Chief Technology Officer

Job Summary

The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) is seeking an experienced, strategic, and forward-thinking individual to join its team as Chief Technology Officer. Based in beautiful Boulder, Colorado, WICHE is a regional interstate compact and 501(c)(3) that partners with 15 Western states and the U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States on a diverse range of higher education issues, including access and affordability, technology, workforce development, behavioral health, and more. Reporting to the President, this unique role will require a technically sound, visionary, and collaborative leader who has their eyes on the horizon for what’s to come, while building upon WICHE’s long and successful history as a trusted resource for higher education and workforce development in the West since 1953.

Organizational Responsibility

The Chief Technology Officer provides strategic direction and tactical/operational support for all voice and data information technology (IT) and IT systems at WICHE and facilitates the collaborative process through which WICHE’s internal business systems needs are developed and implemented. The Chief Technology Officer interprets business requirements into hardware, software, and staff support for WICHE’s unique mission. As such, the Chief Technology Officer must have a thorough understanding of the WICHE mission and operational vocabulary as IT supports that mission by providing the necessary technology infrastructure, tools, and systems that enable efficient operations, communication, data management, and decision-making. The person in this role serves as the technical lead and administrative interface for effectively managing internal staff and external contracts resulting in the selection, purchasing, setup, support, troubleshooting, maintenance, and security of WICHE’s total voice, video, and data infrastructure, both on premise and in the cloud. The Chief Technology Officer is responsible for assuring maintenance of records/inventories related to systems, diagnosis/isolation of system problems, preventative maintenance, and system and procedure documentation. The Chief Technology Officer also provides IT support to the State Higher Education Policy Center (SHEPC), the building that houses WICHE and two other organizations, the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) and the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO).