Computer System Manager Level 4 - Director of Application Development

City University of New York•New York, NY

33d•$135,000 - $145,000

About The Position

Reporting directly to the Deputy CIO and CISO, the Director of Application Development provides strategic and operational leadership over application and software development at CCNY in the title of Computer Systems Manager Level 4. This includes custom application development, ERP integrations, middleware, and business intelligence/reporting tools. The Director leads a hands-on development team and plays a critical role in architecting, developing, integrating, and maintaining scalable and secure technology solutions, integrating legacy and established technology with emerging trends that support the academic and administrative missions of the college. The Director of Application Development plays a critical hands-on role in architecting secure, modern, and scalable solutions, overseeing project delivery, and fostering innovation in the design and deployment of in-house custom software applications. The ideal candidate combines technical depth, strong leadership, demonstrable project management skills, and the ability to mentor developers while engaging with campus stakeholders to translate business needs into effective application solutions. The Director will utilize his/ her expertise to coordinate on college-wide IT initiatives, procedures, and protocols, collaborating with other OIT professionals, including systems administrators, network administrators, help desk analysts, security administrators, and third-party vendors. He/ she will also liaison and assist with integration and deployment of CCNY and CUNY enterprise and infrastructure deployments. The individual will work closely with other IT professionals, in particular other IT Directors, systems administrators, network administrators, IT security administrators and third-party vendors.

Requirements

Six (6) years of progressively responsible full-time paid information systems technology experience,at least eighteen (18) months of which shall have been in an administrative or managerial capacity in the areas of computer applications programming, systems programming, information systems development, data telecommunications, data base administration or a closely related area.
Education at an accredited college or university may be substituted for the general information systems technology experience at the rate of one (1) year of college for six (6) months of experience up to a maximum of four (4) years of college for two (2) years of experience. In addition, a master's degree in computer science or a closely related field from an accredited college or university may be substituted for an additional year of the general information systems technology experience. However, all candidates must possess the eighteen (18) months of administrative or managerial experience described above.
Experience in an administrative capacity must include, but is not limited to, responsibilities such as: monitoring an IT budget; reviewing and approving IT procurement and invoice payments; reviewing and approving contracts with vendors; monitoring and approving IT projects; setting standards and best practices; risk evaluation (e.g., security, reputational, operational); organizational development; chairing or participating in IT Governance and Advisory committees; and/or overseeing vendor relationship management.
Experience in a managerial capacity must include, but is not limited to, responsibilities such as: strategic planning for an office/division; creating and implementing policies; setting standards and best practices; defining and documenting project scope; root cause analysis with recommendations; collaborating with other managers and executives to define future state of IT program; and/or forecasting.
The following types of experience are not acceptable: superficial use of preprogrammed software without complex programming, design, implementation or management of the product; use of a word processing package; use of a hand-held calculator; data entry; operation of data processing hardware or consoles.
Strong, hands-on development background with experience in PHP and Symfony, JavaScript for front-end interactivity, API design and integration (REST, SOAP)
Experience with established software development methodologies and tools (e.g., Jira, Git, Agile ceremonies).
Proficient in using and managing MS SQL, MySQL, Server, IIS, Virtual Hosts, Linux Server configuration.
Familiarity with version control and branching strategies using Git.
Working knowledge of DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure tools in both Windows and Linux environments.
Experience with enterprise authentication and identity integrations (e.g., SSO, MFA).
Ability to evaluate and lead software transitions, such as PeopleSoft to Workday migrations, with a strong grasp of integration and readiness planning.
Familiarity with content management systems and managing web hosting platforms.
Awareness of cybersecurity best practices, and familiarity with relevant threats and mitigation strategies.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field.
At least six (6) years of experience in senior development or technical leadership roles.
Proven track record of managing Agile development teams and successfully delivering custom-built applications.
Experience working in higher education environments, particularly with ERP systems such as PeopleSoft and Workday.
Experience with Constant Contact and Plesk and be able to integrate scripts to update Constant Contact lists.
Experience on how to run batch/Python Scripting and CRON Jobs
Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to guide non-technical users through technical processes.
Relevant certifications for the role such as Certified Professional in Full Stack Development (CP-FSD), CompTIA Security+, Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Project Management (e.g., PMP), Agile certification (e.g., Scrum Master), or cloud and developer certifications (e.g., AWS, Azure).

Responsibilities

Manage the Application Development team of programmers, database administrators, and communications specialists responsible for developing and delivering campus-wide applications coordinating and distributing official campus-wide messages, and for managing the college's web hosting and content platforms.
Lead the full application development lifecycle-including requirements gathering, architecture, design, coding, testing, deployment, and support-with a focus on in-house custom application development and client satisfaction.
Oversee and lead software projects using effective programming methodologies (i.e. Agile, Scrum or Kanban), including sprint planning, backlog grooming, stand-ups, and stakeholder demos.
Provide hands-on technical leaderships, assisting developers in debugging, designing, and reviewing application components-particularly those built with PHP, Javascript, Jax and Symphony.
Drive adoption of best practices in version control (Git), DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, and secure software development.
Ensure that hardware, software, networking, and cloud technology equipment under the auspices of the Application Development group are supported by developers and forecast end-of-life risks and concerns to management and systems administrators.
Translate broad or unclear departmental requests into clearly scoped application projects, including workflow and process design.
Make strategic decisions on build vs buy for software solutions, evaluating long-term supportability, cost, and integration capabilities.
Design application architectures that are cloud-ready, aligning with CCNY's strategic goal to migrate on-premise in-house custom apps to the cloud.
Implement and manage integration strategies for SSO (Single Sign-On) and MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) in custom applications.
Support interoperability across institutional platforms via APIs, middleware, and secure data sharing practices.
Maintain and enforce secure development practices in compliance with institutional and regulatory requirements such FERPA, HIPPA, NIST, and PCI
Balance and prioritize multiple projects and requests, ensuring timely delivery and alignment with institutional goals.

Benefits

CUNY's benefits contribute significantly to total compensation, supporting health and wellness, financial well-being, and professional development.
We offer a range of health plans, competitive retirement/pension benefits and savings plans, tuition waivers for CUNY graduate study and generous paid time off.
Our staff also benefits from the extensive academic, arts, and athletic programs on our campuses and the opportunity to participate in a lively, diverse academic community in one of the greatest cities in the world.
CUNY offers a comprehensive benefits package to employees and eligible dependents based on job title and classification.
Employees are also offered pension and Tax-Deferred Savings Plans.
Part-time employees must meet a weekly or semester work hour criteria to be eligible for health benefits.
Health benefits are also extended to retirees who meet the eligibility criteria.

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