Senior Academic Technology Specialist

Job Posting Title:

Senior Academic Technology Specialist

Hiring Department:

Academic Technology

Position Open To:

All Applicants

Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

FLSA Status:

Exempt

Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Jul 01, 2027

Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

Job Details:

General Notes

Must be eligible to work in the US on a full-time basis for any employer without sponsorship.

Purpose

The AI Academic Technology Specialist will lead a portfolio of work for the Office of Academic Technology (OAT) focused on advancing teaching and learning through generative AI applications on campus. The role will collaborate with key academic technology stakeholders to ensure UT Austin's generative AI applications, resources, and special initiatives align with campus-wide academic technology standards. Portfolio projects include leading the instructional design of UT Austin's new AI Tutor. This role will be instrumental in designing, creating, deploying, and enhancing generative AI applications and digital tools to facilitate customized, interactive learning experiences that support the responsible use of AI in higher education.

Responsibilities

• Instructional/Application Design and Development: Lead the development and design of strategic generative AI initiatives to scale the adoption of effective academic technologies and amplify the teaching and learning mission of the University. Develop and refine business requirements in collaboration with multiple stakeholders. Design and implement user testing protocols to gather feedback and drive continuous improvement. Ensure adherence to the Learning Technology Adoption Process (LTAP) and other academic technology guidelines.

• Project Management and Collaboration: Serve as the project lead for strategic academic technology initiatives related to advancing the effective use of generative AI for education, interfacing with business and technical sponsors, engineers, UI/UX designers, third-party vendors, users, and other Texas higher education institutions. Facilitate partnerships among all campus stakeholders to develop standards, guidance, policies, and research on the design and use of generative AI for teaching and learning.

• Faculty Training and Support: Develop resources and training materials to help stakeholders adopt and deploy generative AI tools, including UT Austin's AI Tutor and other applications/initiatives. Lead workshops and training sessions for faculty, instructional staff, and other stakeholders. Provide ongoing support to faculty/stakeholders in building and deploying generative AI-based academic technologies.

• Research and Innovation: Stay current with advancements in generative AI, education, instructional design, and other related topics. Explore and develop new AI applications and resources for academic use. Contribute to research on the impact and effectiveness of AI-driven instructional tools.

• Assessment and Evaluation: Develop a model for evaluating project and initiative outcomes. Analyze data, prepare and deliver report findings to stakeholders, and make recommendations for improvements.

• People and Initiatives Lead: Supervise OAT student employees. Lead other strategic academic technology initiatives as assigned.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in education, curriculum design, instructional design, instructional technology, computer science, or related field. 2+ years of experience with AI tools in education, custom GPTs, GPT tutors, or instructional design. Demonstrated understanding of Learning Management Systems (LMS) and experience integrating educational technology tools into academic settings. Established ability to work and communicate with various unit stakeholders and contributors. Exceptional written and verbal communication. Excellent planning and organization skills. Strong attention to detail. Demonstrated ability to learn from mistakes, be responsive to leadership, troubleshooting, problem-solving, risk mitigation, and timely decision-making. Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment with competing deadlines. High tolerance for ambiguity. Ability to work independently and as a strong contributor to a team.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

Master's degree in education, curriculum design, instructional design, instructional technology, computer science, or related field. Experience deploying custom GPTs/GPT tutors in higher education. More than the required years of experience with AI tools and instructional design. Experience working in a university academic setting.

Salary Range

$80,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• Work performed in a standard office environment.

• Repetitive use of keyboard at a workstation.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV

• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information.

Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university's company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English) [PDF]
• E-Verify Poster (Spanish) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.