Department
OPS ITS - IT Services
About the Department
ITS collaborates with campus partners to support the mission of the University of Chicago through the consistent delivery of high-quality solutions and services. We provide secure, stable, and reliable infrastructure and applications to support the mission of the University. We support and enable faculty research and teaching with the effective use of technology. We simplify the technology experience for faculty, students, alumni, and staff, and we ensure technology is mobile-friendly and accessible. We identify, manage, and mitigate the technology risks of the University.
Job Information
Job Summary:
Reporting to the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and serving on the ITS Senior Leadership Team, the Assistant Vice President for IT Infrastructure and Operations provides executive leadership for the technology foundations and services that enable the University’s mission. The portfolio includes enterprise networks, computing and storage, cloud infrastructure, data center services, collaboration technologies, service management, end-user support, and enterprise architecture. This role oversees all telecommunications services, serving both the University and University of Chicago Medicine, and leads approximately 120 staff, together with contractors.
The Assistant Vice President sets strategic direction, develops leaders, and is accountable for service reliability, user experience, operational risk, and financial performance across the portfolio. This leader modernizes infrastructure and service delivery, coordinates shared priorities with unit IT directors and University of Chicago Medicine technology leaders, and oversees major technology vendor relationships and enterprise agreements. Digital Trust owns technology disaster recovery and service resilience; this role coordinates the portfolio’s implementation and operational support. AI and Data strategy and organizational leadership reside outside this position.
Responsibilities:
- Develop and execute a multiyear infrastructure, cloud, and architecture roadmap aligned with University priorities, service needs, risk, and financial capacity; establish clear milestones and measures of value.
- Lead modernization of hybrid infrastructure and service delivery through automation, integrated monitoring, and responsible use of AI. Reduce technical debt and complexity through disciplined lifecycle planning, standardization, and retirement of redundant services.
- Prepare infrastructure and architecture for evolving research, data-intensive workloads, and AI-enabled services, including secure integration and operational readiness, in partnership with the leaders accountable for those capabilities.
- Lead reliable, scalable, accessible, and secure delivery of portfolio services. Establish service ownership, service-level objectives, capacity plans, and support models appropriate to critical University needs.
- Direct the full telecommunications portfolio for the University and University of Chicago Medicine, including strategy, service delivery, modernization, carrier relationships, and financial performance. Align service levels, support, and change planning with academic, research, administrative, and clinical requirements.
- Direct service management and end-user support, including the service catalog, incident and problem management, change and release practices, asset and configuration management, and service improvement.
- Set and review measures of availability, performance, recovery, user satisfaction, delivery effectiveness, and cost. Use operational data and campus feedback to improve services and make accountability visible.
- Lead the portfolio’s response to major service disruptions, including coordinated restoration, timely stakeholder communications, and follow-through on lessons learned. Partner with information security on cybersecurity incident response.
- Implement security and privacy requirements in portfolio services in partnership with the Chief Information Security Officer and relevant control owners. Ensure timely remediation of vulnerabilities, secure configurations, effective access controls, and resolution of audit findings.
- Direct operating and capital budgets, workforce planning, and investment prioritization for infrastructure and Operations. Present clear business cases and tradeoffs that balance reliability, modernization, institutional value, and affordability.
- Optimize portfolio costs through lifecycle planning, total cost of ownership analysis, cloud financial management, and transparent service costing. Align investments and resource commitments with agreed institutional priorities.
- Provide executive oversight of major agreements and strategic relationships with Microsoft, Google, Zoom, telecommunications carriers, and other key providers. Align vendor roadmaps and enterprise offerings with institutional needs and coordinate requirements across unit IT and University of Chicago Medicine, as applicable.
- Lead agreement strategy, negotiations, renewals, and sourcing decisions in partnership with procurement, legal counsel, Digital Trust, and service owners. Define service commitments, pricing and licensing terms, data protections, and transition provisions that protect institutional interests.
- Hold vendors accountable through executive relationships, regular performance reviews, service metrics, and timely escalation. Manage licensing and utilization, renewal forecasts, and contract obligations to improve value, reduce duplication, and address supplier and exit risks.
- Build sustained partnerships with unit IT directors across schools, divisions, and administrative units, and with University of Chicago Medicine technology leaders. Establish regular forums to align roadmaps, investment priorities, technical standards, and shared service expectations while respecting local accountability.
- Coordinate service changes, maintenance, major incidents, and escalations with unit IT directors and University of Chicago Medicine. Establish clear responsibilities, communication channels, and decision processes for services that cross organizational boundaries.
- Develop shared service models through collaborative governance, balancing institutional consistency with legitimate local needs. Engage faculty, researchers, students, and administrative leaders to improve services; partner with research computing and academic technology leaders on infrastructure dependencies.
- Lead through a strong management team with clear authority, goals, and accountability. Recruit, coach, develop, and retain talented leaders and technical professionals; build succession plans and skills for emerging technologies.
- Create a respectful, inclusive, service-oriented culture focused on exceptional customer service. Set expectations for responsiveness, clear communication, and ownership of customer needs. Encourage collaboration, learning, and continuous improvement; lead change with attention to employee engagement and sustainable workloads.
- Performs other related work as needed.
Competencies:
- Executive judgment that connects technical decisions to institutional priorities, risk, and financial stewardship.
- Influence across organizational boundaries and explain complex issues clearly to executive, academic, and technical audiences.
- Commitment to service quality, measurable outcomes, and practical innovation.
- People leadership that builds trust, develops others, welcomes diverse perspectives, and sustains accountability through change.
Additional Responsibilities
Education, Experience or Certifications:
Education:
- Bachelor's degree in a relevant technical discipline, business administration, or a related field required.
- Master’s degree in a relevant technical discipline, business administration, or a related field preferred.
Experience:
- Minimum 12+ years of progressively responsible information technology experience, including substantial senior leadership responsibility for complex enterprise infrastructure, operations, or architecture functions.
- Leadership experience in a research-intensive university or a comparably complex, decentralized institution, with an understanding of academic and research needs.
- Leading infrastructure and cloud transformation, enterprise architecture governance, and measurable improvements in service quality, resilience, and cost.
- Applying ITIL-based service management, automation, AI-assisted operations, and cloud financial management practices.
- Supporting telecommunications or other shared technology services across a university and an academic health system, and managing major agreements with technology providers such as Microsoft, Google, and Zoom.
Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:
- Hybrid work schedule, onsite and remote as determined by responsibilities.
- Standard office and computer-based work environment.
- Work outside normal business hours may be required for critical incidents, planned maintenance, or University operational needs.
- Occasional travel among University locations and to professional meetings may be required.
Required Documents:
- Cover Letter
- References Contact Information (3)
The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.
When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.
Job Family
Senior Administrators
Scheduled Weekly Hours
37.5
Drug Test Required
No
Health Screen Required
No
Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
No
Pay Frequency
Monthly
Pay Rate Type
Salary
FLSA Status
Exempt
Pay Range
$275,000.00 - $350,000.00
The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.
Benefits Eligible
Yes
The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.
Posting Statement
The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.
Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.
All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.
The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu. Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.
