AVP Digital Strategy & Innovation

OVERVIEW

Position

AVP of Digital Strategy and Innovation

Job Code

Reports to

CIO/VP Digital Transformation

Direct Reports

NEOM U Web & Apps Manager, Head of Digital Strategy & Architecture Program, Head Research Computing  Program

Division/Section

NEOM U

Department

Sector

ERI

Job Family

NEOM U

NEOM U will be a world class education, research, and innovation hub, that inspires and empowers the best minds: technology to better the world, innovation through the "lab of the future” and life-long personalized development. It will be focused on the fusion of the liberal arts with digital thinking, computing, and technology to solve humanity’s most pressing problems. Faculty and students at NEOM U, through immersive, synergistic relationships and partnerships with the NEOM community, its sectors, and The Line, will serve as the creators and stewards of the “living laboratory” NEOM aspires to be, to imagine, inspire and enable the groundbreaking discoveries and breakthrough innovations the world needs to advance and to thrive. Their innovative approaches in technology-enabled, personalized experiential learning across disciplines, and their bold research pursuits to conquer pressing societal challenges and to define new scientific frontiers, will be supported by exceptional facilities and laboratories which, augmented through immersive partnerships with the NEOM sectors, their industrial partners, and the Line, will enable and foster an unmatched ecosystem for purposeful collaboration, life-long learning and creative exploration at the service of society. As such, the NEOM U boundaries will extend beyond its physical facilities, to encompass NEOM and The Line, and to establish NEOM U as an institution for disruptive education and purposeful innovation’ for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the world.

Role Purpose

AVP of Digital Strategy and Innovation provides leadership and vision for all aspects of ongoing and future digital infrastructure needs of the Education, Research and Innovation sector including, understanding research and teaching needs of the faculty and students, infrastructure architecture and design principles, and infrastructure management; building the required teams, develop a culture of effective customer relationships across the University, and providing direction on technology to enable the education, administrative and business functions.

The AVP of Digital Strategy and Innovation is responsible NEOM U’s transformation from inception, embrace digital technology, and embed digital thinking at the core of our business by establishing cloud technology and prioritizes artificial intelligence and machine learning. The AVP of Digital Strategy and Innovation oversees the innovative technology strategy for the University’s internal and external customers.   

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES & ACTIVITIES

The AVP of Digital Strategy and Innovation responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Coordinate the creation and implementation of a comprehensive digital strategy that is aligned with the NEOM U vision, mission, and strategic plan.
• Oversee the strategy and innovation of digital architecture, policies, frameworks, and guidelines.
• Coordinate the development of a multi-year digital master plan roadmap and financial plan to sequence efforts to implement the university technology in alignment with needs, resources, and capacity for change.
• Cloud and Automation: Adopting the cloud from inception and set automation as the baseline for all processes and services.
• Data analytics and AI: enabling data analytics and AI programs and fostering a culture of digital thinking and data-driven decision-making throughout the University.
• Data Security: Protecting against the unauthorized use of electronic data.
• Upskilling and hiring: Attracting the talent needed to deliver on the digital and technological aspirations of NEOM U, implementing the training needed across the organization to support enterprise cloud applications.
• Work closely with ERI leadership and other relevant stakeholders within and across NEOM to establish and maintain an institutional planning and governance framework for information technology, including the appropriate decision making and communication structures to execute effective technology deployment and timely project delivery.
• The AVP of Digital Strategy and Innovation will lead innovation and integrated solutions in support of teaching, learning, research and innovation.
• The incumbent will leverage relationship building, problem solving, budget management, and creativity to create a vision of information technology for the campus and to implement that vision in a high-quality and sustainable manner.
• The AVP of Digital Strategy and Innovation must be committed to the career and professional development of the staff, fostering practices for managing individual and team performance. A flexible leader capable of motivating through team leadership skills, a clear vision, exceptional interpersonal and communication abilities, and a talent for leading and managing change.

BACKGROUND, SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

The AVP of Digital Strategy and Innovation:

• A record of successful leadership and technical experience, having progressed through roles of increasing responsibility managing technology organizations.
• Expertise in emerging technologies, trends, methodologies, and resource management principles
• Highly effective communicator at all levels within a complex and culturally diverse organization, including top level senior management, Board members and external stakeholders and constituencies.
• High level of experience with enterprise resource planning systems (e.g. SAP), learning management and delivery systems, business intelligence, and other similar products.
• Excellent communicator at all levels within a complex and cultur