Director of Information Technology & Cybersecurity

Lower Merion School District is hiring for the key position of Director of Information Technology and Cybersecurity.

This Director is responsible for providing the vision, technical expertise, coordination, and overall leadership for the implementation of information technology and information security throughout the district. The Director is responsible for overseeing the district-wide infrastructure and technology systems designed to support both the instructional program and management functions. The Director is responsible for ensuring that data is accessible in a timely, usable, and understandable way to those who need to make data-driven decisions. The Director is responsible for the confidentiality, integrity, and accessibility of student and employee data, as well as security information technology systems.

This is a 12-month, Act 93 cabinet-level position. The anticipated salary range is $150,000 - $180,000.

Qualifications

• Degree in computer science, information technology, or related field. Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in the field of information technology; at least 5 years in a leadership or management role. School district or public sector experience preferred.
• In-depth understanding of information technology systems, on-premises networks, and cloud environments
• Strong understanding of governance, risk, compliance, privacy, and eDiscovery
• In-depth understanding of information security programs and frameworks
• Able to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing. Be able to present to the public on issues concerning District technology.
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Able to work effectively with students, teachers, parents, other administrators, and community members
• Commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging in the workplace and in education.
• Able to maintain emotional control under stressful and crisis management situations
• Able to sit; stand; walk up to 7 hours/day
• Occasionally bend, kneel, squat, use hands and fingers for repetitive motion; climb stairs
• Must be able to drive to and from multiple locations in the District
  
  

Essential Job Duties

• Provide technical expertise as a member of the Superintendent's Cabinet looking for ways to enhance the district's ability to accomplish goals as articulated in the Strategic
• Serve as a strategic leadership voice on the Superintendent’s Cabinet.
• Oversee the development and implementation of technology related initiatives in the District's Strategic Plan in cooperation with the Leadership team, Academic Council, Principals and other district
• Assess, coordinate and implement reliable information technology systems and applications to support and enhance the instructional and administrative operations of the school
• Develop and implement a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy and framework to protect the organization's digital assets, data, and systems from cyber threats and vulnerabilities, including, but not limited to implementing and maintaining security technologies, such as firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems, and data encryption solutions. Develop and oversee incident response and disaster recovery plans for cybersecurity incidents.
• Establish and enforce cybersecurity policies, procedures, and best practices across the organization. Conduct risk assessments, vulnerability testing, and security audits to identify and mitigate potential threats.
• Collaborate and assist HR, Student Services, and Principals with investigations related to employee and student misuse of technology resources.
• Collaborate and assist local law enforcement with investigations that involve LMSD technology resources.
• Oversee the design, deployment, and maintenance of the district's technology infrastructure, including networks, servers, storage systems, cloud, and end-user computing devices. Ensure the reliability, performance, and scalability of the technology infrastructure to support business operations.
• Manage relationships with technology vendors, service providers, and external partnerships related to information technology and cybersecurity.
• Develop and administer the annual Information Technology and Cybersecurity department budget which reflects the Strategic Plan, district goals, and sound fiscal practices.
• Oversee the purchasing, ordering, receiving and installing of hardware and software for instructional and management systems assuring that selections are cost effective and within Oversee the development of specifications for technology bids.
• Works collaboratively with Student Services, Human Resources, and other relevant departments to prepare local, state, federal data reports including but not limited to Responsible for report design, generation, special analysis or customization as needed to ensure timely and accurate report submissions
• Collaborate with district leaders to evaluate and recommend new technologies to improve district operation. Offer the district a well-defined vision of future and emergent technologies that would improve or enhance instruction or
• Provide oversight, management and direction to the technicians and analyst responsible for maintaining infrastructure, cloud, databases, voice, video, internet, filtering, servers, website, email systems, information security, hardware, and software to ensure that tasks focus on established Ensure that the activities of the Information Security staff are congruent with the Strategic plan and the district initiatives.
• Conduct eDiscovery for right-to-know, litigation, and internal investigation requests for information and communications.
• Ensure compliance with relevant industry regulations, standards, and legal requirements related to information technology, data privacy, and cybersecurity. Recommend changes to policies and regulations where warranted.
• Ensure the procurement of products are compliant with District governance, such as student data privacy.
• Work with vendors and other service providers to ensure data retention is compliant with District governance.
• Establish and maintain IT governance frameworks, policies, and procedures to align with best practices and industry standards.
• Recruit, develop, and manage a team of IT professionals, including system administrators, network administrators, cybersecurity analysts, and support personnel. Provide guidance, mentorship, and training opportunities to enhance the team's technical skills and knowledge. Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement within the Information Technology and Cybersecurity department.
• Supervise and evaluate the work of the Supervisor of Technology Operations to ensure that their work is consistent with the Strategic Plan and district Supervise and evaluate the work of information technology and cybersecurity professionals.
• Collaborate with Curriculum Department staff, including facilitating meetings with the Curriculum Department and Instructional Technology Specialists.
• Collaborate with Operations Department staff to include Transportation and Food Services to ensure the continued operation and replacement of BAS, physical plant security systems, point of sale systems, and other related systems.
• Oversee inventory of district technology equipment, warranties, and software license Ensure an adequate stock of computer supplies.
• Serve as principal liaison with technology vendors and other service Work with vendors to troubleshoot problems in an effort to find solutions that meet district needs.
• Secure or assign resource personnel to conduct staff development for instructional and office- based Oversee training of end users of technology systems.
• Recommend and oversee district replacement Coordinate the declaration of surplus equipment process and then coordinate the sale/donation of out-dated equipment.
• Ensure that the district is in compliance with federal, state and local laws related to information technology and data privacy. Recommend changes to district policies, regulations, and procedures regarding information technology and data privacy.
• Establish automated procedures for data extraction, production, analysis and periodic reporting as needed.
• Provide direction, input, training and support to Principals and Assistant Principals responsible for creating the master schedule.
• Develop processes for data collection and Create reference manuals as appropriate.
• Develop procedures for gathering and maintaining student data taking care to increase efficiency, reduce redundancy, increase timeliness, preserve confidentiality and offer ease of
• Monitor, analyze and verify data to ensure integrity, timeliness and availability of data as Prepare visual representation of data.
• Serve as the district liaison with IU Technology Serve on the IU Technology committee.
• Extract and analyze data from district databases such as PowerSchool and other sources of data to support the information and research needs of the district leaders and instructional personnel.
• Anticipate the data needed by administrators and instructional staff to make data driven decisions or drive Prepare reports and/or data analysis in response to identified needs in a timely fashion.
• Recommend policies and procedures regarding Acceptable Use of the district's network resources, unauthorized use of Oversee the implementation of the policies.
• Coordinate with instructional leaders to develop and implement alliances and partnerships with business and industry.
• Act as the spokesperson for the district technology initiatives by making presentations and responding to questions and requests for information.
• Other related duties as assigned by the
  
  

The District strictly prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of race; color; creed; religion; sex; age; national origin; ethnicity; marital status; sexual orientation, including gender expression or identity; honorably discharged veteran or military status; the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability; or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability. Please contact Kyra Gordon for accommodation requests at gordonk@lmsd.org.

This posting may be taken down at the discretion of the District.