Take a Moment to Learn More About Deerfield 109

The Role of the Director of Technology in Deerfield 109

DEERFIELD 109 - MISSION
Where challenging experiences foster confidence, collaborative relationships build community, and creative environments ignite curiosity.

DEERFIELD 109 - VISION
We will develop each student to be emotionally resilient, socially skilled, and academically prepared by forging connections within, across, and beyond our classrooms, and by embracing each student's uniqueness.

GENERAL INFORMATION

TITLE: Director of Technology
DEPARTMENT: Administration
LICENSURE: Not Applicable
ENDORSEMENT: Not Applicable
CLASSIFICATION: Administration
FLSA STATUS: Exempt
REPORTS TO: Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: Directly supervises the Coordinator for Technology; provides operational oversight and management of Managed Service Providers (MSPs), contracted technical service providers, and third-party technology vendors.
PRIOR EXPERIENCE: Progressively responsible experience in technology leadership, with project management, vendor management, and budgeting as expected components. Experience successfully leading complex projects from planning through implementation and completion required.
EVALUATION: Evaluated annually by the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction (and/or designee) in accordance with the District’s established administrative performance evaluation process. The evaluation cycle covers one school year.

JOB GOAL

The Director of Technology serves as the District’s senior technology leader responsible for strategy, governance, operational oversight, and execution of the technology roadmap, as well as the primary technology advisor to District leadership. While reporting through Curriculum and Instruction, the Director provides end-to-end project management for District technology initiatives and works collaboratively across departments and schools to maintain a comprehensive understanding of the technology environment, ensuring initiatives are clearly scoped, prioritized, resourced, monitored, and successfully carried through from identified need to completion.

MAJOR DUTIES & PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES

The responsibilities listed below are intended to describe the primary types of work performed by the Director of Technology. The exclusion of a specific responsibility does not prohibit its assignment when the work is similar, related, or a logical responsibility of the position.

Provides strategic leadership and executive-level oversight for the District's portfolio of technology projects and initiatives.
Establishes and oversees District technology governance, including policies, standards, prioritization, decision-making, and technology change governance (review, approval, communication, documentation, and post-implementation review of significant technology changes).
Leads technology initiatives through the full project lifecycle, including needs identification, research, solution development, scope definition, budgeting, procurement, implementation, monitoring, closeout, and post-implementation evaluation.
Develops, maintains, and communicates a comprehensive District technology roadmap that identifies initiatives, priorities, timelines, milestones, dependencies, budgetary requirements, risks, and expected deliverables.
Maintains centralized oversight of active technology projects and regularly communicates status to the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction and key stakeholders, including progress toward milestones, budget status, risks, dependencies, and decisions requiring leadership attention.
Identifies, researches, evaluates, and recommends potential technology solutions in response to District needs, considering functionality, scalability, security, cost, support requirements, sustainability, and long-term impact.
Leads technology procurement processes in collaboration with Finance and Operations, including specifications, proposal evaluations, vendor selection, contract review, and implementation planning.
Serves as the District’s primary relationship owner for managed technology providers, establishing service expectations, monitoring SLAs and contractual commitments, leading regular service reviews, ensuring corrective action, leading procurement and transition efforts, and clarifying operational boundaries between internal leadership and MSP engagement management.
Provides operational oversight and coordination of outsourced technology technicians and contracted technical services, establishing District priorities, communicating expectations, and monitoring service delivery.
Directly supervises and evaluates the Coordinator for Technology, establishing clear expectations for day-to-day technical operations, infrastructure, devices, troubleshooting, and end-user support.
Develops and manages the District's technology budget and multi-year capital plans in collaboration with Finance and Operations and Curriculum and Instruction, aligning expenditures with priorities, lifecycle equipment replacements, and long-range investments.
Serves as the technology project lead for construction, renovation, and facilities initiatives, coordinating with Finance and Operations, Buildings and Grounds, architects, engineers, contractors, and vendors.
Provides leadership and oversight for cybersecurity (including outsourced cybersecurity services, security monitoring, incident response, vulnerability management, and reporting), data privacy, business continuity, disaster recovery, and technology risk management.
Oversees identity and access management (including Google, JAMF, Active Directory, and NIM) to ensure clear ownership, appropriate security controls, and accountable technical execution.
Maintains a comprehensive understanding of the District's technology environment, including infrastructure, hardware, software, telecommunications, physical security technology, contracts, licensing, and active projects.
Establishes and maintains project documentation sufficient to provide organizational continuity, historical reference, and clearly defined operational ownership.
Establishes formal project closeout procedures to ensure deliverables are complete, documentation is finalized, and operational ownership is cleanly transitioned.
Partners with the Department of Curriculum and Instruction on technology initiatives supporting teaching and learning, providing technical expertise regarding feasibility, security, infrastructure, implementation, and sustainability.
Remains current regarding emerging technologies, cybersecurity threats, applicable laws, regulations, industry standards, and professional practices.
Performs other duties as assigned by the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction and/or designee.

