Location: Des Plaines, IL
Category: Administrators
Job Type: Administrators
Posted On: Tue Jul 14 2026
Job Description:
Basic Function and Responsibility:
The Director of Enterprise Applications and Services leads the comprehensive management, development, and support of the college's enterprise software applications and services. Responsible for ensuring the efficient and effective utilization of critical systems that underpin the college's academic, administrative, and operational functions, whether hosted on-premise or delivered as SaaS solutions in the cloud. The Director will drive application strategy, optimize service delivery, and foster strong collaboration with functional departments to meet their evolving technology needs.
Characteristic Duties and Responsibilities:
- Enterprise Application Strategy: Develop and oversee an ongoing strategic roadmap for all enterprise applications, ensuring alignment with the college's mission and strategic goals.
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Enterprise Application Administration: Direct the administration, configuration, and support of Enterprise Applications including, but not limited to Student Information Systems (SIS), payroll, human resources (HR), accounting, and budgeting (ERP) systems, document imaging, workflow & electronic forms, data warehouse & business intelligence systems, CRM applications, room & event scheduling applications, the intranet portal and others. Ensure secure access, data synchronization, seamless integration, and optimal performance of these services.
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Partnerships: Initiate, facilitate and maintain partnerships with all sectors of the College to promote continued business process improvements through software and technology adoption.
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Enterprise Application Lifecycle: Oversee the selection, integration, and ongoing management of cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications and other enterprise applications hosted in the cloud. Manage the lifecycle of all other critical enterprise applications hosted within the college's on-premise environment, from implementation and maintenance to upgrades and eventual decommissioning.
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Project Management: Lead application-related projects, including new system implementations, major upgrades, and significant enhancements, from planning and vendor selection to deployment, documentation, and post-implementation support. Lead Organizational Change Management (OCM) efforts for major software projects, ensuring user adoption, utilizing training, and communication strategies to minimize resistance and maximize ROI.
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Application Integration/Data Flow and Database Administration: Architect seamless integration between various enterprise applications and other college systems, facilitating efficient data flow and reporting across departments. Lead the database administration team for all enterprise applications, ensuring database performance, security, backup, recovery, and integrity. Work with the Director of IT Infrastructure to develop and maintain integrations and comprehensive business continuity and disaster recovery plans for all critical enterprise applications.
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Service Delivery & Support: Establish and maintain high standards for application support and service delivery. Oversee service delivery operations for enterprise applications, ensuring timely resolution of issues and effective communication with end-users.
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Software Development: Direct the full lifecycle of in-house software development and maintenance, establishing quality assurance processes and documentation and governance standards for both custom-code and low-code/no-code environments.
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Team Leadership & Development: Recruit, mentor, and lead a team of managers, developers, application specialists, business analysts, support staff, and database administrators. Foster a culture of continuous learning, technical excellence, rigorous documentation, and customer service within the team.
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Budget Management and Vendor Relationships: Develop and manage the budget for enterprise applications, including software licenses, maintenance, and support services. Manage relationships with enterprise application vendors and consultants, including contract negotiations, license management, and ensuring service level agreements (SLAs) are met.
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Policy & Governance: Develop and enforce policies and procedures related to application usage, data governance, security, and compliance and work closely with the Chief Information Officer and other IT directors to support the College's IT governance processes and committees.
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Accessibility, Compliance and Security: Champion digital accessibility and inclusion. Ensure strict adherence to FERPA, GLBA, and PCI-DSS regulations regarding data privacy and protection and collaborate with the Information Security team to integrate security best practices into the application lifecycle, manage vulnerability assessments, and ensure rigorous patch management.
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Perform other job-related duties as assigned.
Supervision Received:
Administrative supervision is received from the Chief Information Officer (CIO).
Supervision Exercised:
Administrative supervision is exercised over 14 professional IT staff including 3 direct reports.
Job Requirements:
Qualifications:
- A bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, Educational Technology, or related field is required. A master's degree is preferred.
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A minimum of ten (10) years of technical work experience, preferably in an educational setting, of which a minimum of 5 years should include management experience.
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Ability to communicate technical information effectively orally and in writing.
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Demonstrated large scale software project administration and management.
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Proven experience in project management, including full lifecycle implementation of complex software systems.
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Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to build strong relationships with functional stakeholders.
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Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a focus on delivering practical technology solutions.
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Experience with IT service management (ITSM) best practices.
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Familiarity with data integration tools and methodologies.
Preferred Qualifications:
- A master's degree in Computer Science or a related field
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Experience working in a community college or higher education environment.
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Strong understanding of business processes related to higher education administration (admissions, registration, financial aid, HR, finance) preferred.
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Relevant certifications (e.g.: ITIL, PMP, specific ERP/SIS certifications, database certifications).
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Experience with business intelligence or data warehousing concepts.
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Specific experience and knowledge of Ellucian Banner, TargetX/Salesforce, Destiny Solutions, Oracle PL-SQL, Zogotech, Softdocs, Ellucian Experience, Argos Reporting, Axiom, Informatica, Degreeworks and Coursedog preferred.
Working Conditions
Mobility to move from building to building on-Campuses and travel between campuses. Work is performed in a general office environment, is sedentary in nature, and there is little or no exposure to adverse working conditions. This position may require evening and weekend work during scheduled maintenance windows, system upgrades, or unplanned outages.
Additional Information:
Salary Range: $150,000 - $165,000
A comprehensive benefit package is available which includes medical, vision, and dental insurance; flexible spending; term life insurance; tuition waivers and reimbursement; retirement; paid holidays; sick days.
Appointment to a Administrator position is contingent upon approval by the College's Board of Trustees
Based on the needs of the college and with Administrator approval, some positions at the college may have a hybrid schedule option available after 30 working days.
Out-of-State Employment Defined:
Oakton College's primary location of operation is in the state of Illinois. An "out-of-state employee" is defined as an employee of Oakton College whose primary work location is outside of the state of Illinois. State taxes, employment tax, and worker's compensation provisions vary from state to state and require payroll compliance with these various rules.
Allowable States for Out-of-State Employment:
All employees must maintain their primary residence in Illinois, Indiana, or a reciprocal state with Illinois. Reciprocal states include Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Illinois has tax agreements with these reciprocal states. Employees may have their primary residence in Indiana since Indiana is adjacent to Illinois.
For information regarding employment eligibility, please visit our employment at Oakton web page.
Equal Opportunity Employer
