Head of Digital Transformation & CIO
Apply NowCompany: Ellucian
Location: Biddeford, ME 04005
Description:
About Ellucian
Ellucian is a global market leader in education technology. We power innovation for higher education, partnering with more than 2,900 customers across 50 countries and serving over 20 million students. Ellucian's AI-powered platform, trained on the richest dataset available in higher education, drives efficiency, personalized experiences, and strengthened engagement for all students, faculty and staff. Fueled by decades of experience with a singular focus on the unique needs of learning institutions, the Ellucian platform features best-in-class SaaS capabilities and delivers insights needed now and into the future. These solutions and services span the entire student lifecycle, from student recruitment, enrollment, and retention to workforce analytics, fundraising, and alumni engagement. Ellucian's innovative solutions, vast ecosystem of partners, and user community of more than 45,000 provide best practices leading to greater institutional success and achieving better student outcomes.
Values Rooted in Purpose
We embrace the power to lead, the courage to innovate, and the determination to grow. At our core, we believe in humanizing our approach, recognizing that our people are our greatest strength. With a shared vision of transformation, we endeavor to shape a brighter future for higher education.
About the Opportunity
*LOCATION - will be ONSITE at University of New England, ME
*TYPE - F/T Salaried +yearly bonus (will be employee of Ellucian)
About the Opportunity
Ellucian is seeking to hire a Head of Digital Transformation & CIO that will work onsite at University of New England. As the Head of Digital Transformation & CIO, you will be a trusted advisor to the President on the advancement of innovative technology, adoption and impact to the college. You will lead both technology and campus communications to build consensus around the value of collaboration in a public higher education institution, while ensuring the alignment of Ellucian strategy, processes, and resources to drive support of the President's strategic plan. The incumbent must have the ability to challenge conventional thinking with new ideas, approaches, and solutions through personal influence to promote transformation. The position requires professionalism, confidentiality, organization, prioritization, excellent interpersonal skills, strong written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to garner respect and confidence of colleagues through listening, learning, and forging working relationships and synergies across the college.
Where you will make an impact
What will you bring
About the University of New England
With roots dating to 1831, the University of New England (UNE) has evolved to become the largest independent university in Maine. UNE has established itself as a leading comprehensive university with particular strengths in the health sciences and marine sciences and a wide range of academic programs offered both onsite and online to nearly 6,500 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. UNE is guided by the core values of student-centeredness, community belonging, relentless inquiry, interdisciplinary collaboration, learning everywhere, progressive change, and stewardship of our planet.
UNE's more than 70 undergraduate, graduate, professional, and online degree programs are offered through six colleges - the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Dental Medicine, the Westbrook College of Health Professions, the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the College of Professional Studies, and a recently-established College of Business. UNE is home to Maine's only medical school, pharmacy program, and physician assistant program and Northern New England's only dental college. UNE's robust research agenda garners more NIH funding in biomedical research than any other college or university in Maine. UNE is located on two beautiful campuses in Maine - the coastal Biddeford Campus and Portland Campus for the Health Sciences - and also has a unique study-abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco. UNE is regionally accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education.
During a tumultuous time for higher education, UNE has bucked the trends, emerging from a global pandemic with robust enrollment numbers, a bold plan to move its medical college from Biddeford to Portland in order to create a unique, interprofessional health sciences campus there, and a host of new academic programs and student support initiatives designed to meet the workplace needs of an ever-changing economy. While many other institutions were content to merely keep their doors open during the pandemic, UNE's dedicated faculty and professional staff were determined to seize every opportunity during a time of much change and realignment for the industry. And guided by the recently refreshed Our World, Our Future strategic plan, UNE has done just that. As a result, the University's credit rating has recently been upgraded to A2 from Moody's Investor Services and A+ (with positive outlook) from Fitch Ratings.
UNE emphasizes community belonging and meeting the needs of first-generation students while consciously immersing students in an environment that prioritizes viewpoint diversity. Indeed, one of UNE's distinguishing characteristics is its commitment to fostering a robust marketplace of ideas so that students may develop the respect for opposing viewpoints and intellectual curiosity needed to be productive participants in our increasingly polarized society. The University invites guest speakers to campus whose ideas span various ideological spectra and, through an array of interrelated programs, exposes students to multiple views on important topics, both inside and outside the classroom.
