Associate CIO for Digital Infrastructure Technologies

Starting Salary Range: $143,420 - $186,446 annually, depending on experience.

About the District

Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) is one of the largest community college systems in the nation, comprising 10 individually accredited community colleges and 31 satellite locations. With 100% acceptance and affordable tuition, MCCCD provides flexible and supportive learning environments. The district is the largest provider of workforce development training in Arizona, supporting one out of every 28 jobs in Maricopa County.

Benefits

MCCCD offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits program supporting employees' and their families' health and well-being. Benefits are designed to meet diverse needs and include a wide range of perks for eligible employees.

About the Role

The Associate Chief Information Officer (Associate CIO) for Digital Infrastructure Technologies is a senior technology leadership role within MCCCD’s Information Technology Services (ITS) division. Reporting to the Chief Information Officer (CIO), this executive position advances the district’s mission through secure, modern, resilient, and reliable digital infrastructure services. The Associate CIO leads strategic planning, delivery, and continuous improvement of enterprise infrastructure technologies, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities and supporting teaching, learning, and administrative excellence.

As a key member of the District Office Senior IT leadership team, the Associate CIO partners with the CIO to develop and execute the district’s digital infrastructure strategy. This includes driving enterprise modernization initiatives across networking, cloud platforms, data centers, identity services, collaboration technologies, and infrastructure operations. The role evaluates emerging technologies, recommends strategic investments, and implements scalable, resilient, and sustainable infrastructure solutions.

MCCCD operates under a federated technology model, with districtwide services led by the Vice Chancellor and CIO, supported by a substantial district IT organization. Each college also maintains its own IT leadership and staff, reflecting the scale and distinct needs of the communities served. The Associate CIO provides visionary leadership while maintaining a strong operational focus, leading high-performing technical teams, and driving disciplined execution.

Responsibilities

• Digital Infrastructure Strategy & Operations (25%)
  • Provides executive leadership for planning, implementation, operation, and continuous improvement of enterprise digital infrastructure, including network, data center, cloud, server, storage, identity, collaboration, and virtualization services.
  • Develops and executes infrastructure modernization strategies to improve scalability, resiliency, performance, and operational efficiency.
  • Establishes enterprise standards, roadmaps, and technical architecture to support secure, reliable, and future-ready technology services.
  • Directs the adoption of IT Service Management (ITSM) best practices and automation to improve service delivery, operational maturity, and customer satisfaction.
• Technology Leadership & Project Delivery (20%)
  • Provides leadership, direction, and performance management for infrastructure technology teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and continuous professional development.
  • Partners with the Project Management Office (PMO), college technology leaders, and business stakeholders to prioritize, govern, and deliver enterprise infrastructure initiatives.
  • Ensures infrastructure projects are completed on schedule, within budget, and aligned with district strategic objectives.
• Enterprise Collaboration & Governance (20%)
  • Serves as the primary District Office infrastructure leader in partnership with College CIOs and technical leadership to ensure alignment of enterprise infrastructure services across the district.
  • Builds collaborative relationships with academic and administrative leaders to understand business needs and translate them into sustainable technology solutions.
  • Represents Digital Infrastructure Technologies within district governance committees, providing technical guidance, strategic recommendations, and enterprise standards that promote consistency and operational excellence.
• Cybersecurity, Risk Management & Business Continuity (20%)
  • Collaborates with the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) to ensure infrastructure technologies comply with cybersecurity policies, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices.
  • Directs infrastructure resiliency initiatives, including disaster recovery, backup strategies, business continuity planning, and operational readiness.
  • Leads efforts to reduce operational risk through infrastructure standardization, vulnerability remediation, compliance monitoring, and continuous improvement of enterprise technology services.
• Financial, Vendor & Resource Management (15%)
  • Partners with the CIO to develop, administer, and monitor operational and capital budgets supporting enterprise infrastructure technologies.
  • Oversees vendor relationships, contract performance, licensing, and service agreements to maximize value, ensure service-level compliance, and support long-term technology investments.
  • Evaluates emerging technologies and infrastructure solutions, providing recommendations that balance innovation, risk, and total cost of ownership (TCO).

Requirements

• Master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution in Information Technology or a related field, and four (4) years of progressively responsible management and/or leadership experience, including at least two (2) years of supervisory experience.
• Equivalency allowed: An equivalent combination of education, experience, and/or relevant industry certifications may be considered, provided it meets the essential duties of the role.

Qualifications

• Progressively responsible experience leading enterprise infrastructure, cloud services, network operations, data center operations, or digital infrastructure within a large, complex organization.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing enterprise infrastructure strategies aligned with organizational goals.
• Experience leading digital transformation and modernization initiatives, including cloud adoption, infrastructure lifecycle management, automation, and service optimization.
• Senior leadership experience managing multiple technical teams, managers, and enterprise technology operations.
• Experience operating within a highly collaborative, shared governance environment, preferably in higher education, government, healthcare, or another complex public-sector organization.
• Demonstrated success leading enterprise technology projects involving cross-functional stakeholders, organizational change management, and large-scale implementations.
• Experience negotiating and managing strategic vendor partnerships, technology contracts, and service-level agreements.
• Experience managing multimillion-dollar operational and capital technology budgets.
• One year of relevant full-time MCCCD experience during the previous two years (desired).