Academic Technology Director - Lyle (HR Title: Academic Tech Svc Director III)

About the role

SMU is seeking an Academic Technology Services Director for the Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering. This role is an on-campus, in-person position that serves as the embedded, hands-on academic technology partner for the Lyle School of Engineering, supporting faculty and students across all departments.

The position reports to OIT Academic Technology Services with a close relationship to the Lyle Dean's office, and is responsible for designing, deploying, administering, and supporting instructional and research technology.

Responsibilities

• Embedded day-to-day academic technology contact for Lyle, coordinating with OIT Academic Technology Services, the Lyle Dean's office, department chairs, and centers
• Configures, pilots, and supports approved AI and generative AI tools for Lyle faculty, students, and staff
• Provides hands-on technical delivery and support for Lyle's online and synchronous instruction, including online course delivery
• Performs hands-on support of Canvas for Lyle courses, including course setup, enrollments, gradebook and SIS troubleshooting, and integrations
• Supports Lyle faculty, students, and research teams using SMU's research and high-performance computing environment
• Administers Lyle's Linux servers and virtual machines for instruction and research
• Maintains working familiarity with Lyle classroom, learning-space, and event technology and helps faculty and presenters get started
• Helps support digital accessibility of Lyle's instructional materials and platforms per university standards and law
• Maintains current expertise in academic, research, and engineering technologies through ongoing professional development and certification

Requirements

• A Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of five years of relevant experience in academic, research, or instructional technology, systems administration, or technical support in a higher-education, research, or engineering setting
• OR a Master's degree and a minimum of three years of relevant experience in academic, research, or instructional technology, systems administration, or technical support in a higher-education, research, or engineering setting
• Experience with Linux and Unix administration, cross-platform support, and scientific and engineering software and research computing Linux
• Experience with Canvas or comparable learning management system (LMS) and providing direct technical support to faculty and students

Qualifications

• Degree in CS, engineering, IT, or related technical field is desired
• Experience with research and HPC concepts, Canvas or comparable LMS administration and installation, and advising on Windows and macOS
• Strong knowledge of productivity and collaboration suites, web-conferencing and lecture-capture tools, and scripting (bash)
• Preferred: GPU/CUDA, containers (Docker, K8s), Git, and cloud platforms, relevant Linux, cloud, or HPC certifications, MATLAB, Python, and R

Skills

• Strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate broadly across the University
• Strong written communication skills and a strong customer service orientation
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify and analyze problems and devise solutions
• Strong organizational, planning, and time management skills, with strong project management skills and attention to detail

Benefits

SMU offers staff a broad, competitive array of health and related benefits, including traditional benefits such as health, dental, and vision plans, as well as wellness programs and retirement programs.

Employees have access to a wide variety of professional and personal development opportunities, including tuition benefits.