Secretariat Chief Information Officer

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Education (EOE) works to connect all Massachusetts residents with an education that creates opportunities. While Massachusetts’ students rank first in the nation on many educational measures, the Executive Office of Education strives to strengthen the foundations of education reform, empower schools and educators, and develop pathways to college and careers so all students in the Commonwealth can succeed, regardless of their zip code. EOE works with the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC), Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Department of Higher Education (DHE), Children’s Trust, and the state’s 29 public colleges and universities to coordinate programs and policies across the entire public education system.

The Education Secretariat is committed to equity and valuing the unique and diverse characteristics and experiences of every member of its workforce. We encourage an authentic workplace where colleagues show up as their full selves, where collaboration, innovation, and connections are key to realizing our mission that all children, youth, and families thrive socially, academically, and economically. We seek teammates who are committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive work environment, where everyone is valued and engaged. We encourage you to apply and identify your strengths in these areas.

The Executive Office of Education’s Information Technology Group (EOE IT) strives to connect and empower communities of learners, from birth to college to the workforce, by building and supporting innovative systems that facilitate positive outcomes for all. We are a diverse team of professionals dedicated to ensuring that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts remains the national leader in education. Agencies in the Education Secretariat include The Children’s Trust, the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC), the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), and the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (DHE)., Under the guidance of the Secretary, the Undersecretary, the Chief Operating Officer of EOE, and the Secretary of EOTSS, the Secretariat Chief Information Officer (SCIO) is responsible for leading the successful delivery of IT services to meet the needs of Secretariat staff and constituents in an increasingly dynamic and changing business landscape and complex regulatory environment. This includes managing over 100 staff, strategic planning, identifying and implementing new technology, enhancing existing technology, optimizing operational efficiency, enhancing and developing IT applications, making the best use of IT operating and capital funding, and maintaining and supporting the technology stack., * Manage and oversee the day-to-day operations of the EOE IT group to foster collaboration, effectiveness, and efficiency in fulfilling EOE IT’s responsibilities.

• Lead ongoing application and security modernization efforts, including the continued migration of applications to the cloud and implementation of single sign-on solutions.
• Establish and improve EOE IT standard operating procedures and redesign business processes to increase efficiency, productivity, and communication.
• Oversee the technical and managerial development of existing staff and recruit new staff to meet organizational needs, while advancing the use of Agile Scrum, Jira, and GitHub to support application development, backlog prioritization, and resource allocation.
• Monitor the progress, risks, and quality of IT service and application development, implementation, maintenance, and support activities.
• Manage major IT procurements, including procurement strategy, development of requests for proposals, vendor evaluation and selection, contract negotiation and approval, and oversight of successful solution implementation.
• Provide periodic performance reports to the Secretaries, Undersecretary, and agency leadership, and proactively identify and address issues and performance gaps.
• Coordinate with the EOE IT senior team and agency leadership to discuss IT needs, strategy, project status, risks, issues, priorities, and key decisions.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for significant service-related incidents affecting agency IT operations and provide timely updates to senior leadership through resolution.
• Oversee compliance with applicable ADA accessibility standards across Secretariat applications and programs.
• Oversee IT budget planning and expenditure monitoring, ensuring the Undersecretary and Secretariat Chief Financial Officer are informed of financial needs and key developments affecting IT budgets.
• Participate in EOTSS, EOE, and departmental meetings as a senior executive and trusted IT advisor.
• Coordinate agency priorities with the EOE IT Governance Committee, EOTSS, and other teams as appropriate.
• Oversee the development and implementation of EOE IT strategic, operational, and policy matters, including recommending technology, service, and application innovations and improvements.
• Represent and advocate for EOE IT needs, investments, and program policy priorities.
• Participate in other IT-related projects and activities as assigned.

The SCIO needs exceptional collaboration and relationship-building skills, business acumen, technical proficiency and creativity, and a proven ability to develop and lead a team and technical environment that supports statewide and agency-specific goals. The SCIO will lead from a place of expert authority and lead by example to get the job done while proactively designing systems, business processes, and procedures that scale to meet the needs, risks, challenges, and opportunities of the Secretariat and its agencies.

The reporting locations for this position are One Ashburton Place, Boston, Massachusetts, and 135 Santilli Highway, Everett, Massachusetts. The standard work schedule is Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET. This position follows a hybrid work model, with a minimum of three in-office days per week and remote work on the remaining days, subject to business needs.

All offers of employment into this position are conditional and subject to passing: a Massachusetts Criminal Background Check (CORI); a security clearance (fingerprinting) consistent with IRS and/or public safety requirements; and security training., * At least ten years of progressively responsible IT leadership and management experience, or an equivalent combination of advanced education and relevant experience.

• Demonstrated success leading a large, complex IT organization, including strategic planning, workforce development, organizational improvement, and resource management.
• Exceptional leadership, collaboration, communication, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to advise senior executives, translate complex technology issues into business implications and decisions, and build consensus across diverse stakeholders.
• Proven ability to develop and execute technology strategies that align IT investments, services, and operations with organizational priorities.
• Broad knowledge of emerging technologies and IT disciplines, with demonstrated ability to leverage technology to improve operations, services, and organizational performance.
• Significant experience leading application and infrastructure modernization, including AWS cloud migration, legacy system modernization, systems integration, and secure, scalable technology platforms.
• Strong understanding of cybersecurity, identity and access management, enterprise architecture, networking, infrastructure, and application development and operations.
• Demonstrated experience establishing effective IT governance and prioritizing technology investments, projects, and resources across multiple organizations or business units with competing needs.
• Experience with Agile and Scrum methodologies and technology delivery and collaboration tools such as Jira and GitHub.
• Demonstrated knowledge of risk management, project and portfolio management, business continuity, operational resilience, and incident response for mission-critical technology services.
• Demonstrated experience managing major technology procurements, contracts, vendors, and strategic partnerships, with knowledge of applicable procurement and contracting requirements.
• Demonstrated experience managing significant IT operating and capital budgets, spending plans, resource allocation, and technology investments.
• Proven ability to improve business processes, establish effective operating practices, and use performance measures and executive reporting to drive accountability and continuous improvement.
• Proven ability to lead technology-enabled organizational transformation and manage competing priorities in a complex governance and regulatory environment., Applicants must have at least (A) eight (8) years of full-time or, equivalent part-time, professional, administrative, supervisory, or managerial experience in IT administration or IT management, of which (B) at least five (5) years must have been in a managerial capacity.