Department Head, Technology Strategy & Services

Description

The University of Arizona Libraries seek applicants for the Head of the Technology Strategy and Services (TeSS) department. We are looking for someone with strong management and mentoring experience and demonstrated capacity for moving organizations in creative and strategic directions. This is an exciting opportunity to lead a group of approximately 21 FTE who provide the backbone of technology support to the Libraries. TeSS assists library staff in creating, managing, and maintaining technology services across five service areas: client services and support (including but not limited to the library helpline, staff and public desktop support, digital signage, meeting space installations, and event support); library services platforms (vendor-purchased products like Alma, Primo, and Illiad); digital collections and preservation (including the campus repository, online exhibits, and digital preservation workflows); instructional research and tools (including locally-developed software like the Library Tools Tab and Guide on the Side); and library websites (both the primary UAL website and several other departmental and special-purpose sites). The Head reports to the Vice Dean of the Libraries.

If successful, you will provide leadership for the assessment, procurement, development, and deployment of information technology strategies and tools within the UA Libraries and will be responsible for ensuring that department planning and work remains user-focused and furthers the strategic directions for the Libraries and campus. You should have a good understanding of the evolving technology needs in the higher education environment. We are a collaborative environment, and TeSS, in particular, works closely across all departments and units within the Libraries. You will collaborate with other department heads, the University Information Technology Services (UITS), and other partners within and beyond the U of A, and will support TeSS staff in doing the same. TeSS has recently reorganized and established more transparent planning structures to better meet the needs of the Libraries, and you will be responsible for assessing the success of these changes, and for making adjustments as needed. You will mentor and guide the professional development of TeSS staff and will serve as a member of the Libraries’ senior management team (Cabinet) to represent and advocate for TeSS’ needs and perspectives on Cabinet and to contribute to organization-wide decision-making. You will participate in consortial, regional, and national meetings to stay abreast of technology and program developments and trends and will represent the positions and interests of the University and the Libraries.

Depending on the qualifications, interests and desires of the successful candidate, this position will either be hired as an Appointed Professional OR as a continuing status track (equivalent to tenure track position). If the candidate is eligible to be hired into the continuing status track, they may be hired at either the Assistant or Associate rank, and as continuing-eligible or with continuing status. A continuing-eligible position provides incumbents membership in the General Faculty of the University of Arizona along with all accompanying rights and privileges granted by the University and the Arizona Board of Regents. Retention and promotion on the continuing-eligible track are earned through achievement of a record of excellence in position effectiveness, scholarship, and service.

Technology Strategy and Services (TeSS)
TeSS currently consists of a eight-person Library Technology Operations group, providing traditional library service support for vendor-delivered systems and staff and public installations; and a twelve-person Software Development & Delivery group, providing full-lifecycle support for open-source and locally-developed software deployments. Our department runs the gamut of IT services and skills, including client services support staff and applications systems analysts, web designers, software developers, and platform engineers. We work in close collaboration with professional staff from all of our campus libraries and library departments.
IT work at the UA Libraries occupies a fairly unique position on campus: we’re big enough to support a good-sized staff, we solve a broad spectrum of challenging problems, and we focus on medium-to-long-term solutions. Because the Libraries serve all of campus, we work across a broad array of problem domains and stakeholder groups. We are a good middle ground between distributed and central IT.

Visit the University Libraries website to learn more about us.