Chief Information Officer

Description

Reports to:  Chief Operating Officer; member of the President’s Cabinet 

Location:  Remote-eligible in all U.S. states except Hawaii; Puerto Rico also not eligible; Joyce University is based in Draper, Utah 

Base salary:  The base salary range for this position is $250,000–$325,000. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, qualifications, leadership scope, and market considerations. Exceptional candidates whose experience materially exceeds the requirements of the role may be considered above the anticipated hiring range.

Search partner:  EdStrat (Educational Strategy and Design Group) 

Joyce University of Nursing and Health Sciences is looking for a Chief Information Officer who builds. Joyce is growing, and technology and artificial intelligence will shape how we teach, support students, and deliver the most impact. 

You’ll bring our technology operation in-house from our current managed-services partner, build the team to run it, and design systems and workflows that serve students and staff across the University. This is a role for an innovator with deep, practical command of building information systems, not a steward of existing infrastructure. 

About Joyce University 

Founded in 1979, Joyce University of Nursing and Health Sciences prepares people to serve as competent professionals, to advance their careers, and to pursue lifelong learning. We’re best known for nursing education and run one of the largest nursing programs in Utah, with pre-licensure and post-licensure pathways built for students regardless of their prior college experience. Joyce currently offers its prelicensure nursing programs in 18 states and growing. 

Our community serves students, alumni, faculty, and staff from across the United States and internationally. Learn more at joyce.edu. 

Working at Joyce 

We’re a people-first workplace, named a USA Today Top Workplace for three consecutive years based on employee feedback. Our leadership has set clear priorities around innovation, student outcomes, and access. 

The Opportunity 

This is a chance to build our own technology organization at a growing university that has made technology a top priority. 

We recently launched the nation’s first 90-credit BSN degree, expanding enrollment, and transforming how we teach. You’ll set the technology agenda for that growth and innovation while shaping the team that delivers it: its structure, its key roles, and what we build ourselves versus source from partners. You’ll lead the transition without a dip in service and own the technology experience for students, faculty, and staff. 

You’ll report to the Chief Operating Officer and hold a seat on the President’s Cabinet, advising the President, Cabinet, and Board on technology investment, data, AI, and institutional risk. 

What You’ll Lead 

• Strategy. Set a multi-year technology, data, and AI strategy tied to our strategic plan, with clear success measures reported to the President and Cabinet. 
• Data and analytics. Give leaders trusted, timely information, and build student-success analytics from LMS, SIS, and CRM data that drive proactive coaching and completion. 
• Institutional improvement. Partner with academic and administrative leaders to streamline how we work and improve the student experience from recruitment through graduation. 
• Artificial intelligence. Build AI systems, agents, and automated workflows that serve students and staff at scale, measured against real outcomes such as enrollment, retention, and cost, and governed by clear standards for responsible, ethical, and secure use. 
• Platforms and operations. Own a secure, reliable, integrated technology environment, whether delivered by our team or by partners. Lead cybersecurity, business continuity, and compliance with our regulatory, accreditation, and privacy obligations, and hold every partner to clear standards. 
• Building the team. Design the internal technology organization that takes over from managed services, and develop the leaders who will run it. 

Who Will Thrive Here 

We’re looking for an innovator and a builder. 

• You have built AI into how an organization works. You have designed AI-enabled systems and automated workflows, connected them to core platforms and data, and scaled them across an institution. 
• You have brought technology in-house. You have taken operations from an outsourced or managed-services model to an internal team, and kept service steady for users throughout. 
• You move fast and measure results. You favor action, show outcomes in numbers, and know where AI helps and where it does not. 
• You bring people with you. You can lead faculty, clinical leaders, and staff through real change in how they work. 

What’s in It for You  

At Joyce University, we invest in the success and well-being of our employees. As part of our team, you’ll enjoy:  

• A generous self-directed PTO policy  
• Paid holidays and a 401(k) with employer match  
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance  
• Fully paid short-term and long-term disability coverage  
• Professional development opportunities and top-notch continuing education assistance  
• A supportive, collaborative team environment where your voice matters 

Requirements

What You’ll Bring 

We welcome candidates from inside and outside higher education. What matters most is a record of using technology to move an institution forward. 

Required 

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology, computer science, information systems, business, or related field. 
• Ten or more years of progressively responsible technology leadership, including significant executive-level responsibility. 
• Success leading technology organizations in a complex, highly regulated, mission-driven environment. 
• Results using technology to drive growth, student or customer experience, or outcomes, not solely cost or efficiency. 
• Experience building or substantially scaling a technology structure within an organization, including leading a transition from an outsourced or managed-service model to internal capability. 
• A track record of developing and executing strategies that strengthen performance through technology, data, analytics, and AI. 
• Success leading academic or clinical leaders through technology-driven change. 
• The executive presence and communication skills to advise a President, Cabinet, and Board with credibility. 
• The ability to influence executive decision-making, build collaborative partnerships, and lead organizational change. 
• Hands-on leadership of AI implementation, including designing and deploying AI-enabled systems, agents, and automated workflows at institutional scale, with sound judgment about where AI does and does not apply. 

Preferred 

• A master’s or other advanced degree in a related discipline. 
• Experience in higher education, education technology, healthcare, or another complex service organization. 
• Experience with higher education platforms such as Salesforce, student information systems, and learning management systems. 
• Experience leading technology-forward organizations through significant growth and transformation. 

Compensation and Benefits 

The base salary range for this position is $250,000–$325,000. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, qualifications, leadership scope, and market considerations. Exceptional candidates whose experience materially exceeds the requirements of the role may be considered above the anticipated hiring range. We offer a comprehensive benefits package. 

How to Apply 

We’ve partnered with EdStrat on this search. Please submit a resume and a cover letter that explains your interest in the role and the results you’ve achieved as a technology leader, and answer the brief screening questions in the application. 

We’ll review applications on a rolling basis, with first consideration given to those received by October 30, 2026.  

Confidential inquiries and nominations may be directed to [email protected]. 

The selection process includes individual conversations with members of our leadership team and a panel interview. We’ll ask finalists for official transcripts, and any offer is contingent on successful background and reference checks. We can hire candidates based in any U.S. state except Hawaii; Puerto Rico is also not eligible. 

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORUTNITY POLICY: Joyce University provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.