Chief Information Officer - Madison (Career Executive)
Position Summary
The Wisconsin State Public Defenders' Chief Information Officer (CIO) works independently under the general direction of the Administrative Services Director. The incumbent is responsible for directing and overseeing information technology strategic planning, applications development, system administration, system support, and telecommunication services. There is also the expectation that this position will serve as a back-up for functional IT services. This position serves on the SPD's Agency Leadership Team (ALT) and provides leadership, professional technical advice, counsel, assistance, and support to the agency’s approximately 700 management and staff located in 42 locations statewide.
Salary Information
The starting hourly rate for the position will be $46.14 to $72.84 per hour ($95,971 to $151,507 per year) depending on qualifications and experience. This classification is assigned to pay schedule/range 70-01. A two-year career executive trial period may be required. Pay for current state employees will be set in accordance with the rules of the Wisconsin State Compensation Plan in effect at the time of hire. Final selected candidates may be eligible for moving expense reimbursement to relocate to the place of employment.
Qualifications
- Enterprise IT Strategic Leadership: leading short- and long-term IT strategic planning, technology governance, and operational execution for a multi-location or enterprise-level organization.
- IT Budgeting & Procurement Management: developing and managing an annual IT operating budget, conducting cost/benefit analyses for technology investments, and managing hardware, software, or service procurements.
- IT Infrastructure, Security, & System Administration: Directing network infrastructure, data security protocols, cloud/on-premise systems, and core database management or software development life cycle (SDLC) processes.
- Technical Supervision & Team Management: Directly supervising technical personnel (e.g., systems administrators, software developers, helpdesk staff) and managing external IT contractors, including resource allocation and performance evaluation.
- Public Sector Governance & Central IT Alignment: navigating state government IT governance, working with central state IT agencies (e.g. Wisconsin Department of Administration/Division of Enterprise Technology policies, rate structures, and high-risk project reporting), or representing an agency on statewide IT councils.
- Legal Tech & Digital Evidence Architecture: managing legal technology systems, eDiscovery workflows, or high-volume digital media processing pipelines (e.g. body-worn camera footage, surveillance files, and cell phone extractions using multi-tiered cloud storage like hot vs. archive tiers).
- Frugal Innovation & Operational Automation: Implementing open-source solutions, local AI processing tools (e.g. local transcription models like Whisper), automated scripting (e.g., Python, PowerShell, FFmpeg, etc.), or writing custom SQL Server queries to resolve operational bottlenecks under strict budgetary constraints.
- Hands-on Technical & System Administrator Backup: Functioning as a technical lead or secondary hands-on backup for software developers, database administrators (SQL Server queries), server OS upgrades, or cloud infrastructure management.
How To Apply
To apply, click "Apply for Job" to start the application process. That will prompt you to access your existing account or create a new account. You will be asked to attach a resume and a cover letter as part of the application process. It is important that these materials clearly illustrate how your qualifications relate to the qualifications of this job. If you encounter issues submitting your online application (e.g. signing in or uploading a resume), please contact the Wisc.Jobs Help Desk at (608) 267-1012 or wiscjobs@wisconsin.gov (Monday - Friday, 7:45am - 4:30pm).