| Posting Number: | 20260137S |
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| Position Title: | Assistant Vice President, Digital Strategy & IT Governance |
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| Position Type: | Staff |
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| Location: | Villanova, PA |
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| Recruitment Type: | Internal/External Applicants |
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| Work Schedule: | full-time/12-months |
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| Avg Hours Week | |
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| Department: | 711-UTS - Senior Management Team |
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| Position Summary: | Why work at Villanova?
- Join a mission-driven organization. Since Villanova University’s founding in 1842, we have been inspired by the values of truth, unity, and love, and are a community dedicated to service to others.
- Villanova has been included among the nation’s best colleges and universities. VU’s inclusion again in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 “Best Colleges” rankings is another indication of the University’s continued prominence and forward momentum.
- Villanova’s most precious asset is our people. As an employee, you will receive a holistic benefits package, generous paid time off, a competitive retirement savings plan, flexible work options, wellness programs including gym membership, professional development, tuition assistance, and more.
Reporting to the Vice President for Information Technologies and Chief Information Officer, the Assistant Vice President (AVP) for Digital Strategy & IT Governance provides strategic and operational leadership for enterprise digital strategy execution, IT governance, enterprise architecture coordination, portfolio and program management, and institutional technology alignment.
This role serves as an enterprise integrator, ensuring that strategic initiatives, governance processes, and operational priorities are aligned, coordinated, and executed effectively across University Technology Services (UTS) and the broader University.
The AVP is responsible for designing and operationalizing enterprise IT governance frameworks, overseeing the Project Management Office (PMO) and institutional technology portfolio, and ensuring disciplined execution of strategic technology investments. The position strengthens collaboration across infrastructure, enterprise applications, data & analytics, cybersecurity, and academic technology teams to reduce silos and drive measurable institutional value.
Villanova is a Catholic university sponsored by the Augustinian Order. The University is an equal opportunity employer and seeks candidates who understand, respect, and can contribute to the University’s mission and values.
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| Duties and Responsibilities: | Strategic Planning - Partner with the CIO to define, implement, and monitor the University IT strategic plan.
- Design and evolve enterprise IT governance structures, standards, and decision-making frameworks.
- Align enterprise architecture and technology roadmaps with institutional priorities and long-term business capabilities.
- Guide strategic evaluation and prioritization of major enterprise systems, platforms, and digital investments.
- Assess emerging technologies (e.g., cloud, AI, data platforms) to inform long-range institutional planning.
- Support enterprise transformation initiatives, including ERP modernization and data strategy advancement.
Operational Excellence
- Oversee the Project Management Office (PMO) and enterprise portfolio management practices.
- Execute enterprise IT governance processes, including initiative intake, evaluation, sequencing, decision gates, and resource allocation cycles.
- Lead recurring portfolio review processes and ensure disciplined project lifecycle management.
- Establish and monitor enterprise performance metrics aligned to strategic plan execution and operational effectiveness.
- Provide executive oversight of program and project controls, including scope management, risk mitigation, financial stewardship, and cross-functional dependency coordination.
- Ensure compliance with institutional IT policies, standards, and regulatory requirements in collaboration with Information Security and other stakeholders.
- Provide transparent reporting and executive visibility into portfolio health, risks, and value realization.
- Oversee institutional technology acquisition workflows in collaboration with Procurement and Legal to ensure governance alignment and fiscal responsibility.
- Provide leadership in budgeting, capital planning, and responsible stewardship of enterprise initiative investments.
- Partner with IT leadership to strengthen operational maturity, service design, and continuous improvement practices.
Organizational Leadership
- Serve as a member of the IT senior leadership team, contributing to divisional planning and policy development.
- Partner with peer AVPs and senior leaders across University Technology Services to ensure coordinated execution of enterprise technology initiatives.
- Represent University Technology Services on institutional governance councils, executive committees, and cross-functional task forces.
