Director of Technology

Effectively immediately, the Human Resources Department is accepting online applications for the position of Director of Technology. The Director of Technology provides leadership and direction relating to all district technology needs in alignment with the mission, and strategic directions. This is a full-time, 12-month position, and reports to the Superintendent. The selected candidate will serve a one (1) year probationary period. The annual salary range for this position is $120,000-$147,866 based on experience, and includes excellent benefits.

Application Process
To be considered for the position, submit online application, cover letter, resume at www.sspps.org. The application deadline is 4:00 PM on Friday, March 21, 2025. Although the ideal start date is April 14, 2025, the district may be flexible on the start date for the right candidate.

Confidential inquiries regarding the position may be made to jmilteer@sspps.org.

Job Summary
To ignite a passion in every learner to inquire, continuously improve, and engage in positively changing our world by serving as a member of the collaborative and integrated executive leadership team which plans, directs, and coordinates action to achieve the mission and strategic goals of the district. The Director of Technology is responsible for setting vision in alignment with the district’s strategic plan, providing leadership and leading continuous improvement of technology services to ensure the department plays an integral role in the learning and development of all students. The Director of Technology has primary responsibility for the direction of the district’s technology and information systems vision, strategies, resources, and infrastructure to support operation and instructional goals. Director of Technology ensures the efficient integration of data services, work flows, and operation of proprietary systems to support organizational effectiveness for student achievement.

