Director, Academic Technology - Information Technology

The Director, Academic Technology provides strategic NYUAD IT leadership for the design, delivery, and continuous evolution of instructional technologies and digital learning environments across NYU Abu Dhabi’s full academic portfolio, including undergraduate and graduate programs, continuing education, executive education, and emerging lifelong-learning initiatives. In coordination with NYU IT, the Director develops and executes NYUAD IT’s forward-looking academic technology strategy that supports innovation in teaching, inclusive pedagogy, experiential learning, and student success.

The Director will be working in close partnership with academic leadership, NYUAD’s Hilary Ballon Center for Teaching & Learning (HBCTL), NYU IT, and Executive Education leadership, the Director ensures that instructional platforms, including Learning Management System (LMS) platforms, classroom and hybrid-learning technologies, academic media services, AI-enabled instructional tools, and extended reality (XR) environments, are reliable, scalable, secure, and accessible. The role also has direct responsibility for the strategic development and operational management of academic media production services and studio environments that support live, hybrid, and recorded teaching and learning experiences.

The Director leads a multidisciplinary team responsible for instructional platforms, classroom and learning-space technologies, academic and executive education media production, studio operations, immersive learning environments, and emerging educational technologies.

The role balances innovation with operational sustainability, ensuring that new technologies and production capabilities are thoughtfully evaluated, ethically governed, fiscally responsible, and aligned with institutional academic priorities and policies to support the evolving instructional needs of NYU Abu Dhabi’s academic and professional education communities., Academic Technology Strategy & Alignment

• Develop, implement, and continuously evaluate NYUAD IT’s multi-year academic technology strategy that supports the advancement of NYU Abu Dhabi’s teaching and learning mission across undergraduate, graduate, and professional education programs
• Ensure NYUAD IT’s academic technology services align with academic leadership’s pedagogical priorities, inclusive teaching practices, assessment approaches, and experiential learning initiatives. Translate academic goals into scalable, sustainable academic technology and learning-environment services, including classroom, hybrid, and studio-enabled delivery models

Academic Technology Enablement & Support

• In collaboration with faculty, academic leadership, and the Hilary Ballon Center for Teaching and Learning (HBCTL), provide academic technology consultation, technical guidance, and operational support that enable institutional teaching and learning initiatives. Support the effective implementation and use of instructional technologies, digital platforms, media integration, and learning environments in alignment with pedagogical approaches and academic priorities established by academic leadership and HBCTL
• Develop and deliver technology training, support resources, and service models that help faculty effectively use instructional technologies and media production capabilities while supporting accessibility, academic integrity, and reliable digital learning environments

Event Support

• Act as the main contact for university clients, including faculty, staff, and external partners, to gather AV requirements for Creative Production, Studios & Learning Environments
• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team that includes instructional technologists, digital learning specialists, media producers, and immersive media specialists
• Provide strategic direction, creative leadership, and operational oversight for instructional media production services and academic production capabilities. Oversee the design, operation, utilization, and continuous enhancement of physical and digital production environments, including studios, control rooms, recording facilities, and learning-space technologies that support live, hybrid, and recorded academic and executive education experiences
• Establish and manage end-to-end production service models, including intake, prioritization, scheduling, production, and delivery workflows. Define service tiers and engagement models that support faculty, academic programs, and professional education initiatives
• Set professional standards, quality benchmarks, utilization targets, and staffing models that ensure scalable, efficient, and high-quality media production services aligned with institutional teaching and learning needs

AI, Extended Reality & Emerging Technology Innovation

• Lead exploration, piloting, and responsible adoption of AI-enabled instructional technologies, immersive media tools, virtual production environments, and XR learning experiences
• Evaluate technologies in partnership with academic stakeholders for alignment with pedagogical objectives, accessibility, data privacy, ethical considerations, and sustainability. Transition successful innovations into scalable, supported institutional services with clear operational ownership and lifecycle management

Academic Technology Governance, Budget & Vendor Management

• Provide strategic and operational oversight of academic technology and media production budgets, vendor relationships, and service portfolios
• Establish governance structures, standards, and decision-making frameworks to ensure fiscal responsibility, sustainability, interoperability, and alignment with NYUAD and NYU enterprise policies. Oversee vendor selection, contract negotiation, performance management, and lifecycle planning for instructional platforms, media systems, and production technologies

Accessibility, Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure instructional technologies, media environments, AI-enabled tools, and immersive platforms meet accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG), data-privacy requirements, and institutional policies
• Lead risk assessment and mitigation related to AI in teaching, media capture, XR environments, and emerging technologies. Establish frameworks that ensure ethical, inclusive, secure, and responsible adoption of instructional technologies and media production practices

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Change Management

• Serve as a strategic liaison between IT, academic divisions, HBCTL, Library, Research Computing, Registrar, and NYU Global IT
• Lead complex initiatives involving instructional technologies, media production services, and immersive environments, ensuring coordinated communication and stakeholder engagement. Guide change management efforts supporting adoption of new platforms, production capabilities, and academic delivery models

• Master’s degree in Instructional Technology, Educational Technology, Media Design, Information Technology, Learning Sciences, or a closely related field