- Lead and develop high-performing teams through hiring, mentoring, performance management, and succession planning.
- Foster strong cross-functional relationships across academic and administrative units to ensure alignment and effective collaboration.
- Promote transparent communication, shared accountability, and a culture of disciplined execution.
- Oversee digital strategy communications and institutional training initiatives to support stakeholder awareness and engagement.
- Cultivate strategic partnerships with peer institutions, industry partners, and technology vendors.
- Facilitate knowledge-sharing across IT teams to reduce silos and enhance enterprise coordination.
- Advance Villanova’s Augustinian values and UTS RESTLESS vision and values within governance and operational practices.
Additional Responsibilities
- Participate in professional associations, conferences, and industry forums as appropriate to support ongoing professional development and institutional visibility.
- Perform other related duties and lead projects as assigned by the VP/CIO in support of divisional and institutional priorities.
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| Minimum Qualifications: | Formal Education - A bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field.
Work Experience - Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in the information technology field.
- At least 7 years of progressively responsible management experience within complex or decentralized organizations.
- Experience leading large-scale digital transformation initiatives (e.g., IT governance, PMO management, ERP, cloud modernization, AI and data strategy).
- Senior-level accountability for divisional budgets, capital planning, and financial stewardship within a complex organizational environment.
- Experience establishing and overseeing enterprise performance metrics aligned to strategic plan execution and institutional outcomes.
Work Skills - Exceptional senior-level communication skills (written and verbal), with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear strategic messaging for executive, board-level, and non-technical audiences.
- Demonstrated senior-level strategic thinking and enterprise decision-making capability.
- Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing teams while fostering accountability, agility, and operational discipline.
- Demonstrated ability to manage organizational change, influence stakeholders, build consensus, and drive cross-functional collaboration.
- Ability to analyze complex institutional challenges, leverage data to inform enterprise decision-making, and implement actionable solutions.
- Senior-level oversight and application of IT service management, project management, and continuous improvement methodologies.
- Ability to evaluate and responsibly apply artificial intelligence technologies within enterprise workflows.
Specific Job Knowledge
- Deep understanding of enterprise IT governance, enterprise architecture, strategic planning, and portfolio management principles.
- Knowledge of current and emerging trends in information technology, including cloud computing, data analytics, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation practices.
- Knowledge of institutional technology acquisition and procurement governance processes, including vendor management, contract review, proposal evaluation, negotiation strategies, and regulatory compliance requirements.
- Knowledge of financial planning principles, capital allocation models, and enterprise portfolio investment prioritization.
- Knowledge of IT service management frameworks (e.g., ITIL or comparable methodologies) in complex enterprise environments.
Other
- Commitment to Villanova University’s mission and values, including fostering an inclusive and service-oriented culture.
- Willingness to work outside standard business hours to support critical maintenance or system events as needed.
- AI Fluency: Demonstrated understanding of artificial intelligence (including generative AI) and its practical application in business operations. Ability to identify AI-enabled opportunities, evaluate risks, and incorporate AI tools into workflows responsibly and effectively.
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| Preferred Qualifications: | Formal Education - Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field.
Work Experience
- Experience with higher education administrative, academic, and research technology environments
- Experience with business process transformation and service design in a university or public sector context.
Specific Job Knowledge
- Knowledge of high-performance computing or research computing environments.
Other
- Active engagement with professional communities such as Internet2, EDUCAUSE, or the Campus Research Computing Consortium.
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| Physical Requirements and/or Unusual Work Hours: | |
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| Special Message to Applicants: | |
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| Posting Date: | 04/10/2026 |
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| Closing Date (11:59pm ET): | |
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| Salary Posting Information: | This position falls within salaried grade 21 and the range is $180,000-199,600. The final salary will be determined with consideration of several factors including the selected candidate’s qualifications, department budget availability, market data, and internal equity. |
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| Salary Grade: | 21 |
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| Job Classification: | exempt |
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