Director of Information Technology

Lowell, MA, United States

Job Title: Director of Information Technology

Reports to: Chief Operating Officer

Type: Full Time

Category: IT

Background on UTEC, Inc.

UTEC’s promise is to ignite and nurture the ambition of our most disengaged youth to trade violence and poverty for social and economic success. UTEC’s outcomes-focused model begins with intensive street outreach, reaching proven high-risk youth where they’re at. UTEC engages youth in workforce development and educational programs and provides mental health services and intensive case management. Social justice and civic engagement are embedded in all programming. For more info, please visit www.utecinc.org .

UTEC is committed to its vision for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion which pledges to honor the lived experiences and expertise of individuals; create community and celebration of cultures; challenge all forms of oppression; and embody a culture that leans into discomfort and recognizes it as a growth opportunity. UTEC is dedicated to fair and equitable compensation practice, the health, mental health, and overall well-being of young adults and staff and to creating an environment that supports work-life balance and the individual and professional growth of all.

Job Summary

The Director of Information Technology will provide structure and control of the functions responsible for diverse technical operations. This includes hardware, software, and networking in both physical and virtual environments.

The Director of IT will be the connector between UTEC’s users and its technology. This position will be responsible for administering, supporting, and, when possible, improving the existing core technology infrastructure. This entails maintaining the technology that supports the organization’s daily operations, such as Internet access, users’ computing environment, software applications, cloud networks, inventory management, data security, email, and data accessibility.

The Director of Information Technology supervises the Technical Support Specialist and any related contractors or consultants.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Ensure effective time management of all direct reports. Review and approve all timesheets and requests for time off

Provide regular supervision through individual meetings with direct reports on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Document any exceptional performance as well as any concerning behavior shared with HR and perform an annual written performance review with each direct report

Ensure that all staff can identify the impact of their role on agency-wide goals and metrics for success.

Duties/Responsibilities

UTEC’s technology needs are provided by the core infrastructure and encompass existing technology elements necessary to support the organization’s operations. The core technology infrastructure consists of UTEC’s collection of on-premise and off-premise/cloud technology assets used to operate, monitor, manage, and support business operations. These include physical hardware (e.g. computers and printers), data storage and retrieval, network systems, phone systems, cloud infrastructure, website properties, data systems (e.g. Quickbase), and applications to support the business goals of the organization.

As Director of Information Technology, this person will:

Strategy Development: Under the direction of the COO and in collaboration with senior leadership to formulate the company’s technology strategy and integration that supports the company's culture and processes.

Policy and Procedures: Devising and establishing IT policies and systems to support the implementation of strategies. Ensuring that policies and procedures for data management and protection are in place and actualized.

Software Product Evaluation: Evaluate, select, and implement software products that enhance operational efficiency, customer service, and data security. Perform regular assessments to evaluate the usage of existing software products. Managing the transition to new products/software/applications and training staff on effective utilization.

Training, Development, and User Support: Design and execute regular comprehensive training sessions to ensure that employees are proficient in using the various software. Work with department leaders to identify areas in need of training and to ensure that all products are utilized by the employees to their full potential.

Provide technical support to end-users, addressing hardware and software issues promptly and professionally. Act as the escalation point for complex issues and coordinate with IT vendors to resolve technical challenges efficiently.

Cybersecurity: Implement and enforce cybersecurity policies and protocols to safeguard sensitive data and maintain compliance with industry and state regulations. Conduct regular security audits and risk assessments.

Technology Analysis: Effectively prepare and present to senior leadership using a variety of methods regarding project management, status updates, the viability of new technology, risk assessments, and risk mitigation strategy as well as the financial impact of technology issues or implementation. Oversight and analysis of user core enterprise applications including Google email, Google enterprise suite applications, Quickbase database, and any other application systems being utilized (i.e. Salesforce).

User Account and Access Permissions Administration: Manage user accounts and associated permissions within our systems and software products ensuring that users have the requisite access rights to resources and data.

Hardware Management: Maintain and update hardware inventory, and procure new equipment as needed. Setting up and configuring new workstations and equipment.

Employee Onboarding and Offboarding: Create and configure user accounts across various systems and applications, ensure that new employees receive the necessary hardware, grant appropriate access based on employees' roles, and arrange for training of products, helping them become familiar with all systems and tools. At offboarding, disable &/or remove access to all systems and applications promptly, and coordinate the return of company-owned hardware and assets.

