Associate Director

Description:

Raise is currently hiring an Associate Director this is a permanent, full-time team member on behalf of our client. They’re expanding their team to meet growing needs, making this a unique opportunity to work with an industry leader.

Description

The Associate Director, Digital Enablement provides strategic guidance and expertise to staff and senior leaders engaged in the delivery and support of client’s application portfolio, ensuring services are aligned with institutional priorities and evolving academic and administrative needs. This role drives application modernization, rationalization, and innovation through strong portfolio governance, lifecycle management, and vendor oversight. The Associate Director leads capability development, manages risk, and partners across IT to deliver secure, sustainable, and high‑value digital solutions that advance the University’s long‑term goals.

Consequence of Error & Judgement

The Associate Director plays a critical role in shaping and executing enterprise IT programs for the University at large. If IT strategies misalign with academic and research goals, or if projects are managed poorly, it can result in the loss of millions of dollars in investment and unrealized efficiencies. Furthermore, operational or strategic failures will negatively impact the organizations global reputation, potentially hindering enrollment, donations, and public relations.

Core Key Responsibilities

Strategic Portfolio Governance & Modernization
 

• Lead portfolio-level assessments of application fitness, sustainability, cost, and risk to identify opportunities for rationalization and benefit realization.
• Partner with the Director to define, implement, and continuously improve enterprise application lifecycle management aligned with industry best practices (including SaaS, on-premises, and COTS).
• Anticipate and analyze marketplace technology trends to design and sustain an innovation framework for the responsible adoption of emerging technologies.
   

Application Operations & Vendor Oversight
 

• Provide strategic oversight of application operations, establishing standards, practices, and resource alignment with infrastructure teams to ensure reliable production performance.
• Manage and mature automated, secure, and sustainable release and deployment models.
• Oversee high-level relationships with major vendors and service providers to guarantee services are cost-effective, contractually compliant, and strategically aligned.
   

Risk Management, Privacy & Compliance
 

• Serve as a subject matter expert ensuring all application services comply with institutional requirements for privacy, security, accessibility, social responsibility, and environmental sustainability.
• Partner with privacy and security leaders to design and govern enterprise applications to actively mitigate risk and protect institutional and personal information.
   

Financial & People Leadership
 

• Provide financial leadership for the portfolio, including budget planning, forecasting, expenditure oversight, and strategic resource allocation.
• Directly and indirectly manage staff and consultants through multiple layers of sub-managers.
• Sponsor long-term learning needs, career paths, and succession plans; coach reporting leaders to build functional strength and critical competencies.