Director For Digital Innovation

The Director for Digital Innovation will lead new digital initiatives, particularly around enriching the learning environment and student experience. Reporting to the CIO, this tech-savvy leader has a keen understanding of effective teaching and learning practices to collaborate with faculty, staff, and students and help drive digital fluency and academic innovation to support and prepare students for their personal and professional futures. As a change leader, the Director for Digital Innovation leads cross-functional teams, engages stakeholders from across the university, guides the implementation of initiatives, communicates goals and progress, supports learning efforts, and assesses initiative value to end users.

This is a project-based position and an on-campus role - this is not a remote position. The initial hiring appointment is from hire until no later than May 31, 2028 when the position will then be evaluated for an extension.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage new digital initiatives, including but not limited to:

• Digitally Connected Campus initiative designed to improve digital equity for Bradley University students and advance student success; enrich Bradley's learning environment and create an ecosystem supportive of academic innovation; and improve the university's infrastructure and operations.

• Be Connected online environment, intended to create a holistic, unified student and employee experience to support success, connection, and confidence: A one-stop shop for Bradley digital tools, resources, and messaging as well as an environment to support the digital ecosystem of Bradley for community-building and engaging with others around common goals and interests.

• Lead cross-functional teams for planning, ideation, stakeholder engagement, improving operations, developing policies and processes.

• Encourage adoption, innovative approaches and use cases, particularly surrounding the educational and co-curricular experiences of our students.

• Partner with faculty and staff within the Division of Academic Affairs to support the development of digitally enhanced resources for select efforts.

• Partner across the university to lead efforts to identify, prioritize, and pursue other opportunities for digital innovation.

• Assess program effectiveness and track KPIs.

• Communicate program goals and progress with stakeholders.

• Guide the optimization of relevant operational processes.

• Work with vendors and internal IT staff to ensure program effectiveness and smooth operations.

• Help develop and track budget.

• Work closely with colleagues in academic affairs; student success; marketing and communications; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and other areas of the university community.

Required Qualifications

• Five years of increasing leadership experience.

• Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills.

• Demonstrated success engaging and collaborating with a wide variety of stakeholders.

• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams.

• Proven experience leading change efforts to successful completion.

• Effective in managing operational aspects of programs or initiatives.

• Demonstrated ability to assess program outcomes and user satisfaction.

• Strong academic technology background (e.g., using technology to help achieve teaching and learning objectives).

• Proven success in teaching or training others, with knowledge of effective teaching practices.

• Experience working in higher education.

• Master's degree; or bachelor's and seven years of experience with increasing responsibilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Teaching experience, particularly at the college level.

• Doctoral degree.

• Experience managing projects.

The above description is intended to be suggestive of the scope of the position, rather than an exhaustive list.

Qualified applicants should submit a cover letter addressing qualifications for the position, resume, and contact information for three professional references. Please submit all materials at the time of initial application.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. This is an on-campus position and is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Employment with Bradley University is contingent upon satisfactory completion of a criminal background check.

Applications will begin being reviewed immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Application materials will not be accepted through third party web sites.

Bradley University is a top-ranked, prestigious, private university in Peoria, Illinois, offering 5,400 undergraduate and graduate students the opportunities, choices and resources of a larger university and the personal attention and exceptional learning experience of a smaller university. Bradley offers a comprehensive array of undergraduate and graduate academic programs in business, communications, education, engineering, fine arts, health sciences, liberal arts and sciences, and technology. The University is located on an 85-acre campus in Peoria, the largest metropolitan area in Central Illinois.

Bradley University is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. The administration, faculty and staff are committed to attracting qualified candidates from underrepresented groups.