LOCATION: Northeast Regional Information Center – 900 Watervliet-Shaker Road
BASIC FUNCTION:
This senior management administrative position at Capital Region BOCES reports directly to the Deputy District Superintendent & Chief Operating Officer. The Chief Technology Officer’s primary responsibilities include the management of instructional technology, with a focus of integrating technology into the curricula of all schools grades K-12. This includes the development, installation and integration of programs and policies for student learning, student attendance, student records as well as all other information systems development and support. The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) provides oversight and leadership of the Northeastern Regional Information Center (NERIC) and all related services. Responsibilities include management of NERIC CoSers, budgets, staffing and service delivery. The CTO leads long-term strategic planning and day-to-day operations of the division.
The CTO collaborates with 136 districts within the NERIC region, as well as statewide colleagues, to establish consistent technology standards and strengthen network security. The goal is to enhance digital integration, maximize investments, and mitigate cyber security risks. The CTO directly supervises NERIC Deputy Directors and serves on the senior leadership team, supporting organization-wide growth and implementation of Enterprise Goals. Works closely with the Assistant Superintendent for NERIC to synchronize external regional initiatives with internal strategic goals, ensuring divisional priorities and long-term objectives are completely aligned.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Overall leadership of the NERIC division to ensure effective delivery of services to school districts to support instructional programs across the region.
- Manages the development, pricing, and structural integrity of technology Cooperative Service Agreements (Co-Sers). Coordinates with New York State Education Department (NYSED) to secure approval for aidable regional technology services.
- Works with administrative and instructional leaders to identify and promote the use of current and emerging technologies to support excellence in student learning and to improve services for all stakeholders.
- Facilitates regional advisory committees of district technology leaders to align RIC service offerings with evolving needs of the component schools.
- Oversees project management and NERIC deliverables.
- Exercises independent judgment in strategic and tactical planning, development, evaluation, coordination, and maintenance of information and technology systems and related infrastructure throughout the BOCES.
- Identifies opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce costs, manage risk and maximize return on investment.
- Collaborates with administrative and instructional leaders to promote the use of current and emerging technologies that support student learning and improve services for all stakeholders.
- Oversees careful management of vendors and vendor contracts, reviewing technical specifications, ensuring service Level Agreements (SLAs), uptime guarantees, and hardware warranties protect BOCES’ financial investments as well as establishing terms and conditions to meet district needs.
- Establishes technical support workflows and sets strict Service Level Descriptions (SLDs) for internal staff and component districts utilizing BOCES infrastructure.
- Recruits, mentors, and evaluates staff and works with Deputy Directors to supervise specialized personnel (e.g. Network Engineers, Database Administrators, Systems Analysts, Cybersecurity Specialists, Training Specialists).
- Works in collaboration with Assistant Superintendent of NERIC and statewide RIC Directors on the rollout of major state initiatives.
- Defines and identifies resource requirements and provides solutions related to information and technology systems, including risk-management programs.
- Communicate effectively with board members, administrators, teachers, students, parents, community members, and business partners.
- Ensures compliance with all federal and state regulations related to data security, privacy, and operational requirements.
- Oversees development and maintenance of instructional technology systems, business analytics and information management systems, data collection and management, and reporting processes, including policy development and implementation in these areas.
- Performs other duties, and responsibilities as assigned by the District Superintendent and Deputy District Superintendent and Chief Operating Officer as a direct report to them and ultimately to the Board.
- Oversight includes, but is not limited to, leadership of services responsible for:
- Data security and privacy.
- Cybersecurity frameworks (e.g., NIST) threat monitoring, endpoint security, vulnerability scanning, and serving as incident commander in the event of a network breach.
- Design, maintenance, and scaling of physical networks, fiber-optic rings, data centers, cloud environments, and server architectures supporting the region.
- Data backup strategies, failover protocols, and disaster recovery planning to ensure continuity of critical operations.
- Building technologies and physical security systems (e.g., surveillance, access control locks).
- Instructional and e-Learning services such as technology integration.
- Level 1 Data Warehouse operations, ensuring secure collection, cleaning, and transmission of student information (SIRS) to the state's Level 2 database for accountability metrics.
- Procurement, deployment, inventory management, and end-of-life disposal of physical devices