Director of Applications (NCS) - BCIT

Baltimore City•City of Syracuse, NY

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Enterprise Applications Director leads the strategy, governance, and operational health of Baltimore City’s enterprise application portfolio, ensuring systems are modern, secure, integrated, and aligned with citywide priorities. This role oversees application architecture, standards, integration platforms, vendor and contract management, AI governance, and application business continuity while guiding a high‑performing team and partnering with agency leadership to drive successful adoption of major technology initiatives. Reporting to the Deputy CIO, the Director ensures the City’s applications remain reliable, scalable, and capable of supporting mission‑critical services for employees and residents.

Requirements

Have a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline from an accredited institution.
Have ten plus years of progressive IT experience, with a focus on enterprise application portfolio management, governance, and strategy—including demonstrated leadership of application teams, vendor relationships, and multi-agency technology initiatives.
A technical foundation in application development, systems analysis, or a related discipline is strongly preferred; hands-on experience with enterprise platforms, SaaS environments, and integration technologies is highly valued.
At least 4 years of supervisory experience, including performance evaluation, disciplinary action, and hiring/promotion recommendations.
Prior IT experience in a government environment is strongly preferred.
Strong knowledge of modern application architecture, enterprise software strategies, and technology lifecycle management.
Deep familiarity with SaaS platforms, data contracts, and cloud-based application delivery models.
Experience with Application Rationalization, portfolio governance, and enterprise systems integration.
Strong people leadership skills: able to develop, coach, and inspire technical professionals.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with both technical teams and executive stakeholders.
Ability to manage competing priorities, drive change, and lead cross-functional initiatives in a fast-paced environment.
Demonstrated experience managing enterprise software vendor relationships, including contract negotiation, licensing compliance, third-party risk assessment, and SLA management.
Proven ability to lead organizational change at a senior level—engaging executive stakeholders, building buy-in across agencies, and navigating political complexity to keep initiatives moving forward.
Familiarity with AI and automation tools embedded in enterprise platforms (e.g., Microsoft Copilot, Salesforce Einstein), with the ability to evaluate, govern, and apply them responsibly within a public-sector context.
Knowledge of application-level business continuity practices, including defining RTO/RPO targets, developing continuity plans for mission-critical systems, and coordinating recovery testing with infrastructure teams.
Working knowledge of enterprise integration architecture, including API governance, integration platforms (e.g., Azure Integration Services), and strategies for reducing point-to-point complexity across a large application portfolio.

Nice To Haves

Have an equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
Non-supervisory experience or education may not be substituted for the required supervisory experience.

Responsibilities

Lead and develop a high-performing applications team, setting clear expectations around quality, deadlines, and continuous improvement.
Develop the modernization strategy for the City of Baltimore’s applications.
Coach team members to grow technical skills, communication abilities, and professional development.
Champion a culture of transparency, collaboration, and shared ownership across the division.
Ensure team members stay current on technology trends, best practices, and evolving security requirements, and apply continuous improvement principles across the applications function.
Own enterprise application management—overseeing adoption, minimizing integration complexity, and driving periodic Application Rationalization reviews.
Establish and enforce application standards, architecture guidelines, and development best practices across the organization.
Evaluate new and renewal software requests to ensure alignment with BCIT strategy, security standards, and value for the City.
Anticipate future application needs, identify gaps, and develop proactive solutions before they become problems.
Establish and govern enterprise API standards and integration patterns, ensuring consistent, secure, and scalable connectivity across the application portfolio.
Oversee integration platforms and middleware (e.g., Azure Integration Services) used to connect city applications, reducing duplication and minimizing point-to-point complexity across the portfolio.
Manage software vendor relationships end-to-end: escalation paths, contracting standards, negotiation strategy, SLAs, third-party risk assessments, exit strategies, and IP/data ownership.
Maintain a proactive contract lifecycle for the portfolio—tracking renewal timelines, enforcing licensing compliance through periodic audits, and ensuring no agreement auto-renews without deliberate review and approval.
Require that all application contracts include strong data ownership and portability provisions and verify that vendors meet BCIT’s security, privacy, and regulatory requirements—including PII and HIPAA obligations—as a condition of execution and renewal.
Conduct third-party risk assessments for new and renewing vendors and build strategic partnerships that maximize long-term value and support BCIT’s technology goals.
Develop application roadmaps and strategies that advance agency goals and BCIT’s broader technology vision.
Prepare and present capital project proposals and financial budgets for the applications division.
Evaluate emerging technologies for competitive advantage and incorporate best practices as appropriate.
Collaborate closely with stakeholders across City agencies to ensure applications remain aligned with operational needs.
Lead executive and senior-level stakeholder engagement for significant application implementations and changes—building the organizational buy-in needed to ensure successful adoption across City agencies.
Partner with the Administrative Division’s Change Management & Communications unit, which leads the operational execution of change initiatives—including communication plans, training delivery, and adoption tracking—to ensure application rollouts are supported by a coordinated, agency-wide change strategy.
Serve as the primary escalation point for agency leadership when application changes create operational or political friction, resolving concerns at the leadership level before they impede delivery.
Own the governance framework for AI-powered features embedded in enterprise applications—including tools such as Microsoft Copilot, Salesforce Einstein, and similar capabilities—determining which features are enabled, under what conditions, and with what data access controls.
Evaluate emerging AI and automation capabilities for their potential to improve city operations, reduce manual workload, and enhance service delivery—developing a structured process for piloting, assessing, and scaling approved use cases.
Ensure AI use within the application portfolio adheres to ethical guidelines, privacy requirements, and City policy—working with legal, security, and agency stakeholders to manage risk and maintain public trust.
Define and maintain Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) for all critical city applications, ensuring continuity requirements are documented, understood by vendors and teams, and reflected in SLAs and contracts.
Develop and maintain application-level continuity plans for mission-critical systems, ensuring that failures, outages, or cyber incidents do not result in prolonged disruption to city services or agency operations.
Coordinate with the Infrastructure Director on integrated disaster recovery testing, ensuring application recovery procedures are validated end-to-end alongside infrastructure failover capabilities.