Who: Lake Washington Girls Middle School
Position: Director of Technology
Where: Seattle
What: Ensuring the smooth and productive use of all things that plug in, use batteries, beep or depend on a digital network, the Director of Technology manages all aspects of the school’s IT infrastructure providing strategic direction and oversight for the development, implementation, integration and user support of all information technology systems, including hardware, software, video, data and voice.
Managing technology resources and operations, the Director of Technology serves as primary IT support for the School responsible for creating, implementing and monitoring computer hardware and software plans as well as supporting staff and students with use of technology. This is a .91% FTE professional administrative position.
LWGMS has 126 of users and an inventory of 130 machines including Chromebooks, iPads, iMacs, notebooks, and laptops. We are a mixed environment utilizing Mac, Chrome, and Microsoft and we mainly use Android and Mac Apps for Education. In addition to a school-wide telephone and bell system, the classrooms are equipped with Apple TVs and other various AV equipment.
Responsibilities:
Establish and maintain a help-desk for all employees to easily access and request support;
Provide help-desk support to all users in a timely manner;
Develop and maintain a ‘reference desk’ of written operating instructions, accessible by users for frequent support requests;
Assess user needs, research, and purchase all technology assets for the organization;
Maintain and troubleshoot devices and systems, hardware, and software/applications; repair or arrange for repair of equipment
Maintain and expand the email systems and file servers as needed to meet the needs of the organization;
Maintain, evaluate and upgrade the telecommunications system, as needed;
Collaborate with the academic technology team to plan and procure hardware, software, and training resources for teachers and students;
Set up and maintain user accounts, permissions and passwords
Planning, Budgeting and Asset Management:
Develop/revise a strategic technology plan and play a leadership role in implementing it;
Assist with budget decisions related to technology to support the provision of a well-chosen and up-to-date collection of technology materials and equipment;
Provide sound strategic and technical recommendations on the most effective ways to upgrade/replace technology resources;
Develop policies and processes, using industry ‘best practices’, to ensure the protection of IT assets and the integrity, security, and privacy of information entrusted to the organization;
Draft, maintain, and update a written manual of all relevant policies and procedures related to the IT infrastructure of the school;
Negotiate and manage agreements between the School and application vendors, hosted service providers, and other technology providers;
Implement organization-wide information system recovery plan to ensure timely and effective restoration of IT services in the event of a disaster;
Develop and maintain an inventory management system to maintain an accurate inventory of technology assets at the device level; ensure resources are easily accessible to all users
Oversee set-up and breakdown of all technology needs for school events, such as projectors and sound equipment
Oversee student help-desk team
Participate in technology-related professional development opportunities including accreditation teams, workshops, and conferences on school, state, and national levels, as approved by the Head of School. Report and share learning from those activities regularly.
Collaborate with and support Communications Director to ensure the website is functional for all users; interface with website developer to remedy any technical concerns; assist teachers and other internal users with content posting/updating; provide backup support to Marketing Director for parent and prospective parent usage of the website.
Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field desired; equivalent work experience may be substituted for degree.
Minimum of three years’ experience in computer support, network management or related field;
Other required knowledge, skills, and abilitiesVery strong customer service orientation
Ability to communicate technology issues with people of varying levels of knowledge;
Understanding of educational technology concepts and broad knowledge of products;
Proven ability to prepare and monitor operating and capital budgets;
Ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks;
Self-disciplined to stay on task, even without external motivation;
Ability to create and maintain organizational systems;
Ability to react calmly and appropriately in emergency or crisis situations;
Clear verbal and written communication;
High proficiency with Google Dashboard and Google Apps and Apple products required; additional proficiency with Meraki Dashboard required
Compensation and Benefits