Director of Research IT Services

at  UC San Diego

DESCRIPTION

UC San Diego is ranked one of the best public universities in the nation by U.S. News and World Report and is the largest employer based in San Diego County. Reporting to the Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer, Information Technology Services (ITS) delivers Enterprise information technology services to the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) under the leadership of the campus Chief Information Officer (CIO). Information Technology Services (IT Services) uses world-class services and technologies to empower UC San Diego’s mission to transform California and the world as a student-centered, research-focused, service-oriented public university. As a strategic member of the UC San Diego community, IT Services embraces innovation in their delivery of IT services, infrastructure, applications, and support. IT Services is customer-focused and committed to collaboration, continuous improvement, and accountability.
With broad impact across UC San Diego’s billion-dollar research enterprise and with oversight by the Research IT Governance Committee, Research IT Services provides a variety of digital technology services to faculty, research staff, postdoctoral and graduate and undergraduate students, including all academic departments, schools and divisions. Research IT coordinates across campus IT providers (including ITS, SDSC, Calit2, the Library), the Schools, Divisions, Departments and labs, the Office of Research Affairs, and other critical stakeholders to deliver coordinated services critical to all aspects of the research enterprise. Research IT provides direct outreach and resource recommendations to faculty, conducts investigation & integration of new technologies, and coordinates between campus technology providers to deliver solutions directly to researchers.
The Director conceives, develops, deploys, and directs a research computing and data (RCD) program for UC San Diego to meet the needs of faculty, research staff, Postdocs and graduate and undergraduate students conducting research. The Director maintains awareness of the current landscape of research digital technology infrastructure support needs and emerging trends to build out additional components, conducts gap analyses. In addition, the Director collaborates with faculty, schools, and departments to identify needed services, develops and runs pilot programs for a variety of IT services and tools to meet RCD needs. The Director guides process development, testing, and documentation for solutions and develops best practices for researcher activities and for research IT support. The Director represents the unit and participates in committees, organizations and working groups across the campus, including UC San Diego Health, Systemwide, and in national and international organizations. The Director also manages and directs a Research IT team composed of high-level technical professionals.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion are core values at UC San Diego and within Information Technology Services. Crafting a culture around these values allows us to more deeply connect with and appreciate our employees, students, and campus partners. Information Technology Services is continuously working to build a community where we all feel safe, empowered, and encouraged to bring our authentic selves to work. We do this not only because it is what’s right, but because we know that diversity drives insight and innovation. We are proud to partner closely UC San Diego’s Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, as their dedication to this mission helps us all to drive change.

QUALIFICATIONS

Experience with the full research project life cycle, including, but not limited to, authoring of proposals, typical funding lines in a grant request (e.g., capital, S&E, etc.), reporting requirements, overhead/IDC calculations, grad student/postdoc support needs, C&G administration, disbursement timelines etc.
Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to effectively present technical topics to individuals and groups with potentially varied levels of technical sophistication.
Extensive experience managing technical staff. Demonstrated experience managing staff supporting faculty in their research technology needs. Demonstrated understanding of the range of, and trends in, technology services in these areas. Demonstrated ability to delegate and oversee assignments to ensure successful and timely completion as well as to obtain the cooperation of others within and outside the unit. Works in a collaborative manner to achieve results.
Demonstrated knowledge of the challenges imposed by big data research, machine learning, cross-disciplinary research, distributed computing infrastructure, cloud computing, high-speed networking; etc. Demonstrated knowledge of research and educational trends and the current state of research IT.
Strong working knowledge of federal and state regulations that impact information technology and security, including HIPAA, FISMA, CUI, ITAR, CMMC, FERPA and others and experience applying these regulations to research technology projects.

IF EMPLOYED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH OUR POLICY ON VACCINATION PROGRAMS, WHICH MAY BE AMENDED OR REVISED FROM TIME TO TIME. FEDERAL, STATE, OR LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTIVES MAY IMPOSE ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.

To foster the best possible working and learning environment, UC San Diego strives to cultivate a rich and diverse environment, inclusive and supportive of all students, faculty, staff and visitors. For more information, please visit UC San Diego Principles of Community.
UC San Diego is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status.
For the University of California’s Affirmative Action Policy please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4010393/PPSM-20
For the University of California’s Anti-Discrimination Policy, please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination
UC San Diego is a smoke and tobacco free environment. Please visit smokefree.ucsd.edu for more information.

• Conceive, develop, deploy and direct a Research IT Services program for UC San Diego to meet the needs of faculty, research staff, post-docs and students conducting research; services within the program should initially include, at minimum, research computing and data (RCD) facilitation and research technology integration. Set and maintain the mission and vision of the program, developing strategies for RCD services and initiatives. Maintain awareness of the current landscape of research support needs and emerging trends to build out additional components including training, technology support, tools. Develop appropriate collaborations and leverage other opportunities to serve faculty, staff and student researchers.
• Represent the unit and participate in committees, organizations and working groups across the campus, system, and in national and international organizations. Participate in efforts to shape the research IT support landscape and to identify the ecosystem. Make presentations on topics of relevance to the research and academic IT support communities.
• Develops and monitors operational and budget processes, staff FTE, finance, human resources and space planning. Develops and administers schedules and project performance requirements. Responsible for constructing and proposing/justifying an annual budget including personnel, S&E, and projects.
• Manages, through subordinate supervisors, the coordination of activities of a department with responsibility for results in terms of costs, methods, and employees. Manages diverse project assignments. Acts as advisor to project team members in order to facilitate adherence to project schedules and to resolve technical problems. Assigns and monitors work of facilitators, systems analysis, integration and programming staff, providing technical support and direction.
• May analyze the needs of functional departments and helps to establish priorities for feasibility studies and systems design and implementation to develop new and / or modify information processing systems. Conduct gap analyses. Collaborate with faculty, divisions and departments to identify needed services. Develop and run pilot programs for a variety of IT services and tools to meet research needs. Transition participants in and out of pilot programs. Create written reports and presentations of results. Coordinate cooperative activities, leveraging multi-unit participation, and effecting economic and efficiency improvements.
• Coordinates with functional departments involved in system requirements, techniques, and controls. Communicates and partners collaboratively with SDSC, UC San Diego Health, UCSD Library teams, Catit2/Qualcomm Institute, HDSI, divisional IT units, departmental research support to develop strategies to meet faculty, staff, Postdoc, and student researcher needs. Organizes interdepartmental activities ensuring completion of the product / program / project on schedule and within budget constraints. Lead cooperative efforts among multiple project teams. Responsible for results, including costs, methods and staffing.