Director, Information Technology

Associated Students•Long Beach, CA

17h•$150,000 - $175,000

About The Position

Under the direction of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), the Director, Information Technology provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the technology infrastructure, systems, and staff supporting Student Auxiliary Enterprises (SAE) at CSULB, the shared-services organization for Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) and Beach Shops. The Director oversees the IT Operations Manager and technical staff, including student employees, and takes a hands-on leadership role spanning strategic planning, project management, network architecture, hardware and software support, LAN management in collaboration with CSULB Network Services, and technology supporting SAE facilities and operations, including point-of-sale, electronic access control, video surveillance, audiovisual, and network-connected building control systems. As a peer partner to the Senior Director, Facility Operations & Sustainability, and a strategic technology partner to SAE departments, the Director builds collaborative relationships to understand operational priorities, customer service needs, and compliance requirements. The position leads the IT component of SAE's evolving technology and facilities service model by strengthening cross-functional partnerships, developing shared processes, and taking expanded responsibility for building-systems technology as systems are added or modernized. The Director identifies, recommends, and implements technology solutions to improve organizational effectiveness, strengthen internal controls, enhance documentation, support audit readiness, and deliver a seamless customer experience where technology and facility operations intersect. The role fosters a solutions-oriented service culture emphasizing collaboration, accountability, and responsive support across departments. The Director supervises IT staff, including full-time, part-time, and student employees. Supervisory duties include interviewing, hiring, training, scheduling, assigning and directing work, appraising performance, rewarding and disciplining employees, and resolving complaints and problems. Appointment is contingent upon a comprehensive background check. The position is considered a mandated reporter under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and must comply with CSU Executive Order 1083. The work is based primarily in a climate-controlled indoor office environment, with regular movement to campus operating locations such as retail and dining facilities, the University Student Union, the Student Recreation and Wellness Center, warehouse areas, equipment rooms, and outdoor or active construction and renovation sites. The role involves extended periods at a desk and viewing a computer screen, intermittent time on foot, and occasional lifting or moving of up to 25 pounds. The noise level is generally quiet to moderate, with high customer traffic during peak periods.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
At least 8 years of experience in Information Technology.
At least 5 years of supervisory experience.
Experience partnering with facilities, construction, or operations teams on building technology projects such as access control, video surveillance, audiovisual, or building automation systems.
Project management experience with vendors, design-build contractors, and multi-stakeholder implementations.
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-departmental processes and build collaborative working relationships with peer department leaders and campus partners.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, customer-service orientation, and ability to communicate effectively in English, both orally and in writing.
Good communication and leadership skills, and ability to follow written and verbal instructions.
Knowledge of firewalls, routers, switches, and intrusion systems.
Knowledge of wireless connectivity, Active Directory and Group Policy, Microsoft 365 and cloud services, intrusion detection, SQL databases, Windows and Linux server environments, and scripting.

Nice To Haves

Experience with PCI DSS compliance and point-of-sale environments in retail or dining operations.
Experience in higher education, auxiliary services, or a shared-services environment.
Relevant professional certification, such as Microsoft, Cisco CCNA, CISSP, ITIL, or PMP.

Responsibilities

Select, train, motivate, and evaluate senior IT staff; develop advanced training; set clear service and communication expectations; and address performance or service gaps.
Allocate budget and personnel strategically to maximize the impact of IT initiatives.
Plan, communicate, implement, and manage projects, staff, and daily work, and provide proactive status updates to stakeholders and the CFO on projects, incidents, and service performance.
Maintain effective working relationships and cooperative behavior with diverse staff, students, and coworkers.
Define, deliver, and support strategic plans for information technologies that maintain organizational effectiveness and efficiency.
Create and maintain a technology roadmap, including business continuity and a lifecycle and replacement plan for building technology systems developed with Facilities and aligned with capital plans.
Establish IT efficiency and efficacy standards and recommend infrastructure improvements.
Identify and evaluate emerging technologies.
Deploy technology solutions with attention to project management, budgeting, forecasting, and organizational goals.
Direct technological research and oversee work performed by third-party programmers, outside vendors, and other staff.
Build regular working relationships with ASI and Beach Shops division and department managers, and learn their operations, workflows, pain points, and compliance requirements.
Identify, evaluate, and recommend technology solutions to operational problems, and lead or support implementation through adoption, training, documentation, and follow-up.
Partner with management, Accounting, and HR to use technology in support of compliance standards and internal controls.
Oversee installation, maintenance, and support of LAN infrastructure, user computers, POS systems, business applications, and networked building technology, coordinating with Facilities.
Assess, develop, implement, and oversee technology services, including LAN servers, user computers, POS systems, business applications, and system integration.
Maintain service quality through organizational and industry standards, benchmarking, and technical and professional training; define and report service-level targets and ticket metrics, and review customer feedback with the CFO.
Ensure adherence to industry standards, including PCI compliance in partnership with the SAE Projects Department, and work with Projects on technology solutions through the CSULB Procurement Compliance Review process.
Develop and implement business continuity protocols to minimize operational disruption in emergencies or following data loss.
Protect IT assets through asset management, disaster recovery, application currency, data backup, and data confidentiality procedures and compliance.
Build trusted relationships with users, staff, management, Facilities leadership, vendors, and campus partners, including CSULB Information Technology Services, Beach Building Services, Design & Construction Services, and Housing & Residential Life.
Develop and maintain relationships with external IT vendors and service providers, including low-voltage, security, and building-systems integrators.
Serve as the IT department's lead partner to Facilities; meet regularly with the Senior Director of Facility Operations & Sustainability and Facilities managers to plan work, resolve issues, and align priorities.
Ensure IT owns technology requests end to end and coordinates with Facilities and campus partners when physical, electrical, or building work is needed.
Jointly design and maintain with Facilities a shared intake, ticketing, and escalation process that gives cross-department requests a single owner, visible status, and defined resolution path.
Provide technical leadership for electronic access control, video surveillance and retention, audiovisual systems, and network-connected building controls in partnership with Facilities, CSULB ITS, Housing & Residential Life, UPD, and other campus security partners.
Represent SAE technology requirements in capital projects, renovations, and new construction, including the University Student Union renovation; participate in design review, low-voltage and security submittals, commissioning, and turnover, and ensure standards, licensing, support agreements, and documentation are in place before systems go live.
Establish and document technology standards for SAE facilities, including network closets, cabling, device placement, power, and environmental requirements, and coordinate their inclusion in Facilities and campus project standards.
Maintain a current inventory and support plan for building technology systems, including service contracts, software support renewals, and cost-sharing arrangements with campus partners.
Work with Facilities to plan for and support technology needs during building closures, relocations, and temporary operations.
Perform other duties assigned that are reasonably within the scope of the job.