Perennially included on "best colleges" lists by U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, Forbes, and others, UNE prides itself on its excellent student outcomes. It has recently been ranked first in Maine for value added by Brookings and first in Maine for job placement by Zippia. Meanwhile, UNE students enjoy an exceptionally low student-loan default rate of just 0.6% compared to 2.3% nationally. UNE's clinical programs also boast exceptional board pass rates, while the aspiring doctors in UNE's College of Osteopathic Medicine earn a residency choice match rate that is among the ten best in the country. For more information about these and other accolades, visit www.une.edu/about/glance.
About UNE President, James Herbert
President James D. Herbert is the sixth president of the University of New England, serving since July 2017. Under President Herbert's leadership, UNE has redoubled its commitment to collaborative, team-based clinical education; launched a slate of new undergraduate and graduate academic programs; expanded marine programs and several health profession programs; reorganized student support services to be more student-centric; expanded physical facilities on both campuses, including new athletic facilities and a new home for Maine's only medical school; significantly increased fundraising, including securing the largest gift in the University's history; bolstered programming to support community and belonging; greatly improved financial footing, as reflected by significant credit upgrades; and implemented and renewed UNE's strategic plan "Our World, Our Future." As a champion of the academy as the ultimate marketplace of ideas, President Herbert founded a number of programs to encourage viewpoint diversity and civil, robust discourse on campus, including "The President's Forum," a moderated discussion series that facilitates discussion of timely topics to promote a deeper understanding of critical issues facing society.
Herbert arrived at UNE via Drexel University in Philadelphia, where he held several senior administrative positions, including interim provost and executive vice provost and dean of the Graduate College. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in clinical psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a B.A. in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include cognitive behavior therapy - including newer mindfulness and psychological acceptance-based models of behavior therapy, anxiety, mood, and eating disorders, remote Internet-based treatment, and the promotion of evidence-based practice in mental health.
About UNE Provost, Gwendolyn Mahon
Provost Gwendolyn Mahon joined UNE in November 2022, bringing her passion for higher education and extensive leadership in the field to campus. As a first-generation college graduate, Provost Mahon is passionate about helping others access the opportunities that higher education has provided her and has a keen understanding of the importance of a student-centered philosophy and a community-engaged approach in higher education.
During her first year at UNE, Provost Mahon implemented several programmatic changes to enhance various academic programs. She has established new majors in Computer Science and Statistics, initiated the development of a faculty information system to better support and streamline the faculty reappointment, promotion, and tenure process, and made several organizational changes to enhance visibility and spur growth of key degree offerings. This includes the creation of the School of Education, School of Computer Science and Data Analytics, College of Business, and Honors College.
Prior to arriving at UNE, Provost Mahon spent 24 years at Rutgers University, where she filled multiple leadership roles, including dean of the Rutgers School of Health Professions. She holds a master's degree in medical genetics from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, and a doctorate in biomedical science from Rutgers School of Graduate Studies. Her research is focused on molecular oncology, specifically signal transduction pathways involved in leukemogenesis and cell motility.
About UNE Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration, Jim Irwin
Since joining UNE in 2023 as senior vice president of Finance and Administration, Jim Irwin, CPA, has initiated several enhancements across the university. The initiatives include creating a board investment committee; enhancing budget processes; implementing electronic financial aid packaging; augmenting enterprise risk management; launching an ERP transformation and migration project; restructuring several departments; supporting the development of numerous new academic programs; and co-chairing a council for student recruitment and retention.
Before UNE, SVPFA Irwin served as vice president for Business and Finance and chief financial officer at Washington & Jefferson College, overseeing financial operations and executing strategic initiatives, such as a tuition price reset; financial transparency and education programs; expense reduction and resource reallocation; academic program portfolio optimization; salary benchmarking; and significant information technology and facilities projects.
Prior to Washington & Jefferson College, SVPFA Irwin was associate vice president for Finance and Administration at Claremont Graduate University (CGU), part of The Claremont Colleges consortium. During his tenure at CGU, he reorganized financial operations, created a purchasing and procurement function, spearheaded ERP module rollouts, and conducted an endowment advisor selection process. SVPFA Irwin began his higher education career at the University of La Verne where he held two different key administration rolls.
