IT ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent and 5 years of professional experience

• Working directly with federal, state and private granting authorities to secure new and additional funding expanding the contractual obligations of the organization which has helped increase SREF's overall funding and funding sources.
• Working closely with our funding partners to ensure successful fulfillment of the organization's contracts and obligations and leading to growing and lasting relationships with our partners.
• Driving the organization's funding projections and analysis to help the organization maintain a steady and sustainable future through documented and well throughout analysis of contract obligations and funding over the duration of the contractual performance periods.
• Assisting various leaders at both state and federal forestry/natural resources offices in determining web-based needs and implementing appropriate solutions.
• Networking with other IT professionals internal and external to the University.
• Assist in implementing new computer/internet technologies for extension forestry programs.
• Developing and maintaining web-based solutions for several programs and projects simultaneously.
• Project planning and implementation as part of a regional team of specialists that include content, graphics, computing, marketing, and administration specialists.

• Direct, facilitate and implement unit level IT projects.
• Assist with hiring, training, supervising and evaluating the IT Professionals and student workers including scanners and graphic designers.
• Assist the Southern Regional Extension Forester with the development of budgets, project plans, cost and time estimates and communication with key funding and stakeholder partners.
• Direct the professional development of IT staff and student workers.
• Assist the Southern Regional Extension Forester with final reports to funding agencies and other stakeholders including travel and presentations.
• Assist the Southern Regional Extension Forester in developing and writing grants for external funding.
• Provide leadership to research, design and implement appropriate technology applications for the SREF unit; other duties as necessary.

• In depth knowledge, understanding, and background in at least one web based scripting/programming language.
• Experience with Python programming desirable.
• Thorough knowledge of one major high level programming language, or a comparable non-procedural software package, and the characteristics of a computer system on which the language or software package is used.
• Familiarity with Zope/Plone web development framework desirable.
• Considerable knowledge of the conventions and practices used in documenting computer hardware and software systems.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work with external partners.
• Ability to work as part of a team.

• Normal for office environment.

• Manage all aspects of client project requirements activities including gathering detailed business and technical requirements through workshops, interviews, and document reviews. Drive the development of effective design specifications that meet client needs. Ensure requirements are clearly documented, detailed, and traceable throughout the project lifecycle.
• Oversee projects from initial design through deployment to ensure software solutions fully meet client specifications and needs. Monitor project progress regularly to identify any deviations from requirements or potential issues. Keep projects on track and ensure all stakeholders are aligned.
• Architect innovative software and process solutions that solve complex business challenges for clients. Research and prototype leading-edge technologies to incorporate into solutions.
• Design, develop, and implement customized web-based software applications that provide robust and scalable platforms and solutions to address complex client business requirements. Utilize leading technologies and architectures such as cloud, APIs, and more.
• Continuously research, analyze, and prototype emerging technologies and frameworks for the development and implementation of current and future cloud software solutions.
• Lead the full software development life cycle for client projects
• Perform compliance analyses on software solutions prior to client delivery to ensure they fulfill all documented requirements and service levels.
• Prepare comprehensive project status reports and conduct reviews with clients to communicate progress, milestones, accomplishments, open issues, and next steps. Build trusted relationships.
• Respond to client service requests; investigate issues; assign cases; design, code, test and implement software solutions. Provide excellent customer service.
• Mentor and guide SREF technical staff by providing direction, coaching, and feedback.

• Develop and uphold efficient processes to guarantee timely renewal of ongoing client project contracts, license and maintenance agreements, and associated budgets. Track renewals proactively and provide ample notifications.
• Review and negotiate favorable terms and conditions for new and existing client contracts and IT license/maintenance agreements. Seek meaningful growth opportunities, process enhancements, cost optimization, and risk mitigation.
• Create detailed pricing and budgeting for large, highly complex client projects and contracts.
• Facilitate SREF purchases and acquisitions involving non-standard or elaborate terms and conditions.
• Foster and maintain strong relationships and performance expectations with key clients and vendors. Proactively share relevant product/service updates, offerings, and directional info to support management in making informed decisions.
• Manage ongoing operational expectations and continuous improvement objectives. Monitor processes to identify areas for improvement or efficiency gains.
• Assist in developing and upholding cloud spend management frameworks, business modeling, maintenance, and reporting. Provide analysis and recommendations on cloud spend optimization.

• Collaboratively develop and execute change management plans that align with coordinated client and SREF objectives and priorities.
• Marshal appropriate resources to guarantee effective, timely deployment and delivery of solutions that drive desired organizational outcomes. Coordinate seamlessly across teams and functions.
• Provide operational management of complex contractual web-based application products and solutions throughout their lifecycle.
• Work closely with SREF leadership on ongoing business continuity planning and expansion initiatives. Identify risks and opportunities.
• Foster effective working relationships between the IT team and client community through open communication and engagement.

• Design, build, and oversee intricate disaster recovery processes, plans, and procedures to minimize risk and downtime. Conduct regular testing and audits. Update plans as needed.
• Deploy and configure highly complex on-premise and cloud-based platforms to support SREF's internal and client information technology solutions. Ensure stability, security, scalability.
• Troubleshoot and resolve highly complex technical issues with computer hardware, software applications, on-premise servers, and cloud infrastructure.
• Analyze departmental software delivery needs and identify/implement optimal server and virtual platform upgrades and replacements.
• Institute and administer robust system security policies, controls, and procedures across platforms and environments. Monitor for threats and anomalies. Ensure data protection.