IT Director, Emerging Technologies

The University of Iowa is seeking an IT Director of Emerging Technologies to help shape how our university explores, evaluates, and adopts the technologies that are changing how we work, teach, learn, and conduct research.

This is a role for someone who is excited about what’s next, while equally interested in determining what’s actually useful, sustainable, and ready to scale. You’ll keep a pulse of rapidly evolving technologies, identify opportunities worth exploring, and turn promising ideas into structure pilots with clear goals and measures of success.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be a significant part of that work, but this role is ultimately about building an institutional approach to emerging technology that encourages experimentation while considering scalability, reliability, risk, cost, user needs, and long-term value.

As Director, you will lead a small team focused on emerging technology and work closely with faculty, researchers, administrative leaders, IT professionals, and university leadership. You’ll seek out innovative work already happening across campus, connect people tackling similar challenges, and help turn isolated experimentation into shared learning and broader opportunities.

• Advance and help influence the University’s roadmap for AI and emerging technologies.
• Identify promising technologies and use cases, and then lead structured pilots to evaluate their potential.
• Establish success measures and use evidence to recommend whether initiatives should scale, evolve, or stop.
• Translate fast-moving technology trends into practical recommendations and strategic guidance for University leadership.
• Partner across academic, research, administrative, and IT units to understand needs, share learning, and reduce duplicative effort.
• Lead and develop a team focused on emerging technology while building partnerships with peers in higher education, industry, and other related fields.

We are looking for a leader who combines curiosity with strategy; someone willing to experiment, comfortable operating in areas where the answers are not yet obvious, and able to distinguish an interesting technology from an investment that can deliver meaningful institutional value.

There is an expectation that the individual in this position will maintain effective, civil, and respectful working relationships with the University of Iowa campus community and uphold the University’s commitment to creating a welcoming and respectful environment for all.

This position is not eligible for University sponsorship for employment authorization.

ITS values work life balance and strides to provide flexible work options where possible. This position is eligible for on-site or hybrid work arrangements within the state of Iowa, and will require a work arrangement form to be completed upon the start of employment. Per policy, work arrangements will be reviewed annually, and must comply with the remote work program and related policies and employee travel policy when working at a remote location.

For a detailed job description, please email Melanie Bell at melanie-bell.

• Bachelor’s degree in a field relevant to the position, or an equivalent combination of education and related experience.
• Experience (typically 7 years or more) leading technology-driven projects, including strategic planning and aligning projects/initiatives with organizational priorities.
• Experience successfully managing a team, including a demonstrated ability to mentor and guide team members toward achieving collective and individual goals.
• Experience with organizational change management and experience in rapidly changing environments; the ability to communicate and pivot direction with the change.
• Knowledge of a variety of artificial intelligence tools used for different purposes, and the ability to discern which of those tools and technologies are best suited for different specific use cases.
• Experience with data analysis and metrics tracking, with an ability to identify and report project outcomes.
• Experience and a deep understanding of stakeholder engagement and relationship…