Chief Information Officer

The City of Lincoln and Lancaster County are seeking a collaborative, forward-looking Chief Information Officer to lead the next phase of a significant technology transformation. The CIO will inherit an Information Services organization with an established strategic direction, strengthened cybersecurity capabilities, modernized service-delivery structures, renewed technology governance, and major application-modernization work underway. The CIO is the director of the Lincoln-Lancaster County Information Services Department, reporting to the Mayor's Office. The Lincoln-Lancaster County Information Services Department is responsible for IT operations of both the City of Lincoln, and Lancaster County.

This is an opportunity to guide technology across a complex local-government environment where dependable systems, responsible innovation, fiscal stewardship, and public trust are equally important. The CIO will work directly with City and County leadership, elected officials, department directors, public-safety partners, and Information Services employees to turn organizational priorities into secure, practical, and sustainable technology services.

The next CIO will build on a strong foundation and guide several organization-wide priorities, including:

• Sustaining a mission-, vision-, values-, and KPI-driven operating model for Information Services.
• Continuing the development of a formal cybersecurity function supported by expanded internal expertise, modern monitoring capabilities, and 24/7 extended detection and response.
• Maturing a tiered customer-support model designed to improve accountability, responsiveness, and support for critical public services.
• Advancing modern, AI-augmented software-development practices while supporting and developing internal technical talent.
• Leading the responsible use of artificial intelligence through enterprise policy, cross-department collaboration, education, and practical governance.
• Guiding the long-term replacement of critical legacy public-safety technology with a modern, sustainable platform.
• Strengthening technology procurement, architecture, security review, asset visibility, and enterprise standards.
• Maintaining productive technology-governance relationships with City and County administration and elected officials.

The CIO will foster a healthy, accountable, and inclusive workplace where employees understand the organization’s direction, receive candid and timely communication, and have opportunities to grow professionally. The successful candidate will balance operational demands and organizational change with employee development, succession planning, workload sustainability, and recognition of the expertise already present within the department.

Key Responsibilities:

• Establish and communicate an enterprise technology strategy aligned with City and County priorities.
• Ensure the security, resilience, continuity, and responsible stewardship of critical technology and information assets.
• Build trusted relationships with elected officials, executive leaders, department directors, public-safety agencies, employees, vendors, and community partners.
• Translate complex technical, cybersecurity, financial, and operational issues into clear choices for nontechnical decision-makers.
• Lead, develop, and retain a multidisciplinary Information Services workforce while strengthening leadership capacity and succession readiness.
• Oversee major modernization initiatives, enterprise architecture, service delivery, software development, infrastructure, data, cybersecurity, procurement, and vendor partnerships.
• Establish measurable outcomes and use service, financial, operational, and customer-focused information to evaluate progress.
• Promote responsible experimentation and adoption of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, while managing security, privacy, legal, ethical, and operational risk.
• Develop and administer budgets, contracts, policies, standards, and technology investments with transparency and fiscal discipline.
• Maintain effective governance practices that give City and County stakeholders meaningful visibility into technology priorities, risks, investments, and results.

Benefits for You:

• Pay increases are available upon completion of the 6-month new employee probationary period, and annually thereafter based on performance.
  We encourage a healthy work-life balance by offering 20 days of vacation leave approximately 12 days of sick leave annually that you begin accruing upon hire; plus 11 paid holidays and 2 personal convenience days. All medical, dental, and vision benefits for you and your family begin the first of the month following hire, no need to wait!
• 30 days of Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Assistance Programs offering work/life services, wellness coaching, short-term counseling, legal assistance, and financial coaching.
• Up to 3 days of Funeral and Bereavement Leave  
• $70,000 of Life Insurance
• 401(a) Retirement Plan. If you make a 7% contribution, the City will contribute 9%
• Employer provided Post Employment Health Plan for eligible medical expenses that occur after you leave City employment.
• Optional benefits include:
  •Medical and/or Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
  •Allstate Voluntary Plans
  •Supplemental Term Life
  •Deferred Compensation Plans

Why Join Us?
This role is a chance to shape the future of government technology and make a real impact on the community. Work with a collaborative team, enjoy great benefits, and help drive innovation in public service. For more on the Information Services Division, please click on the link below: https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/City/Departments/Information-Services

Why This Role Matters:
Technology supports nearly every service the City of Lincoln and Lancaster County provide. The CIO’s decisions affect public safety, internal operations, resident services, information security, fiscal stewardship, and the public’s trust in local government.  The successful candidate will have the opportunity to lead a talented organization, influence enterprise-wide decisions, modernize critical services, responsibly introduce new capabilities, and leave a durable positive impact on both the workforce and the community.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Exceptional communication skills, including the ability to explain complex technology, cybersecurity, risk, and financial matters to audiences without a technical background.
• Experience leading technology strategy and operations in a complex, multi-stakeholder organization.
• Demonstrated success leading organizational change while maintaining reliable day-to-day services.
• Experience developing leaders, building effective teams, and creating opportunities for employee growth.
• Executive-level experience with cybersecurity, risk management, business continuity, and critical infrastructure.
• Experience modernizing legacy applications or platforms while managing operational, financial, and organizational risk.
• Experience establishing enterprise governance, technology standards, portfolio management, or centralized technology-procurement practices.
• Ability to work effectively with elected officials, executive leadership, department directors, public-safety agencies, and community stakeholders.
• Experience using performance measures, service data, or organizational KPIs to guide priorities and communicate results.
• Knowledge of responsible artificial-intelligence adoption, governance, security, and workforce enablement.
• Public-sector experience is valued, but candidates with relevant experience in other complex, service-oriented environments are encouraged to apply.

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, Public Administration, or a related field.
• Ten years of managerial experience, preferably in an IT leadership role, including expertise in business process digitization, technology implementation, and cross-functional team management.

Any equivalent combination of training and experience that provides the desirable knowledge, abilities and skills will be considered.