Job Responsibilities
The mission of the South Carolina Department of Education is to serve students, support teachers, empower parents, and engage the community so that every student graduates prepared to reach their full potential.
Job Purpose
The South Carolina Department of Education seeks an inspiring leader to champion the transformation and modernization of our enterprise technology landscape. As Director of Enterprise Applications and Architecture, you will set the vision and strategic direction for reimagining and integrating mission-critical systems—including educator certification, grants management, human resources, financial operations, and student information. You will lead a talented development team, drive innovation, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. Your leadership will be pivotal in delivering secure, scalable, and future-ready solutions that elevate operational excellence and empower educators, students, and stakeholders statewide.
Responsibilities
- Strategic Leadership: Set the vision for enterprise applications, aligning technology initiatives with the Agency’s mission and long-term objectives. Make high-impact decisions that guide the organization through change and growth.
- Champion Technology Transformation: Lead the strategic redesign and modernization of the Agency’s application architecture, ensuring systems are future-ready, scalable, and aligned with organizational goals.
- Drive Modernization Initiatives: Develop and execute a forward-thinking application strategy that prioritizes modernization projects, leveraging emerging technologies to deliver innovative solutions for educators, students, and stakeholders.
- Lead Collaborative Change: Engage Agency executives, divisions, and school districts to identify opportunities for transformative change, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and technological advancement.
- Governance & Oversight for Modernization: Support the Chief Information Officer (CIO) in overseeing modernization efforts, including project and portfolio management, budget planning, and service delivery, to maximize impact and efficiency.
- Oversee Agile Development & Change Management: Manage the full application development lifecycle with a focus on agile methodologies and rapid adaptation to evolving needs, ensuring seamless deployment and ongoing enhancement of mission-critical systems.
- Mentor and Empower Technical Teams: Inspire and guide software developers, architects, and technical staff to embrace innovation, adopt best practices, and deliver high-quality, secure applications. Foster a collaborative, high-performing environment that encourages professional growth.
- Establish Modern Development Standards: Set and uphold standards, methodologies, and quality assurance processes that reflect the latest in technology and software development, driving excellence and modernization.
- Explore Emerging Technologies: Proactively identify, evaluate, and integrate cutting-edge technologies that advance the Agency’s mission and operational performance.
- Lead Buy-Build-Customization Decisions: Conduct strategic analyses of application portfolio components, making informed decisions on modernization approaches and managing vendor relationships to ensure successful implementation.
This position is located in the Office of Information Technology.
Minimum And Additional Requirements
A Bachelor's degree in communications, business administration, information technology, mathematics, statistics, management information science or a related field and experience in telecommunications, data processing and/or information technology.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, with a strong foundation in emerging technologies and digital transformation.
- Five plus (5+) years of progressive leadership experience in software development, demonstrating a proven ability to deliver complex, modernized applications that drive organizational change.
- Robust expertise in Agile methodologies and DevOps practices, with a track record of leading teams through successful modernization initiatives.
- Strategic thinking and analytic skills for planning and executing technology transformations and programming innovations.
- Exceptional organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple modernization projects and competing priorities in a dynamic environment.
- Experience conducting in-depth analysis of applications, data, and processes to identify opportunities for transformation and enhancement.
- Commitment to continuous learning and staying at the forefront of technology trends, tools, and best practices.
- Passion for innovation and creating impactful solutions that empower teams and advance organizational goals.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to lead, inspire, and collaborate across diverse teams and stakeholders.
Additional Comments
As a part of a generous compensation package, we offer comprehensive benefits that include generous paid time off, preeminent health care benefits, professional development opportunities, pension, a 401(k), and a hybrid work schedule with opportunity for remote work.
The South Carolina Department of Education offers an exceptional benefits package that includes:
- Health, Dental, Vision, Long Term Disability, and Life Insurance for Employee, Spouse, and Children.
- 15 days annual (vacation) leave per year.
- 15 days sick leave per year.
- 13 paid holidays.
- State Retirement Plan and Deferred Compensation Programs.
ONLY THOSE APPLICANTS CHOSEN FOR AN INTERVIEW WILL BE NOTIFIED BY LETTER THAT THE POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED.
http://www.ed.sc.gov/jobs/human-resources/title-ix-nondiscrimination/