Before working in higher education, SVPFA Irwin held a senior role at LA Fitness International during its international expansion, and he worked at KPMG in audit and assurance. SVPFA Irwin earned a master's in leadership and management from the University of La Verne and a bachelor's in business administration from the University of California, Riverside.
About Life in Maine
The University of New England is located on two beautiful campuses in Maine - an oceanfront coastal campus of Biddeford and a vibrant health sciences campus in Portland, a city of great appeal and historic significance. With breathtaking scenery, a rich cultural environment, world-class dining, low crime rates, and classic New England charm, southern Maine provides an unparalleled quality of life. The quality of life is exemplified by safe towns and cities, top school systems, and a variety of highly accessible outdoor activities, from the beach to the mountains. Whether you enjoy local shopping in Portland's Old Port, sampling unique breweries and distilleries in Biddeford, strolling the harbor-side trail on the Eastern Promenade, hiking, sailing, skiing, or the arts, the area offers something for everyone. The greater Portland region combines city living with small-town charm, frequently cited as one of the best cities in America to live and work.
What makes #Ellucianlife
#LI-PK1
#LI-onsite
Ellucian is a global market leader in education technology. We power innovation for higher education, partnering with more than 2,900 customers across 50 countries and serving over 20 million students. Ellucian's AI-powered platform, trained on the richest dataset available in higher education, drives efficiency, personalized experiences, and strengthened engagement for all students, faculty and staff. Fueled by decades of experience with a singular focus on the unique needs of learning institutions, the Ellucian platform features best-in-class SaaS capabilities and delivers insights needed now and into the future. These solutions and services span the entire student lifecycle, from student recruitment, enrollment, and retention to workforce analytics, fundraising, and alumni engagement. Ellucian's innovative solutions, vast ecosystem of partners, and user community of more than 45,000 provide best practices leading to greater institutional success and achieving better student outcomes.
Values Rooted in Purpose
We embrace the power to lead, the courage to innovate, and the determination to grow. At our core, we believe in humanizing our approach, recognizing that our people are our greatest strength. With a shared vision of transformation, we endeavor to shape a brighter future for higher education.
About the Opportunity
*LOCATION - will be ONSITE at University of New England, ME
*TYPE - F/T Salaried +yearly bonus (will be employee of Ellucian)
About the Opportunity
Ellucian is seeking to hire a Head of Digital Transformation & CIO that will work onsite at University of New England. As the Head of Digital Transformation & CIO, you will be a trusted advisor to the President on the advancement of innovative technology, adoption and impact to the college. You will lead both technology and campus communications to build consensus around the value of collaboration in a public higher education institution, while ensuring the alignment of Ellucian strategy, processes, and resources to drive support of the President's strategic plan. The incumbent must have the ability to challenge conventional thinking with new ideas, approaches, and solutions through personal influence to promote transformation. The position requires professionalism, confidentiality, organization, prioritization, excellent interpersonal skills, strong written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to garner respect and confidence of colleagues through listening, learning, and forging working relationships and synergies across the college.
Where you will make an impact
- Drive technology transformation and change within the institution, ensuring the campus is informed, consulted and enabled along the way.
- Develop and sustain positive relationships with the institution's community, faculty, staff and students.
- Establish and direct the goals, policies, procedures and outcomes of the IT division in support of the President's strategic plan and core objectives.
- Maintain an exceptionally high level of professionalism, responsiveness, and ongoing proactive collaboration with President and other Executive Leadership Teams.
- Communicate strategic priorities and implementation plans to internal and external stakeholders.
- Implement a modern technology governance process college wide.
- Communicate governance process, plans, and status updates.
- Assess, anticipate, and manage technology projects and recommend appropriate action and resources.
- Help translate goals into executable tactics through identifying responsible parties, needed resources, deadlines, and assessments.
- Stay abreast of emerging higher education issues, trends in technology and development; communicates opportunities and threats to President.
- Perform other duties as delegated by the President.
- Serve as an industry and customer expert back into the broader Ellucian corporate community.
What will you bring
- 10+ years of experience in the Information Technology field or equivalent combination of education and experience leading IT strategic initiatives in a college or university environment.
- Prior experience serving on campus executive leadership teams including the President and/or Provost.
- The successful candidate must have broad direct and relevant knowledge of higher education with the ability to be sensitive and tactful, with high emotional intelligence.
