Information Services Director
Location: City of Cedar Park, TX Download: City of Cedar Park - IS Director - brochure
The City of Cedar Park
The City of Cedar Park is a vibrant suburb of over 83,000 residents, located 17 miles northwest of downtown Austin and is recognized for its fast growth in the dynamic Central Texas region. Cedar Park is the third largest city in the Austin metropolitan area, ideally situated for corporate headquarters and has a growing number of high tech and major manufacturing employers. With deep roots as a small community and ability to retain a hometown feel, it is known for its outstanding schools, pro-business climate and relaxed family environment. Named one of the Best Suburbs for Growing Families and Best Small City in America in 2020, Cedar Park offers all the benefits of life in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, with desirable neighborhoods, an entrepreneurial business environment, and an effective, well-managed city government.
Government
The City of Cedar Park operates under the council-manager form of government, per the city charter. The council-manager form is a system of local government that combines the political leadership of elected officials in the form of a council or other governing body with the managerial experience of an appointed local government manager. The Cedar Park City Council consists of a Mayor and six at-large Council positions. All of these elected positions are volunteer. The City Manager is appointed by the City Council and serves as the Chief Administrative Officer for the City. The current City Manager has been with the City since 1996 and was appointed City Manager in 2006. In addition, the Deputy City Manager and two Assistant City Managers have twenty-five years of experience with the City, providing stable leadership within the City Management team. Working with the Mayor and City Council, the City Manager oversees a robust, full-service city operation known for being innovative, forward-thinking, and implementing best practices in local government. In 2022, the City received the highest possible credit rating of AAA from S&P Global and joins a small list of Texas cities to accomplish this feat.
The IS Department
The Information Services Department has a wide variety of functions that serve both internal and external customers. The Department has staffing of 20 full-time equivalents, an annual budget of $3.8 million, and supports a workforce of approximately 550 employees.
This Department delivers technology resources to employees, including systems that support development review, finance, payroll, customer service, human resources, performance management, public safety, emergency response and management, and fleet administration, to name a few. Other Citywide support includes providing system support through a service desk, assisting with needs analysis and purchasing of new software systems, upgrading existing systems, training users and protecting the City’s wealth of data. Ultimately, the Department leads innovation efforts and collaborates with City partners to innovate how we provide City services and how we better engage the community through technology.
The Position
The City of Cedar Park is seeking an experienced, innovative leader who can think strategically and thrive in a collaborative, problem-solving environment. The Information Services Director will have a great deal of responsibility, so the applicant needs to have a broad range of skills including, but not limited to, technical knowledge and background, leadership and communication skills, and understanding of modern business practices. The Director will be passionate about technology and excited about its various applications. As part of the City’s Leadership Team, this position articulates expectations, develops strategy, and analyzes and evaluates results to drive process improvements using technology. The Director will lead and inspire a team of dedicated technology professionals.
From identifying innovative solutions to addressing the need for a Citywide technology framework and infrastructure, this position will improve the way the City and our staff utilize technology. Ultimately, this position will improve how we engage and interact with the public to deliver City services more efficiently and effectively.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
• Provides leadership and direction in the development of short and long range information services plans and needs, aligned with the City Council’s Strategic Plan;
• Plans, organizes and oversees implementation and maintenance of computer hardware, computer software and network infrastructure for all City departments and facilities;
• Chairs the Information Services Steering Committee and process to further short and long range plans;
• Collects, interprets, and prepares data for studies, reports and recommendations;
• Coordinates department activities with other departments and agencies where necessary;
• Supervises information services staff, including training and motivating staff; assigning work and establishing and monitoring employee performance objectives;
• Prepares and presents employee performance evaluations;
• Makes recommendations regarding hiring, terminating and disciplining employees;
• Oversees specification, selection, acquisition, implementation, optimization, maintenance, repair, retirement and disposition of all technology hardware and software throughout the City;
• Ensures that appropriate security is provided for City computer systems, and that proper and effective computer procedures are adhered to;
• Evaluates new and existing situations and makes recommendations to department heads concerning possible solutions for the areas of computer technology and automated systems;
• Coordinates and facilitates the effectiveness of ongoing technology projects and related vendor efforts to achieve the City’s technology goals;
• Arranges, coordinates, and provides training services to allow for a highly trained and informed City staff;
• Prepares and presents information technology issues and recommendations to the City Manager’s Office and City Council;
• Prepares and manages the Information Services budget;
• Participates in the Emergency Operations Center during an activation;
• Develops and tests the Information Services Continuity of Operations and Disaster Recovery plans;
• Ensures that all information technology equipment and software maintenance is performed in a competent and timely manner; and
• Performs such other related duties as may be assigned.
Opportunities and Challenges
The Director is expected to lead citywide efforts to continually improve processes, evaluate current systems, and make smart investments in technology. This is both an opportunity and a challenge for the right candidate. This position will be expected to thrive in a team environment, not only leading a team of dedicated IT professionals, but also inspiring and relying on others to help accomplish the necessary projects and tasks. The Director will need to communicate and coordinate with others outside the department and ensure that the City’s strategic efforts related to information technology and aligned with the City’s Council’s strategic plan and complement or enhance departmental business processes for the City’s important and diverse functions.
The Director will play a key role in evaluating our current enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and options to modernize our software and business practices. The Director will lead an interdepartmental team tasked with developing options to improve our current ERP system, or select a new ERP system, and a roadmap to implement improvements with minimal disruption that ultimately improves the City’s business processes. The Director will also play a key role in improving our connectivity between City facilities and key infrastructure (e.g. traffic signals, utility infrastructure) to ensure important communication and technology linkages are resilient and redundant.
Education and Experience
Qualified candidates will have a Bachelor's Degree in Management Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field, plus eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience in information technology (networking personal computers, project planning and management, LAN network administration, database administration), to include (4) four years within a management capacity; including hardware and software project management, information systems design and management, and hardware and software technical support; or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
A valid Texas Driver’s License with an acceptable driving record is required.
This position requires exceptional leadership, management, oral/written communication, and interpersonal skills; a demonstrated history of administering comprehensive information technology plans; and a proven record of building strong relationships with business units, vendors, and key stakeholders.
Ideal Candidate
The City is seeking an Information Services Director who will build on the Department’s successes and continue to take the City’s efforts to the next level and fulfill the City Council’s and City Manager’s Office goals. The individual will be outgoing, personable, and have excellent communication skills. The ideal candidate should be a strategic thinker who is not limited to past practices and widely accepted ideas; creativity will be essential.
The ideal candidate will work well across department lines and with both internal customers and external customers, vendors, and partners. This person will need to be able to inspire and motivate others without necessarily being their direct supervisor. Someone who functions well in the team environment is vital to this position’s success. The ideal candidate will meet the minimum qualifications above and have experience in an IT leadership role as an Information Technology Director, Assistant Director, or similar role. The ideal candidate needs to have professional experience in project management and a demonstrated track record of successfully implementing innovation in a business or public organization. Experience in leading process improvement initiatives as well as Smart City initiatives is especially valued.
Compensation and Benefits
The City of Cedar Park is offering a competitive salary commensurate with experience and a comprehensive benefits package, which includes participation in the Texas Municipal Retirement System. Relocation assistance will be available for the successful out of area candidate.
How to Apply
Interested applicants should forward a cover letter and resume to:
resumes@affionpublic.com
Reference: CPISD
Affion Public
PO Box 794
Hershey, PA 17033
888.321.4922
www.affionpublic.com
*The deadline to receive resumes is June 09, 2023*
The City of Cedar Park is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.
Posted: 05/12/2023