Information Technology Partner

Introduction

The Maryland State Department of Education is dedicated to supporting a world-class educational system that prepares all students for college and career success in the 21st century. With excellent stewardship from our divisions, we oversee State and federal programs that support the needs of a diverse population – students, teachers, principals, and other educators throughout Maryland.

This is a Management Service position, and serves at the pleasure of the Appointing Authority.

This position is limited to current Maryland State Department of Education employees only

Main Purpose of Job

The IT Assistant Director II serves as a critical liaison between the Office of Information Technology (OIT) and designated divisions/offices ensuring the alignment of technological solutions with business objectives to advance the agency’s mission. This role demands competence in integrating technology with program operations, optimizing business processes, and adhering to compliance standards, including state IT security, accessibility, infrastructure, and project management. The IT Assistant Director II fosters collaborative partnerships with division/office leads, overseeing technology initiatives from concept to execution while bridging communication gaps between technical teams, programs and business units. By ensuring solutions are impactful, adaptable, and value-driven, this position plays a key role in promoting innovation, enhancing operational efficiency, and supporting the agency's strategic goals through technical expertise, strategic vision, and effective leadership.

Duties include:

• Serve as primary IT liaison and strategic advisor between OIT and assigned divisions, ensuring alignment with agency missions and state IT guidelines
• Coordinate and oversee daily IT operations for assigned divisions, managing service delivery and maintaining strong stakeholder relationships to ensure seamless business continuity.
• Participate in developing/modifying and executing OIT strategic plan and policies based on specific knowledge of divisional needs.
• Manage the overall relationship with the various business units, agency IT needs and work in partnership with key stakeholders to accomplish IT objectives.
• Monitor and respond to technical support requests through established ticketing systems
• Effectively monitor the day-to-day IT operations, ensuring high levels of service availability and users’ satisfaction for assigned divisions/offices.
• Collaborate with divisions/offices leads, and the Office of Budget, to ensure that funds are allocated for IT products/services prior to engaging the Office of Procurement and Contract Management.
• Establish and nurture strong professional relationships with business units, internal teams, and external stakeholders to drive IT project success.
• Collaborate closely with the Project Management Office (PMO) and assigned divisions to ensure that all IT needs are addressed throughout the entire project lifecycle, from conception to completion.
• Work closely with the Infrastructure and Cybersecurity Branches to ensure that the integrity, security, and performance of IT systems and infrastructure are incompliance with state and federal regulations.
• Research and evaluate emerging technologies to suggest or recommend solutions to enhance operational capabilities and efficiency.
• Work closely with the Infrastructure and Cybersecurity Branch in the procurement of IT equipment for OIT and assigned division/offices.
• Collaborate with the Accessibility Branch to identify and mitigate risks in IT procurements, ensuring compliance with state and federal policies.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Experience: Five years of experience working in an information technology environment (IT) to include direct involvement in the management of IT technical staff and IT projects.

DESIRED OR PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Preference will be given to applicants who possess the following preferred qualification(s). Please include clear and specific information on your application regarding your qualifications.

• Knowledge of the principles and practices of information technology systems management.
• Knowledge of information technology services, trends, technical requirements, and staged implementation.
• Knowledge of a wide range of software, applications, and methods for evaluating and satisfying user requirements.
• Skill in identifying user needs, mitigating user problems, and implementing creative resolution.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must consent to State and FBI (CJIS) background check as a routine procedure for all MSDE employees.

SELECTION PROCESS

Please make sure that you provide sufficient information on your application to show that you meet the qualifications for this recruitment. All information concerning your qualifications must be submitted by the closing date. We will not consider information submitted after this date. Successful candidates will be ranked as Best Qualified, Better Qualified, or Qualified and placed on the eligible (employment) list for at least one year.

For education obtained outside the U.S., a copy of the equivalent American education as determined by a foreign credential evaluation service must be provided prior to hire.