- Current knowledge in use and trends of technology in higher education.
- Good understanding of Ellucian administrative/academic computing systems, Banner SaaS preferred.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Strong advising, empathizing and influencing abilities.
- Ability to travel up to 25%.
About the University of New England
With roots dating to 1831, the University of New England (UNE) has evolved to become the largest independent university in Maine. UNE has established itself as a leading comprehensive university with particular strengths in the health sciences and marine sciences and a wide range of academic programs offered both onsite and online to nearly 6,500 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. UNE is guided by the core values of student-centeredness, community belonging, relentless inquiry, interdisciplinary collaboration, learning everywhere, progressive change, and stewardship of our planet.
UNE's more than 70 undergraduate, graduate, professional, and online degree programs are offered through six colleges - the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Dental Medicine, the Westbrook College of Health Professions, the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the College of Professional Studies, and a recently-established College of Business. UNE is home to Maine's only medical school, pharmacy program, and physician assistant program and Northern New England's only dental college. UNE's robust research agenda garners more NIH funding in biomedical research than any other college or university in Maine. UNE is located on two beautiful campuses in Maine - the coastal Biddeford Campus and Portland Campus for the Health Sciences - and also has a unique study-abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco. UNE is regionally accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education.
During a tumultuous time for higher education, UNE has bucked the trends, emerging from a global pandemic with robust enrollment numbers, a bold plan to move its medical college from Biddeford to Portland in order to create a unique, interprofessional health sciences campus there, and a host of new academic programs and student support initiatives designed to meet the workplace needs of an ever-changing economy. While many other institutions were content to merely keep their doors open during the pandemic, UNE's dedicated faculty and professional staff were determined to seize every opportunity during a time of much change and realignment for the industry. And guided by the recently refreshed Our World, Our Future strategic plan, UNE has done just that. As a result, the University's credit rating has recently been upgraded to A2 from Moody's Investor Services and A+ (with positive outlook) from Fitch Ratings.
UNE emphasizes community belonging and meeting the needs of first-generation students while consciously immersing students in an environment that prioritizes viewpoint diversity. Indeed, one of UNE's distinguishing characteristics is its commitment to fostering a robust marketplace of ideas so that students may develop the respect for opposing viewpoints and intellectual curiosity needed to be productive participants in our increasingly polarized society. The University invites guest speakers to campus whose ideas span various ideological spectra and, through an array of interrelated programs, exposes students to multiple views on important topics, both inside and outside the classroom.
Perennially included on "best colleges" lists by U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, Forbes, and others, UNE prides itself on its excellent student outcomes. It has recently been ranked first in Maine for value added by Brookings and first in Maine for job placement by Zippia. Meanwhile, UNE students enjoy an exceptionally low student-loan default rate of just 0.6% compared to 2.3% nationally. UNE's clinical programs also boast exceptional board pass rates, while the aspiring doctors in UNE's College of Osteopathic Medicine earn a residency choice match rate that is among the ten best in the country. For more information about these and other accolades, visit www.une.edu/about/glance.
About UNE President, James Herbert
President James D. Herbert is the sixth president of the University of New England, serving since July 2017. Under President Herbert's leadership, UNE has redoubled its commitment to collaborative, team-based clinical education; launched a slate of new undergraduate and graduate academic programs; expanded marine programs and several health profession programs; reorganized student support services to be more student-centric; expanded physical facilities on both campuses, including new athletic facilities and a new home for Maine's only medical school; significantly increased fundraising, including securing the largest gift in the University's history; bolstered programming to support community and belonging; greatly improved financial footing, as reflected by significant credit upgrades; and implemented and renewed UNE's strategic plan "Our World, Our Future." As a champion of the academy as the ultimate marketplace of ideas, President Herbert founded a number of programs to encourage viewpoint diversity and civil, robust discourse on campus, including "The President's Forum," a moderated discussion series that facilitates discussion of timely topics to promote a deeper understanding of critical issues facing society.
Herbert arrived at UNE via Drexel University in Philadelphia, where he held several senior administrative positions, including interim provost and executive vice provost and dean of the Graduate College. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in clinical psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a B.A. in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include cognitive behavior therapy - including newer mindfulness and psychological acceptance-based models of behavior therapy, anxiety, mood, and eating disorders, remote Internet-based treatment, and the promotion of evidence-based practice in mental health.
