Assistant Vice President for Systems Services - Computing Services

Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA

2d

About The Position

Carnegie Mellon University is looking for a visionary executive to lead the next evolution of our systems infrastructure. This is not a "keep the lights on" role; it is a directive to empower the mission of a world-class research institution.. As the Assistant Vice President, Systems Services , you will lead a multi-year modernization strategy and focus on delivering stable, quality services. We will move beyond traditional operations toward a future defined by Infrastructure as Code (IaC), mature GitOps/DevOps processes, and fiscally forward-thinking FinOps-style analysis. We need a seasoned leader who can balance the table-stakes stability of the environment with the agility required to transform our operations to modern IT standards. Your Mission Reporting directly to the Deputy CIO, you will serve as a strategic member of the CIO’s senior leadership and a mentor to a large technical organization. Your directive covers three pillars: Strategic Modernization: Drive the shift from legacy hands-on operations to an agile product and driven approach. Champion the adoption of new processes and services that empower our customers to move faster. Operational Excellence: Be at the center of the system infrastructure ofthe university, including Storage and Virtualization, Operating Systems, Databases, and Identity Services. Provide a highly availability and secure environment that does not sacrifice agility and innovation. Organizational Stewardship: Lead a diverse set of groups, managing bothDirectors and technical experts. Your focus will be on breaking down silos, building sustainable teams, and fostering a culture where cross-training and psychological safety enable high performance. The Challenge Are you someone who has "been there, done that" in IT transformation and is ready to apply that expertise to a complex, high-impact environment? If so, you will tackle: Cultural Transformation: Shifting teams from manual operations to automated, configuration-defined services. Build customer and service-first platforms. Financial Stewardship: Implementing FinOps practices to ensureinfrastructure costs, both cloud and on-premises, are transparent and optimized. Harmonizing Innovation with Resilience: Designing systems where theneed for rapid research innovation coexists with the absolute necessity of secure, stable enterprise operations. Are you... A Mentor for Future Leaders and Technologists: You are energized by mentorship and building a high-performing team that outlasts your tenure. You have experience guiding Directors and aligning diverse teams—even those not in your reporting structure—under a unified vision. A Technologist with Vision: You possess deep expertise in both on-premises and cloud environments with the ability to see possible futures and steer towards the most beneficial ones. A Stabilizing Force: You bring emotional intelligence and executivepresence to the table. You can communicate trade-offs to executive leadership and have technical discussions with engineers. An Architect of Change: You understand that technology problems areoften people problems. You have a track record of evolving organizational culture without compromising the team's spirit.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field or equivalent experience.
• Significant progressive leadership in enterprise infrastructure, ideally in a higher education environment.
• Demonstrated success in modernizing operations (GitOps/DevOps, Containers, FinOps).
• Demonstrable ability to lead leaders, build resilient teams, and communicate effectively with executives and technical staff.
• A combination of education and relevant experience from which comparable knowledge is demonstrated may be considered.

Nice To Haves

• A Master’s degree or equivalent experience will be considered.
• Experience in Higher Education or Research Computing is a plus

Responsibilities

• Reporting directly to the Deputy CIO, you will serve as a strategic member of the CIO’s senior leadership and a mentor to a large technical organization.
• Drive the shift from legacy hands-on operations to an agile product and driven approach.
• Champion the adoption of new processes and services that empower our customers to move faster.
• Be at the center of the system infrastructure ofthe university, including Storage and Virtualization, Operating Systems, Databases, and Identity Services.
• Provide a highly availability and secure environment that does not sacrifice agility and innovation.
• Lead a diverse set of groups, managing bothDirectors and technical experts.
• Focus will be on breaking down silos, building sustainable teams, and fostering a culture where cross-training and psychological safety enable high performance.
• Shifting teams from manual operations to automated, configuration-defined services. Build customer and service-first platforms.
• Implementing FinOps practices to ensureinfrastructure costs, both cloud and on-premises, are transparent and optimized.
• Designing systems where theneed for rapid research innovation coexists with the absolute necessity of secure, stable enterprise operations.

Benefits

• We have excellent retirement and healthcare options, as well as tuition remission for employees and dependents.
• Joining the CMU team opens the door to an array of exceptional benefits. Benefits eligible employees enjoy a wide array of benefits including comprehensive medical, prescription, dental, and vision insurance as well as a generous retirement savings program with employer contributions.
• Unlock your potential with tuition benefits , take well-deserved breaks with ample paid time off and observed holidays , and rest easy with life and accidental death and disability insurance.
• Additional perks include a free Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus pass, access to our Family Concierge Team to help navigate childcare needs, fitness center access , and much more!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees