Director of Information Technology

About the Opportunity

The City of San José is seeking an experienced and entrepreneurial-minded self-starter who can thrive in a collaborative, problem solving environment while working with limited direction and guidance to serve as its Director of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer.

Under administrative direction, the Director of IT directs, plans, designs, implements and utilizes the City’s information infrastructure including computer networks, telecommunication services and radio systems. The Director of IT promotes multi-jurisdictional cooperative efforts, including developing public/private joint ventures to improve City services and public access to those services. Because the IT Department is in the midst of introducing several new systems, the IT Director must be both experienced with functional system implementation and enthusiastic about seeking new technology solutions to help the City reach its goals.

About the City

The City of San José plays a vital economic and cultural role as the center of Silicon Valley. An incredibly diverse community of one million people who have family and business ties around the world call San José home. The City also fosters innovation with its tech-friendly policies and public-private partnerships. As a result, over 150 technology companies are located in the downtown area with many more, including major players like Cisco, Adobe and eBay, spread across the City. Located at the southern end of beautiful San Francisco Bay and nestled between the Diablo and Santa Cruz mountain ranges, San José is within easy reach of California’s beaches like Santa Cruz and Carmel and enjoys an abundance of good weather.

The City of San José is a full service Charter City and operates under a Council-Manager form of government. Mayor Sam Liccardo assumed office on January 1, 2015, with a platform of restoring public safety, spending smarter, expanding economic opportunity for all of San José’s residents, and investing in the future. His philosophy is “it’s your city, and it should work for you.” Under his guidance, the City has developed a Smart City Vision with five key areas of focus for bettering the City of San José:

1. A Safer City: Leverage technology to make San José the safest big city in America.

2. An Inclusive City: Ensure all residents, businesses, and organizations can participate in and benefit from the prosperity and culture of innovation in Silicon Valley.

3. A User-Friendly City: Create digital platforms to improve transparency, empower residents to actively engage in the governance of their city, and make City Hall more responsive to the complex and growing demands of our community.

4. A Sustainable City: Utilize technology to address energy, water, and climate challenges to enable sustainable growth.

5. A Demonstration City: Reimagine the City as a laboratory and platform for the most impactful, transformative technologies that will show how we live and work in the future.

About the Department

The employees of the City of San José have embraced the following values: Integrity, Innovation, Excellence, Collaboration, Respect and Celebration. The City’s Information Technology Department is seeking an individual whose values align with the City’s core values.

The mission of the Information Technology Department is to enable the service delivery of its customers through the integration of city-wide technology resources.

The organizational structure consists four main service areas:

• Enterprise Technology Systems and Solutions
• Information Technology Infrastructure
• Customer Contact Center
• Strategic Support

The IT Department has an adopted 2015-2016 budget of $20,983,179 and its personnel demonstrate a strong commitment to teamwork, fiscal responsibility and building lasting partnerships. There are currently 87.5 staff members.

About the responsibilities

Key responsibilities of the Director of IT include the following:

Plans, coordinates and administers comprehensive, citywide activities of the Information Technology Department.

Develops and implements a city-wide strategic plan for information and communication technology that serves as a framework for policies and investments in infrastructure and technology.

Recommends long-range and short-range management information systems plans and budgets to City Manager based on familiarity with rapid changes in the information technology environment.

Determines and recommends action plans for City acquisition of computer systems, voice communication systems, radio systems and related technology.

Manages implementation, support and maintenance of city computers, telecommunication and radio systems.

Directs the development and implementation of policies, regulations, and programs that support the coordination and growth of progressive, efficient and cost-effective information and telecommunication services.

Directs research studies in computer-based techniques and software development for advanced information and voice/video communication systems including applicable vendor applications, document management, optical storage, database management, and operational control packages.

Develops and maintains cooperative relationships with government officials and agencies, civic organizations, and private industry.

Attracts, motivates and develops a strong staff. Analyzes the skills of employees and deploys them in a manner which best utilizes their strengths.

Advocates change and educates City management and employees on the needs for up-to-date information technology, staff and equipment to accomplish the missions and purposes of the City.