MENTAL DEMANDS

Knowledge

The employee shall possess:

Thorough knowledge of technology planning, implementation, governance, lifecycle management, budgeting, and strategic technology leadership.
Considerable knowledge of enterprise technology environments, including infrastructure, networking, hardware, software, telecommunications, identity and access management, physical security, cybersecurity, data privacy, business continuity, and disaster recovery.
Thorough knowledge of project and program management principles, practices, and methodologies, including scope development, scheduling, milestones, deliverables, dependencies, risk management, monitoring, and project closeout.
Considerable knowledge of technology procurement, contract management, service-level expectations (SLAs), and vendor performance management for managed service providers.
Knowledge of budget development, forecasting, multi-year lifecycle planning, and long-range capital planning as they relate to technology investments.
Knowledge of applicable federal and state laws, regulations, standards, and District policies governing technology, cybersecurity, student/employee data, and records privacy.
Knowledge of administrative, managerial, and supervisory practices necessary to lead employees, contracted service providers, vendors, and cross-functional project teams.

Ability

The employee shall demonstrate the ability to:

Lead complex, multi-stakeholder projects through the complete project lifecycle—from initial concept through successful implementation, evaluation, and formal closeout.
Translate organizational needs into clearly defined project scopes, objectives, deliverables, timelines, and resource requirements.
Organize and simultaneously manage multiple projects of varying scope, complexity, and organizational impact while maintaining project momentum and accountability.
Anticipate project risks, dependencies, barriers, and downstream consequences, developing proactive mitigation strategies.
Evaluate competing technology solutions and deliver well-supported recommendations based on organizational need, functionality, security, sustainability, and total cost.
Hold vendors, managed service providers (MSPs), and contracted technical personnel accountable for established deliverables, timelines, service expectations, and contractual commitments.
Develop and manage technology budgets and steward District resources responsibly in collaboration with Finance and Operations.
Communicate complex technical concepts clearly and concisely to non-technical stakeholders and administrative leadership.
Provide Executive Leadership and key stakeholders with concise, executive-level reporting on project status, accomplishments, risks, budget status, and decisions requiring attention.
Build effective, collaborative working relationships across departments and coordinate cross-functional teams comprising employees, administrators, vendors, contractors, architects, and engineers.
Exercise sound independent judgment while identifying when issues require escalation or executive-level decision-making.

Education/Preparation

Prefer a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Information Technology, Computer Science, Project Management, Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, or a related field (or an equivalent combination of education, training, and progressively responsible professional experience).
Proven track record of managing complex technology projects through the full project lifecycle.
Demonstrated experience managing technology vendors, contracts, project budgets, timelines, and organizational stakeholders.
Experience working within a complex organization with multiple departments and stakeholder groups.
Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or comparable project management certification, training, or demonstrated experience strongly preferred.
Experience in a K–12 educational environment is beneficial, but not required.

Reasoning

The employee must possess the ability to analyze and resolve complex problems where established procedures or standardized solutions may not exist. This includes interpreting technical, contractual, financial, and operational data; evaluating multiple courses of action; identifying project dependencies and risks; and exercising sound professional judgment to develop recommendations that balance District priorities, available resources, sustainability, and long-term organizational needs.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to communicate, remain stationary for periods of time, move throughout District facilities, operate computers and other technology equipment, and participate in meetings and project activities at various District locations. The employee may occasionally be required to access technology installations or project locations and lift or move equipment of a reasonable weight associated with the position.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The employee primarily works in an administrative and educational environment and regularly travels among District buildings and facilities. The position requires frequent interaction with administrators, employees, vendors, contractors, consultants, and other stakeholders and extensive use of technology and communication systems. The employee may occasionally work in construction, renovation, infrastructure, or technology installation environments when necessary to provide project oversight. The position may require work outside normal business hours when necessary for technology implementations, system maintenance, emergency response, or other time-sensitive District needs.

The mental demands, physical demands, and work environment characteristics are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to allow an employee with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

ADOPTED

October 1, 2026

District - Director of Technology - 2026/2027