About UNE Provost, Gwendolyn Mahon
Provost Gwendolyn Mahon joined UNE in November 2022, bringing her passion for higher education and extensive leadership in the field to campus. As a first-generation college graduate, Provost Mahon is passionate about helping others access the opportunities that higher education has provided her and has a keen understanding of the importance of a student-centered philosophy and a community-engaged approach in higher education.
During her first year at UNE, Provost Mahon implemented several programmatic changes to enhance various academic programs. She has established new majors in Computer Science and Statistics, initiated the development of a faculty information system to better support and streamline the faculty reappointment, promotion, and tenure process, and made several organizational changes to enhance visibility and spur growth of key degree offerings. This includes the creation of the School of Education, School of Computer Science and Data Analytics, College of Business, and Honors College.
Prior to arriving at UNE, Provost Mahon spent 24 years at Rutgers University, where she filled multiple leadership roles, including dean of the Rutgers School of Health Professions. She holds a master's degree in medical genetics from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, and a doctorate in biomedical science from Rutgers School of Graduate Studies. Her research is focused on molecular oncology, specifically signal transduction pathways involved in leukemogenesis and cell motility.
About UNE Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration, Jim Irwin
Since joining UNE in 2023 as senior vice president of Finance and Administration, Jim Irwin, CPA, has initiated several enhancements across the university. The initiatives include creating a board investment committee; enhancing budget processes; implementing electronic financial aid packaging; augmenting enterprise risk management; launching an ERP transformation and migration project; restructuring several departments; supporting the development of numerous new academic programs; and co-chairing a council for student recruitment and retention.
Before UNE, SVPFA Irwin served as vice president for Business and Finance and chief financial officer at Washington & Jefferson College, overseeing financial operations and executing strategic initiatives, such as a tuition price reset; financial transparency and education programs; expense reduction and resource reallocation; academic program portfolio optimization; salary benchmarking; and significant information technology and facilities projects.
Prior to Washington & Jefferson College, SVPFA Irwin was associate vice president for Finance and Administration at Claremont Graduate University (CGU), part of The Claremont Colleges consortium. During his tenure at CGU, he reorganized financial operations, created a purchasing and procurement function, spearheaded ERP module rollouts, and conducted an endowment advisor selection process. SVPFA Irwin began his higher education career at the University of La Verne where he held two different key administration rolls.
Before working in higher education, SVPFA Irwin held a senior role at LA Fitness International during its international expansion, and he worked at KPMG in audit and assurance. SVPFA Irwin earned a master's in leadership and management from the University of La Verne and a bachelor's in business administration from the University of California, Riverside.
About Life in Maine
The University of New England is located on two beautiful campuses in Maine - an oceanfront coastal campus of Biddeford and a vibrant health sciences campus in Portland, a city of great appeal and historic significance. With breathtaking scenery, a rich cultural environment, world-class dining, low crime rates, and classic New England charm, southern Maine provides an unparalleled quality of life. The quality of life is exemplified by safe towns and cities, top school systems, and a variety of highly accessible outdoor activities, from the beach to the mountains. Whether you enjoy local shopping in Portland's Old Port, sampling unique breweries and distilleries in Biddeford, strolling the harbor-side trail on the Eastern Promenade, hiking, sailing, skiing, or the arts, the area offers something for everyone. The greater Portland region combines city living with small-town charm, frequently cited as one of the best cities in America to live and work.
What makes #Ellucianlife
- Comprehensive health coverage: medical, dental, and vision
- Flexible time off
- Thrive Flex Lifestyle Account (LSA) that allows you to contribute towards your health, financial or learning interests
- 401k w/ match & BrightPlan - to help you save for the future
- Parental Leave
- 5 charitable days to support the community that supports us
- Telemedicine
- Wellness
- Headspace Care (mental health)
- Wellbeats (virtual fitness classes)
- RethinkCare & Wellthy- caregiver support
- Diversity and inclusion programs which provide access to internal employee resource groups
- Employee referral bonuses to encourage the addition of great new people to the team
- We Foster a learning culture with:
- Education Assistance Program
- Professional development opportunities
#LI-PK1
#LI-onsite