Proactive maintenance and monitoring: Monitor all hardware, software, and networking in both physical and virtual environments. Ensure minimal infrastructure downtime and performance tuning. Update and patch user computing environments as needed. Disaster recovery planning and backing-up systems are required. Oversee onsite and remote access for staff support, cloud network and onsite VOIP telephone system. Monitor the cloud IT infrastructure including user cloud computers, cloud data storage, cloud networking, and cloud security.

Required Skills/Abilities

BS/BA in computer science, engineering, or relevant field or 5-9 years of experience preferred

Proven experience as IT Director or similar role

Must be able to make complex IT matters understandable and attainable to staff at all levels

Excellent time management, and customer service skills

Demonstrated experience leading teams, preferably in a technology support setting

Demonstrated experience supporting a variety of technologies with a high level of user satisfaction, including but not limited to Windows, Mac, and Chrome platforms, Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Cloud, imaging software, Audio/Video and media, inventory systems, and help desk/knowledge base systems

Experience in analysis, implementation, and evaluation of IT systems and their specifications

Sound understanding of computer systems (hardware/software), LANs, WANs, wireless networks, VPNs, Firewalls, etc.

Self-starter that demonstrates personal initiative, responsibility, and a sense of ownership

Make timely and sound decisions, especially under conditions of time pressure

A strong candidate will demonstrate many of the following qualifications:

Strong verbal and written communication skills

Experience with developing and offering training on IT-related matters to non IT staff

Experience in information technology budgeting

Demonstrated project management experience

Demonstrated experience with strategic planning and the communication of future vision

Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities

Skilled in data analytics, including software cost-benefit analysis

Familiarity and development of data privacy regulations and cybersecurity best practices.

Proficiency in software evaluation, implementation, and training.

Manage website and social media assets’ functionality (excluding content)

Manage data infrastructure including data acquisition, storage, security, analysis, and reporting

Salary/Benefits: The starting salary for this role is $86,000 plus benefits. UTEC offers a competitive benefits package that starts with 4 weeks of vacation (3 standard for all new employees and a week of agency-wide wellness closure between the Christmas and New Year holidays), 12 holidays, 10 sick days, 2 personal days, and health, dental and vision insurance. We also offer life insurance, first time homeowners support, an annual cost of living increase, a 401-K retirement plan, a $1,200- $1,800 annual wellness fund, and professional development support. With time, benefits grow to include up to 6 weeks of vacation, 80% coverage of employee health and dental insurance costs and availability for a 3 week sabbatical.

UTEC also stresses the importance of work-life balance and offers several wellness opportunities including additional time off (i.e. for the past two years we have closed at 3pm on Fridays during the summer months), an employee assistance program, down payment assistance for first time home buyers, parental leave, bereavement supports and unlimited free coffee! See more about our benefits here.

UTEC provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, UTEC complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

UTEC works to ignite and nurture the ambition of our most disconnected young adults to trade violence and poverty for social and economic success. Why is this work important to you? *

Can you tell us a bit about your experience managing an organization's technology strategy and integration? What were your roles and responsibilities? *

Please confirm that you are aware that this is a Lowel, MA based role and that you are either located in/or near Lowell, MA or willing to relocate if offered the position. *

How’d you find out about this position? * UTEC Careers Page UTEC Team Member Recruiter NRG Consulting Group LinkedIn Indeed Idealist Glassdoor ZipRecruiter Other Job Board Listserv or Online Group Social Media Friend or Colleague Other

Were you referred by a current UTEC employee? If so, by whom? *

Have you been a recipient of UTEC’s services? If so, please describe. *

We will also ask a set of voluntary demographic questions. These are completely anonymous and not linked to your candidate profile. We use this data to help us obtain some information to ensure we are doing our part to source a diverse candidate pool.

We want to emphasize that the questions are written by government standards, and are entirely optional. We want to acknowledge the use of outdated language regarding gender identities. This does not reflect our deep values of inclusivity at UTEC. Thank you for your understanding as we do our best to use the tools we have! OK!

The following questions are entirely optional. To comply with government Equal Employment Opportunity and/or Affirmative Action reporting regulations, we are requesting (but NOT requiring) that you enter this personal data. This information will not be used in connection with any employment decisions, and will be used solely as permitted by state and federal law. Your voluntary cooperation would be appreciated. Learn more .

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