Director of IT Governance

Position Overview

The Pennsylvania State University seeks an accomplished leader to serve as the Director of IT Governance. Reporting to the Deputy Chief Information Officer, the Director will design, implement, and continuously improve Penn State’s enterprise‑wide IT governance framework across all technology units.

• Lead the development, implementation, and maturity of a comprehensive IT governance framework at the enterprise level and within colleges, campuses, and administrative units.
• Define decision rights, accountability structures, escalation paths, and authority matrices (e.g., RACI models) for IT investment, architecture, data, security, and service decisions.
• Establish and steward governance bodies and councils, including executive steering committees, architecture review boards, portfolio review forums, and domain working groups.

• Direct the development, review, publication, and lifecycle management of IT policies, standards, procedures, and guidelines in partnership with the Office of Information Security, General Counsel, Internal Audit, and Research.
• Ensure alignment with regulatory, contractual, and accreditation requirements such as FERPA, HIPAA, GLBA, GDPR, export controls, PCI DSS, and federal research compliance mandates.
• Operationalize policy adoption through clear communication, training, exception‑handling processes, and governance‑as‑a‑service support.

• Partner with IT portfolio leaders, Finance, and the CIO’s office to embed governance into IT portfolio management, including intake, prioritization, stage‑gate reviews, benefits realization, and portfolio health reporting.
• Support the evolution of a sustainable IT funding model that aligns demand, capacity, and investment decisions across enterprise and unit portfolios.
• Champion data‑informed decision‑making through governance dashboards, decision trackers, and risk registers that are transparent to senior leadership and university stakeholders.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the CIO, Deputy CIO, CISO, IT senior leadership, and strategic partners on governance, policy, and strategic alignment.
• Build and sustain productive relationships with other governance bodies across Penn State.
• Lead change management and communications strategies that socialize governance practices and foster shared accountability.

• Establish governance‑related performance metrics and maturity models; regularly assess and report on effectiveness to executive leadership.
• Identify governance gaps and risks; recommend and implement improvements using industry‑recognized frameworks adapted to higher education.
• Benchmark governance practices against peer R1 research universities and emerging industry standards.

• Provide leadership, coaching, and professional development to governance staff and cross‑functional team members.
• Model servant leadership, intellectual humility, and a bias for action in ambiguous situations.

• Degree in Information Technology, Information Systems, Business Administration, Public Administration, or related field.
• Progressive leadership experience in IT, focused on governance, strategy, policy development, portfolio management, or enterprise architecture.
• Demonstrated success designing and implementing governance structures in large, complex, multi‑stakeholder environments.
• Knowledge of established governance frameworks (COBIT, ITIL, TOGAF, NIST CSF) and ability to apply them pragmatically.
• Exceptional written, verbal, and facilitation skills; ability to translate technical concepts for diverse audiences.
• Proven ability to lead through influence and build consensus across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Experience leading or contributing to enterprise‑scale organizational change initiatives.
• Commitment to the mission of public higher education and to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace.

• Graduate degree (MBA, MPA, MSIS, etc.)
• Prior…