The chief of the Information Technology Services Division (ITSD) for the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) is part of the executive management team and plans, organizes, directs and manages all activities and commitments for CSAC’s IT programs. According to the job posting, this includes formulating, evaluating and implementing IT programs, policies and procedures in order to carry out the mission and goals of CSAC’s IT division.
“The IT division chief provides a high degree of expertise in developing and implementing major new programs and related policies for the state by providing technical guidance to legislative staff, commission members, Governor’s Office staff, advisory committees, higher education segments, and executive staff of the commission,” the posting says.
The CIO will direct and manage six IT programs: System Requirements and Testing, Application Services, Service Management and Support Services, Enterprise Services/Configuration Management, the Information Security Office, and the coordination of contracted staff.
The CIO has direct oversight of two IT managers over the Production and Operations Branch, who manage four IT supervisors. The CIO is responsible for all administrative obligations including the IT budget, procurement, accounting, contracts and personnel issues and decisions for the ITSD, and plans and develops administrative goals and objectives for staff and the commission.
Desirable qualifications for the position, according to the duty statement and exam bulletin, include:
- Strong leadership and management team experience demonstrating an ability to motivate and supervise a multidisciplinary professional staff, create a clear vision, set goals and expectations, encourage initiative at all levels, and use sound judgment in managing complex and varied programs.
- Experience working in collaboration with organizational leadership to facilitate IT decision-making and priority-setting.
- Working knowledge of the principles and practices of organization, fiscal and human resource management audits, information security, the legislative process, and the commission’s programs.
- Experience with long-range planning, budget and time management, and policy development and implementation in the IT industry.
- Experience in dealing with external contacts such as the Legislature, the Department of Finance, the California Department of Technology, commissioners, key stakeholder representatives, and representatives of the higher education segments.
The CSAC position has a monthly salary range of $7,781 to $18,310, and the recruitment will continue until the position is filled.
The commission’s previous CIO, Gurinder Bains, took a new role three months ago and is now the deputy CIO for the city of Oakland. As the IT leader for CSAC, Bains and his team notched a success by moving the commission from a legacy grant management system to a new system — for which he served as the systems integrator as a way of saving the state money and expediting the project.