Preferred Education:

• Doctoral degree

Required Experience:

• Demonstrated knowledge and implementation of instructional technology standards, accessibility requirements (WCAG/ADA), learning-data privacy considerations, and higher-education compliance expectations
• Familiarity with immersive media technologies, XR/virtual production workflows, and creative media design
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural, international academic environment
• 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in instructional or educational technology, media design, or related fields within a higher-education environment
• Demonstrated experience leading teams and managing complex instructional technology ecosystems and advanced media production environments
• Proven track record implementing enterprise LMS platforms and immersive technology tools
• Deep understanding of digital media, instructional design, and media-enhanced learning
• Knowledge of accessibility standards (WCAG), data privacy, and academic compliance frameworks
• Expertise in instructional platforms, classroom technologies, and media production environments (studios, recording systems, AV technologies)
• Strong strategic planning, analytical, and operational management skills
• Ability to balance innovation with operational sustainability and fiscal responsibility
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills
• Ability to lead organizational change in complex academic environments

Preferred Experience:

• Professional certifications in instructional design, immersive media, project management, or related technology domains (e.g., PMP, XR design certificates)
• Knowledge of NYU’s global systems, enterprise tools, and academic processes
• Familiarity with emerging technologies such as VR/AR/XR for learning, AI-driven learning systems, and advanced analytics for teaching and learning

NYU Abu Dhabi is pioneering a new model of higher education for a global world, dedicated to excellence in teaching and research and to advancing cooperation and progress on humanity?s shared challenges. Drawing on the strengths of the NYU global network, it offers an outstanding liberal arts and sciences education to students from the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and around the world, with a distinctive focus on intercultural understanding and leadership. It supports innovative research and graduate education programs that push forward the frontiers of knowledge and respond in powerful and interdisciplinary ways to vital global and local challenges., NYU Abu Dhabi is a degree-granting research university with a fully integrated liberal arts and science undergraduate program in the Arts, Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Engineering. NYU Abu Dhabi, NYU New York, and NYU Shanghai, form the backbone of NYU’s global network university, an interconnected network of portal campuses and academic centers across six continents that enable seamless international mobility of students and faculty in their pursuit of academic and scholarly activity. This global university represents a transformative shift in higher education, one in which the intellectual and creative endeavors of academia are shaped and examined through an international and multicultural perspective. As a major intellectual hub at the crossroads of the Arab world, NYUAD serves as a center for scholarly thought, advanced research, knowledge creation, and sharing, through its academic, research, and creative activities., NYU Abu Dhabi is a one-of-a-kind campus in the Middle East, bringing the best of a liberal arts education and groundbreaking research from a top American university. With a rigorous and diverse curriculum, we offer students opportunities to excel in almost every field. Our students come from more than 120 countries, bringing their unique languages and perspectives together in a truly global community.

Established in partnership between New York University and the emirate of Abu Dhabi, NYU Abu Dhabi has assembled over the past decade a remarkable community of scholars, students, researchers, artists, inventors, and others who have contributed to the growth of the UAE’s capital as a global hub of knowledge and culture, while establishing a new model of higher education for today’s complex world.

Joining NYU Abu Dhabi offers a unique opportunity to be part of a diverse, global community at one of the world’s top universities. With cutting-edge research, world-class faculty, and a commitment to innovation, NYUAD provides an enriching environment for personal and professional growth. You’ll work in a dynamic setting that values collaboration, fosters creativity, and supports the pursuit of excellence in education and beyond.

Faculty

NYU Abu Dhabi has recruited a cohort of faculty who are at once distinguished in their research and teaching. Our students are drawn from around the world and surpass all traditional recruitment benchmarks, both US and global. NYU Abu Dhabi’s highly selective liberal arts enterprise is complemented by an institute for advanced research, sponsoring cutting-edge projects across the arts and humanities, engineering, science, and social science.

Administrative

With a focus on world-class education and research, NYU Abu Dhabi provides opportunities for professionals in their chosen fields to join a leading group of dynamic, diverse, and committed employees with one goal: to create an extraordinary global university and research institute. In return, NYUAD is dedicated to employer-of-choice practices to ensure that our people remain our strongest assets.

Academic Staff

NYU New York, NYU Abu Dhabi, and NYU Shanghai form the backbone of NYU’s global network of degree-granting campuses and academic centers across six continents that enable seamless international mobility of students and faculty in their pursuit of academic and scholarly activity. Our faculty are distinguished in their research and teaching. Our students are drawn from around the world and surpass all traditional recruitment benchmarks, both US and global. NYU Abu Dhabi’s highly selective liberal arts enterprise is complemented by an institute for advanced research, sponsoring cutting-edge projects across all disciplines.

Postdoctoral and Research

Postdoctoral associates are a vital part of the research community of NYU Abu Dhabi. They bring expertise from international laboratories, often with existing collaborations to assist the broader reach of global research efforts. Research and scholarship generated at NYUAD focuses on interdisciplinary and stand-alone projects in engineering, marine science, history, economics, neural science, cyber security, art history and philosophy, mathematics, and genomics.