The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) seeks a proven leader in strategy, management and deployment of information technologies. The Director of Information Technology will join the senior leadership team of the GLC and bring to the position a proven record of collaborative leadership in e-business, data mining, data integration and visualization, systems monitoring, and web application development of IT solutions. The director will lead the development and implementation of a strategic vision for converting data into accessible information – actionable knowledge that better supports decisionmaking for the future of the Great Lakes including environmental management, economic development, and social and cultural value.
The director will guide the implementation of a strategic vision through approaches that include:
- Building and enhancing collaboration with key partners in government, business, non-governmental groups, funders and others
- Collaborating to build innovative tools, applications and visual displays of information on Great Lakes policy, science and economic activity through the compilation and integration of disparate data sources
- Building and marketing GLC products and services to businesses, governments, prospective funders or venture capitalists
- Developing cutting edge decision-support tools and information access systems
- Creating applications and decision support tools that convert data into information and knowledge that facilitate policy and management decisionmaking by effectively synthesizing and communicating complex, technical information to a variety of audiences
- Managing a motivated IT team comprising employees, contractors and service providers
- Communicating the value and benefits of the strategic vision and implementation program in partnership with the GLC communications team
This position is a full time, renewable 24-month appointment in Ann Arbor, Mich. The GLC offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits plan that includes medical, dental and optical insurance and an outstanding retirement investment package.
Opportunity
The GLC researches, collects, organizes and makes accessible data and information about the Great Lakes economy and environment that is relevant to its member states and provinces and to others in the Great Lakes region. Decisionmakers rely on data maintained by the Commission to support planning, resource management and other activities. We seek to expand that service to businesses, municipalities, policymakers and other stakeholders in the region.
The Director will be responsible for developing, refining, communicating and implementing a strategic vision for all data management and delivery activities to serve the GLC and the broader range of stakeholders and decisionmakers. This strategic vision will build upon the recent report, “Great Lakes Blue Accounting: Empowering Decisions to Realize Regional Water Values,” presented to the Great Lakes governors in April 2014. Refining and implementing this vision will be a collaborative process involving leaders and stakeholders from the private sector, government, academia, the nongovernmental community and others.
The Director will work with existing staff and others to re-create and maximize the potential of the Great Lakes Information Network (www.great-lakes.net). This will include working with the GLC’s Communications team plus a small staff (3-5) who are engaged in data development, management and delivery to implement a strategic vision for the program area. The director will also work collaboratively with all of the GLC’s program directors to support the information management needs of individual projects and programs led by other staff in support of the GLC’s biennial workplan.
As a member of the GLC’s senior management team, the director will also be expected to actively engage in program development: building and leading teams of staff and external partners to market products and services through proposals to solicit and secure financial support for one or more discrete projects and to support the strategic vision of the program area.
An important characteristic of the candidate will be an ability to engage the business community to develop and market information technologies and tools to support sound policy and management practices and decisions. This will include demonstrated success in leading teams with experience accessing available data sets and turning them into products that support actions and decisions.
Desired qualifications include:
- Collaborative project leadership and IT application development and implementation experience
- 10+ years of professional experience, including leadership positions in a private sector business environment
- Experience turning data and information into knowledge to support informed decisionmaking
- An understanding of complex systems and system integration
- Familiarity and experience using online technologies to support management, policy and action, through the use of GIS applications, online video streaming technologies, mobile applications and social networking, among others
- Demonstrated success in raising funds, marketing products, program development and grant writing/administration
- Hands-on web application development experience
- Program and project management expertise including experience
- Experience with definition and implementation of IT strategy, process design, IT application and data architecture within an organization
- Experience with effectively integrating data from many disparate sources and making it available to a diverse set of users
- Experience with contracting and managing external IT contractors
- Outstanding oral and written communication skills
- Experience leading cross functional teams/groups and in achieving results working across diverse organizations.
- Advanced degree in a relevant field
About the Great Lakes Commission
The Great Lakes Commission was established in 1955 with a mandate to “promote the orderly, integrated and comprehensive development, use and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes basin.” Founded in state law with U.S. federal consent, with membership consisting of the eight Great Lakes states and associate member status for the provinces of Ontario and Québec, the Commission pursues four primary functions: communication and education, information integration and reporting, facilitation and consensus building, and policy coordination and advocacy. Each Member jurisdiction is represented by a delegation consisting of three to five members who are appointees of the respective governor or premier, legislators or senior agency officials. A board of directors, consisting of the chair of each delegation, is the Commission’s executive body. In carrying out its initiatives, the Commission works in close cooperation with many partner organizations, including U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, binational institutions, tribal/First Nation governments and other regional interests. Representatives appointed by partner entities participate extensively in Commission activities through a formal Observer program. The Commission is supported by a professional staff in Ann Arbor, Mich. Learn more at www.glc.org.
