How to Apply
A cover letter is required for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume.
Job Summary
The University of Michigan's College of Literature, Science, and the Arts is seeking a team focused, data driven, and collaborative Assistant Director for Computing to join a dynamic team of professionals dedicated to desktop support, instructional computing, and hardware lifecycle activities. You will report to the Director for Research, Infrastructure, and Computing in the Technology Services department.
Responsibilities*
About The Job
Our computing team supports ~10,000 devices deployed to individuals and spaces throughout LSA. Approximately 7000 are in the hands of our world-class faculty, researchers, staff, and students, and another 3000 are deployed to classrooms, conference rooms, classlabs, and a loaner pool spread across 28 LSA facilities.
Together, the Assistant Director and five managers collectively lead ~50 IT services and products, ranging from Windows, Mac, and Linux Operating Systems, software, printing, peripherals, basic networking, account management, inventory, upgrades, instructional systems, device loan, and other core IT functions. They partner to prioritize strategic investments, enhancements, projects, and operational efforts annually.
With the industry-wide attention to security best practices and mitigating device, system, and data risks, a critical function of the role is to partner with our five managers and 36 contributing staff members to keep these devices upgraded, updated, patched, and secured. This includes ensuring the team keeps inventory maintained, operating system upgrade / update efforts are completed promptly, and vulnerabilities are mitigated. It also requires strong partnership with our Assistant Director for Security & Infrastructure to ensure devices (and users) adhere to U-M and
LSA policies, and appropriate security education is provided as needed.
To maintain a fleet of this magnitude, an operational imperative of the role is to monitor a wide range of team data (e.g., reports, dashboards, and systems) to ensure we are meeting ticketing service level agreements, and workload is equitably distributed across individuals, leaders, and teams. It also requires a leader capable of identifying gaps, collaborating to improve processes, innovating to automate repetitive tasks, and challenging supervisors and individuals to stay accountable.
To be successful in the role, this leader develops a comprehensive list of team projects, ensuring each has clear goals, deliverables, and deadlines. They monitor progress, ensuring project managers send status reports up, out, and across the organization, as well as identify and mitigate risks to deliver efforts on time and within scope.
Through those projects, you interact widely with the larger Technology Services and LSA organization, building positive and professional relationships with 25+ other IT managers / leaders and 100+ departmental Chief Administrators / Directors.
Your leadership, team, and peers will have your back as you present your solutions for knowledge sharing and feedback. You will build your professional network and enjoy working with a fantastic team of individuals who share and support you in your success in this role.
About You
You are professional, practical, and persistent in your approach to balancing daily work, operational projects, and strategic goals. You are calm and thoughtful when IT challenges arise. You effectively lead highly technical teams and provide support, recognition, and coaching. You've built a career on getting things done and improving processes, policies, and practices through automation, efficiencies, data, and teamwork.
You build strong teams, helping a large group understand the bigger picture and align to it. You can clearly articulate the 'why' connecting work or decisions to the larger mission, strategy, or policies. You lean into challenging conversations, providing actionable and data-driven feedback to team members. You model kind and collaborative (but firm) communications with our faculty, research, and administrative end users, even when they are out of compliance. You apply a 'start with yes' approach when presented with unusual research / teaching IT challenges, working to find solutions that work within our policies.
You build community through meaningful interactions with Chief Administrators / Directors, addressing gaps and ensuring excellent customer service. You listen well, take ownership of problems, delegate action items, and work issues through to completion, even if they span multiple teams. When building new policies, processes, or best practices, you take all computing teams into account, ensuring consistency through well socialized changes, clear documentation, regular communication, and monitoring.
You have a high attention to detail. You are capable of ensuring a complex inventory is maintained, ticketing standards are met, gaps are resolved, root causes are identified, processes are followed, and accountability is maintained across teams / individuals. You have excellent follow through.
You work well with people from many different cultures and backgrounds, some more technical than others, and each requiring you to develop relationships. You thrive in an environment that celebrates education, exploration, and knowledge.
You might have a four year degree. You might not. That's not what we're looking for. We care about what you can do and how you do it. We understand that there are many possible paths for how you got here. A record of conscientious, thoughtful work speaks volumes.
Required Qualifications*
Bachelor's degree and/or equivalent experience
Seven (7) years of experience with desktop / computing support in a professional environment.
Seven (7) years of experience managing projects, including developing stakeholders, project planning and execution, reporting, and communications.
Five (5) years of supervisory experience.
Experience leading change management activities.
Experience with process improvement and knowledge documentation.
Familiarity with ticketing systems & end user support service level agreements.
Desired Qualifications*
Experience working with faculty or researchers.
Experience with the development of Standards and Policies in support of both internal and external areas of responsibility.
Why Work at Michigan?
In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, the University of Michigan offers comprehensive benefits and wellness programs and a generous benefits package to help you stay well and support you as you plan for a secure future.
Modes of Work
Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.
Work Locations
This position is a hybrid role, working on campus three days each week with the ability to work remotely the other two. The team primarily works from our main Central Campus location in Ann Arbor, Michigan, giving ready access to all of our faculty, researchers, and abundant central campus resources.
We want an inclusive and supportive environment for you to do the best work of your career. That starts with working no more than 40 hours a week on a regular basis. We will not work you to tears, burn you out, or make you choose between work and important family events. Our workplace and our benefits are designed to support a sustainable, healthy relationship between life and your work.
Additional Information
As one of the world's great liberal arts colleges, LSA pushes the boundaries of what is understood about the human experience and the natural world, and we foster the next generation of rigorous and empathetic thinkers, creators, and contributors to the state of Michigan, the nation, and the world.
To learn more about LSA's Mission, Vision and Values, please visit lsa.umich.edu/strategicvision.
Mission Statement
The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future.
Background Screening
The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Application Deadline
Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended.
U-M EEO Statement
The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.