to improve value, consolidate technology, and align spending with institutional priorities.

An individual in this position must be able to successfully perform the essential duties and responsibilities listed above. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Broad knowledge of enterprise information technology, including applications, infrastructure, cybersecurity, cloud services, academic technology, data governance, and technology service delivery.
• Ability to develop technology strategy and translate institutional priorities into practical plans, investments, and initiatives.
• Understanding of artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, digital transformation, and associated institutional opportunities and risks.
• Strong knowledge of cybersecurity, technology risk management, business continuity, and governance principles.
• Ability to lead experienced technical leaders and professionals across multiple technology disciplines.
• Strong financial, vendor, contract, project, and technology-investment management skills.
• Ability to communicate complex technical, operational, and risk issues clearly to nontechnical audiences.
• Strong judgment, collaboration, relationship management, and change-leadership skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Commitment to responsive, accessible, and user-centered technology services.

Minimum Qualifications: 

• At least eight years of progressively responsible information technology experience, including substantial responsibility for implementing, administering, operating, or providing technical oversight of enterprise technology systems.
• At least five years of IT leadership experience, including supervision of technical professionals and accountability for technology operations and service delivery.
• Demonstrated technical proficiency in one or more core IT disciplines, with the ability to evaluate technical solutions, diagnose complex technology issues, and provide informed direction to technical teams.
• Demonstrated experience developing or executing technology strategy and leading significant technology initiatives or organizational change. 
• Demonstrated experience managing technology budgets, vendors, contracts, projects, or significant technology investments. 

• Demonstrated experience with cybersecurity, technology risk, business continuity, governance, or related institutional-control responsibilities.
• Bachelor’s degree

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Master’s degree 
• Senior technology leadership experience in higher education, legal education, professional services, nonprofit organizations, or another complex knowledge-based environment. 
• Experience with enterprise applications, systems integration, cloud platforms, data governance, academic technology, or digital transformation. 
• Experience developing institutional approaches to artificial intelligence or emerging technology. 
• Relevant professional certification in technology leadership, cybersecurity, governance, project management, enterprise architecture, or a related area.

Physical and Mental Demands:

• Regular computer, video conference, telephone, and other office technology use. 
• Ability to analyze complex information, exercise sound judgment, establish priorities, and make decisions involving competing institutional needs. 
• Ability to manage multiple strategic and operational priorities and respond effectively to changing circumstances. 
• Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with senior leaders, faculty, staff, students, vendors, and technology professionals. 
• Ability to move throughout campus and occasionally access technology environments or equipment. 
• Occasional lifting or movement of technology-related equipment weighing up to 30 pounds.

The mental and physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an individual to successfully perform the essential functions of this position.

Working Environment:

• Work is primarily performed in an office and campus environment. 
• The position requires regular interaction with senior leadership, faculty, staff, students, vendors, consultants, and technology professionals. 
• Occasional evening or weekend work may be required for significant implementations, institutional activities, emergencies, or technology incidents. 
• Some travel may be required for professional development, vendor relationships, conferences, or institutional business.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an individual encounters while performing the essential functions of this position.

Mitchell Hamline School of Law does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor.

Notice of Nondiscrimination re: Title IX Sex Discrimination

Mitchell Hamline School of Law prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions about sex discrimination or harassment to the Title IX Coordinator. The notice of nondiscrimination and information about reporting concerns is located on our website (https://mitchellhamline.edu/students/title-ix/).