Chief Information Officer

Overview

The Chief Information Officer (CIO) provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for information technology services at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). The CIO is responsible for the planning, delivery, security, and continuous improvement of technology services that support HGSE’s academic mission, professional education programs, research activities, and administrative operations. Working closely with HGSE leadership, faculty, staff, students, and University partners, the CIO leads a broad and evolving portfolio that includes systems and infrastructure, information and privacy security, vulnerability management, academic and learning technologies, business and administrative systems, web platforms, audiovisual and multimedia services, research software and data tools, and end-user support.

The CIO ensures that HGSE’s technology environment is secure, resilient, scalable, and aligned with University standards and the broader One Harvard technology strategy, while remaining responsive to emerging needs and opportunities.

HGSE is a residential academic community supporting primarily on-campus degree programs, along with faculty and staff. Our commitment to a vibrant campus culture relies on strong in-person engagement, which fosters collaboration, innovation, and a high-quality student experience. This position requires an on-campus presence several days per week, with flexibility during certain times of the year. Evening and weekend work may be required, either in person or remotely.

• Technology Strategy and Leadership:
  Develop and execute a multi-year technology strategy aligned with HGSE’s academic priorities, institutional goals, and University-wide initiatives. Serve as a strategic advisor to HGSE leadership on technology investments, innovation, risk management, and long-term sustainability. Translate institutional needs into secure, scalable, and cost-effective technology solutions. Oversee IT financial planning, budgeting, vendor management, contract negotiation, and technology lifecycle management.
• Systems, Infrastructure, and Security:
  Provide executive oversight of HGSE’s systems and infrastructure, including cloud services, identity and access management, networking, and core enterprise platforms. Lead infrastructure modernization initiatives, optimizing existing cloud-based systems to further enhance scalability, reliability, and cost efficiency. Ensure alignment with University identity, authentication, and security standards, including enterprise directory services. Oversee vulnerability management, system patching, testing, and remediation activities to meet or exceed University and UCISO security requirements.
  
  Guide major system upgrades and platform modernization efforts to reduce technical debt and ensure long-term sustainability. Retire deprecated technologies in favor of standardized, supported solutions.
• Security, Privacy, and Information Risk Governance:
  Provide executive oversight and institutional stewardship of HGSE’s information security, privacy, and data-risk management program, aligned with University policies, standards, and regulatory obligations. Establish and maintain strong partnership with School and University security, privacy, and compliance leadership, empowering subject-matter experts while ensuring clear escalation paths and timely executive decision-making. Ensure appropriate governance of security and privacy considerations in research activities, data-sharing arrangements, and external partnerships, including compliance with applicable domestic and international data-protection requirements.
  
  Oversee integration of security, privacy, and third-party risk due diligence into procurement, contracting, and technology adoption processes in collaboration with University partners. Promote risk-based, pragmatic approaches to security and privacy that protect institutional trust while enabling research, teaching, and administrative operations. Embed security, privacy, and information-risk considerations into technology planning, system modernization, and change management initiatives to reduce…