Predominate Job Functions

• Creates a vision for the Learning Technology department in alignment with the District's strategic plan.
• Collaborates with instructional and operational teams to identify steps needed to transform the technology vision into a long-range plan, with specific goals, objectives, measurements and action plans.
• Ensures a comprehensive, effective and efficient technology program that serves the operational and educational needs of the district.
• Forecast, plan, and manage multi-year budgets to support the District's Learning Technology plan.
• Evaluates department successes against expected goals.
• Evaluates emerging technologies and their potential impact on the learning environment and current educational goals.
• Facilitates district progress by developing and deploying data tools to support data informed decision-making processes.
• Designs, monitors and evaluates the district’s educational technology plan; ensures compliance with Minnesota Department of Education guidelines.
• Communicates goals, progress, and obstacles as necessary at all levels within the district to support shared understanding of the learning technology roadmap.
• Manages/facilitates the district’s E-rate filing process.
• Facilitates equitable access to technology resources for all stakeholders.
• Evaluates and develops district procedures, and protocols as they relate to district technology.
• Ensures compliance with federal regulatory statutes that govern internet and technology usage in schools, and educates the technology team and administrators regarding the compliance with and implementation of the rules, laws and/or policies.
• Advises the South St. Paul School Board on related technology policy updates.
• Represents the district publicly by participating within the scope of district partnerships in the community.
• Collaborates with various district departments in implementing, maintaining, and supporting programs and servers including email, human resources, and finance programs, building servers and switches/routers, wireless network, mobile device management, internet filtering, and the student information system.
• Oversees the maintenance, use, development, and direction of the district's student information system, assessment systems, data & analytic systems, professional development systems, and curricular systems.
• Ensures the cohesive integrity of the Learning Technology ethos around system compatibility, integration, authentication, supportability, and usability.
• Develops an integrated systems approach for learning technology systems that highly support the teaching process, learning process, and communications related to classroom management and parent involvement.
• Designs, develops and implements a data analysis process around student outcomes, and facilitates the sharing of this information with teachers, administrators, the community, and the school board where applicable to drive changes that will improve student outcomes.
• Works across departments to align the needs of classrooms, curriculum and instruction departments, and technology to ensure technology fully supports expected learning outcomes.
• Ensures the reliability of the District's learning systems within and outside of the immediate classroom or school environment.
• Ensures all staff and students have the required access to educational resources as supported through technology. Support instructional initiatives to improve student learning by leveraging technology tools and resources.
• Collaborate with curriculum staff to provide professional development for teachers to support student learning.
• Coordinate professional development to empower all staff to reach the proficiency level to meet the ongoing demand of their jobs.
• Stay apprised of state and national standards and benchmarks related to technology literacy.
• Promote the application of cost-effective technology to address the multiple needs of students to maximize student learning.
• Oversees the maintenance, use, development, and direction of the district's cloud services, servers, network systems, and communication platforms.
• Plans, develops, and monitors the District's local and wide area networks for reliable and secure function.
• Oversee and direct the management of server licensing, hardware maintenance, systems design, and deployment; ensure reliable and secure operations.
• Oversee and direct the management of fiber-optic and Internet communication contracts and functions.
• Oversee and direct the management of telephony systems, including all related technologies.
• Oversee and direct the management of Internet facing communication services.
• Oversee and direct the management of mass notification system(s).
• Oversee and direct the management of emergency response technology systems (Internet, Radio, Displays, PA systems, etc).
• Oversee and direct the management of the District's email system.
• Supports the reliable implementation of digital signage across the district.
• Evaluates, negotiates, and manages vendor contracts for related technology goods and services.
• Ensures the security of District network and server systems and the preservation of staff and student data privacy within District systems.
• Evaluates and develops privacy agreements with all vendors as necessary.
• Evaluates district vendors for security compliance.
• Plans, tests, executes Disaster Recovery situations, including maintaining a system of immutable data backup and recovery.
• Ensures secure authentication systems are in place across the data environment.
• Provides training resources and support staff to create more secure user practices.
• Evaluates and implements ongoing systems designed to prevent or respond to intrusive actors or malware in the technology environment.
• Develops policies and practices consistent with secure network operation.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Comprehensive knowledge of federal, state, school and general, data privacy and acceptable use laws, rules, regulations, requirements and guidelines.
• Comprehensive working knowledge of hardware and software application solutions used in core business, teaching, learning and assessment functions.
• Comprehensive working knowledge of cloud based, wide and local area communication networks, servers, clients, and system components including: data, voice, and video.
• Understanding of technology in an education environment and the relationship between curriculum, instruction, and technology in improving student achievement.
• Strong working knowledge of financial measurements, such as total cost of ownership and return on investment.
• Understanding of data driven decision making and strategic planning.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to provide leadership to stakeholders in the utilization of communication resources.
• Understanding of technology implementation and deployment.
• Strong working knowledge of operational management.
• Strategic leadership – develop and communicate vision for area of responsibility; align function with the mission and core values of the organization; champion change and innovation.
• Collaboration – foster cooperation across departmental boundaries; make and keep rigorous promises; establish and maintain effective relationships.
• Judgment – analyze issues and seek multiple perspectives before making decisions; use sound judgment considering immediate and long-term impact of decisions, and apply systems thinking. Provide decisive and responsive decision-making and consultative support to management.
• Communication – foster two-way, open communication; listen and respond with empathy; communicate effectively verbally and in writing; apply meeting protocol; produce thorough and accurate reports. Communicate effectively in public presentations.
• Planning and Execution – focus organization on high priority objectives; foster alignment; establish specific measurable objectives; manage and improve processes; practice effective project management to achieve goals; hold staff accountable.
• Business knowledge – apply technical/functional expertise; provide thorough analysis; understand and manage technology and other resources for maximum impact on productivity; use mathematical skills to add, subtract, multiple, and divide in all units of measurement, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals and ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent.
• Self-management – inspire trust; demonstrate adaptability and flexibility; practice self-development.
• Motivation and courage – drive for results; take a stand for the good of the organization; take responsibility.
• Approachability – encourage frequent open communication; maintain accessibility and visibility in the organization; maintain calm and collected presence; invite suggestions and feedback.
• Performance leadership – mentor and coach staff; conduct timely performance evaluations for direct reports; resolve conflict.
• Customer service – personally provide good internal/external customer service; support the delivery of excellent customer service within the area of responsibility.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM discipline) preferred, would also a two-year college or technical school degree/certificate with extensive IT background and leadership experience within public school systems.
• Master’s degree preferred.
• Certified Education Technology Leader (CETL) certification preferred.
• Classroom teaching and instructional design experience preferred.
• Five years administrative/supervisory experience in the area of Information Technology Management. ?

Physical Requirements
Regularly required to sit, stand, walk, talk, hear, operate a computer and other office equipment, reach with hands and arms, and must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Vision abilities required include close vision.