Director, Enterprise Systems & Digital Solutions (MUST have Higher Education Experience) - Onsite Rider University, NJ.

About the role

The Director, Enterprise Systems & Digital Solutions serves as a strategic leader responsible for advancing Rider University’s enterprise applications ecosystem, with a primary focus on the Ellucian Student ERP. This role goes beyond traditional system support to drive digital transformation, optimize cross-functional business processes, and deliver technology-enabled solutions that enhance student success, operational efficiency, and institutional effectiveness.

This is a high-impact role that blends technical expertise, strategic thinking, team management, and strong stakeholder engagement to modernize enterprise systems and enable a connected, data-informed, and increasingly intelligent digital campus. This is a hybrid role with opportunity for regular work from home. The interpersonal relationships critical to success in this role require some days on campus at Rider’s Lawrenceville, New Jersey location.

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end enterprise applications ecosystem, with primary accountability for Ellucian Student and related administrative systems.
• Define and execute a multi-year enterprise systems roadmap aligned to institutional priorities such as enrollment growth, student success, and operational excellence.
• Led the transition to Ellucian Student SaaS and cloud-based services, ensuring scalability, resilience, and long-term sustainability.
• Advance the institution’s use of emerging technologies, including AI and intelligent automation, to enhance decision-making, streamline operations, and improve the student and staff experience.
• Shift the organization from system support to solution delivery, driving innovation and measurable campus impact.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to academic and administrative leadership, translating institutional goals into technology-enabled solutions.
• Build strong partnerships with key functional areas including Admissions, Registrar, Finance, Bursar, Student Success, Advancement, Athletics, and Human Resources.
• Lead governance structures that ensure clear prioritization, stakeholder alignment, and transparency in decision-making.
• Facilitate cross-functional collaboration to improve processes and maximize system value.
• Oversee continuous improvement of Ellucian Student and related enterprise systems, enhancing usability, performance, and user experience.
• Lead enterprise integration strategy, enabling seamless data flow across systems and supporting a connected digital ecosystem.
• Identify and implement automation and AI-enabled solutions to reduce manual processes, improve efficiency, and enable more proactive, data-informed operations.
• Partner with data and functional teams to enable AI-driven insights, predictive analytics, and intelligent workflows across enterprise systems.
• Leverage data and analytics to drive informed decision-making and service improvements.
• Develop and implement an enterprise SaaS and application governance model, including lifecycle management, cost optimization, and vendor alignment.
• Rationalize the application portfolio to eliminate redundancy and maximize institutional value.
• Ensure systems meet security, privacy, and regulatory compliance requirements while maintaining high availability and performance.
• Partner with data and functional teams to enable AI-driven insights, predictive analytics, and intelligent workflows across enterprise systems.
• Leverage data and analytics to drive informed decision-making and service improvements.
• Lead major system implementations, upgrades, and Ellucian Student SaaS migration initiatives.
• Drive organizational change management efforts to support adoption of new systems, processes, and ways of working.
• Establish training, documentation, and support strategies that empower end users and improve system utilization.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement across people, process, and technology.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with key vendors, including Ellucian.
• Influence product direction and service delivery to align with institutional needs.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and industry trends to continuously evolve the enterprise systems landscape.
• Identify and pilot emerging capabilities, including AI, automation, and digital workflow tools, to continuously improve institutional effectiveness.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate innovation opportunities into scalable, value-driven solutions.
• Promote a culture of experimentation and continuous learning within the enterprise systems function.

Requirements

• Strong experience in enterprise applications, ERP systems (Ellucian Student preferred), and higher education environments.
• Demonstrated experience managing teams and projects with team members and project staff on-prem, fully remote, and off-shore.
• Clear experience leading digital transformation initiatives and driving organizational change.
• Understanding of enterprise system integration, SaaS platforms, and cloud-based architectures.
• Experience partnering with functional leaders to deliver technology solutions aligned to business outcomes.
• Experience establishing governance frameworks, prioritization models, and cross-functional collaboration structures.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate data into actionable insights.
• Familiarity with emerging technologies such as AI, automation, and advanced analytics, and their application within enterprise systems environments.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with a focus on building trust and alignment.