Wide Area Network Associate Director

Help transform Wisconsin and the world! Our researchers and global collaborators leverage our data networks to find and visualize black holes, uncover elusive subatomic particles and gravitational waves, save lives by improving weather and climate forecasting, identify invasive species in the U.S., enhance agriculture yields and livestock growth and SO much more.

JOB SUMMARY:

The University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) Division of Information Technology (DoIT) seeks an enthusiastic & talented WAN Associate Director for our Network Services team.

UW is a comprehensive teaching, public service and scholarly research institution. Our faculty has enabled us to remain consistently ranked in the top 8 research institutions (by expenditures) in the U.S. for over two decades. We are comprised of 13 schools and colleges, over 24000 faculty/staff, a student enrollment of nearly 50,000 with a $3.6B annual budget which includes over $1.3B in research expenditures.

DoIT is UW’s central IT organization. We provide computer technology services to UW and a more limited set of services to UW System, other units of State government and other institutions in the region. DoIT delivers desktop, server and cloud computing services and supports networks, telecommunications, Internet connectivity, administrative and academic systems, security, instructional technology and other information technology services.

Network Services is a department within DoIT that is responsible for the operations, administration, management and support of the campus and wide-area networks and certain network-based applications such as unified communications, cable TV and DNS/DHCP services. The department performs long-range planning, design, procurement, installation and maintenance of a broad range of network services. The department also provides certain cyberinfrastructure support to facilitate faculty research.

The Wide Area Network (WAN) group is responsible for the University of Wisconsin’s connectivity to the outside world, including Internet and advanced research network support, 3300 miles of metropolitan and regional network activities in 7 states (e.g. MUFN, BOREAS-Net, UW-System Network, Northern Tier Network – North/South Dakota) and network support for research collaborations with academic departments. The WAN group works closely with other groups within the Network Services Department, UW-System Administration and other UW campuses, other networking groups across the Big10 universities (Big10 Academic Alliance), Internet2 and the US Department of Energy’s Energy Science Network (ESNet).

This position reports to and works under the general supervision of the Network Services Director. It has two primary responsibilities: management and general supervision of the Wide Area Network Group and providing leadership and vision for campus advanced cyberinfrastructure development, primarily via network opportunities.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Develops and directs the implementation of strategic plans for enterprise information technology (IT) function(s), program(s), or service(s) to ensure resources are utilized to provide effective administrative, research, outreach, and/or instructional information technology services. May directly manage IT services.

• 30% Directs strategic information technology planning initiatives and establishes objectives for the institution to ensure appropriate use of financial, administrative, staffing resources in alignment with the strategic plan
• 5% Develops operating policies and procedures to comply with regulations, institutional policies, and unit objectives
• 20% Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees
• 5% May develop and audit institutional budgets and/or financials
• 5% Serves as a liaison representing the interests of the institution to internal and external stakeholders
• 5% Advises institutional or divisional leadership on information technology operations and business models
• 10% May perform manager functions
• 20% Manage team responsible for operations, administration, maintenance, provisioning and troubleshooting of fiber, optical network infrastructure (optronics) and switching and routing (electronics) for the SysNet, BOREAS-Net, NTN-ND and MUFN networks

INSTITUTIONAL STATEMENT ON DIVERSITY:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background – people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

QUALIFICATIONS

Required qualifications include:

• Demonstrated strong interpersonal and communication (written, oral, presentation) skills
• Ability to provide leadership, exercise influence, and build consensus and partnerships in a large, complex, and collaborative enterprise
• Demonstrated ability to build partnerships and collaborations with external entities (e.g. telecommunication carrier(s))
• Experience managing projects (e.g. enterprise-wide and department or team) and leading teams of varying sizes and scope
• Demonstrated commitment to improving equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace

Preferred qualifications include:

• Experience utilizing project management tools, strategies, and processes
• Experience procuring network hardware/software and negotiating contracts (e.g. telecommunication circuit or fiber agreements)
• Experience managing complex project or IT team budget(s)
• Progressive experience and responsibility in general or high-performance networking including advanced networking design and implementation
• Previous management experience supervising IT employees
• Knowledge of network and infrastructure technologies and best practices

LICENSE/CERTIFICATION:

Required

Drivers License – Valid and Meets UW Risk Management Standards

Must be able to travel (occasionally) for meetings, conferences and certain required work activities with a valid driver’s license.

WORK TYPE:

Full Time: 100%

The candidate selected for this position may perform a combination of on-site and remote work subject to an approved remote work agreement (RWA) agreement. Remote work requires successful candidates to possess their own high-speed internet and phone to perform the work on a university provided computer. This position must be able to (occasionally) travel for meetings, conferences and certain required work activities mostly in-state with a valid driver’s license.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Please note that successful applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship, on or before the effective date of appointment. University sponsorship is not available for this position.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $112,200.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Flexible schedule
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 5×8

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Madison, WI 53706