Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

10 Colleges. Unlimited Opportunities.

The Maricopa County Community College District is one of the largest community college systems in the nation. Home to 10 individually accredited community colleges and 31 satellite locations, we proudly serve students in every corner of the Valley. Each day, our dedicated faculty, staff, and administrators, live out our vision— creating excellence in education for a better world .

We focus on people—not profits.

With 100% acceptance, zero rejections, and affordable tuition, we provide the flexibility and support our students need to succeed in and beyond the classroom. Discover how we’re changing college.

We don’t just support our community—we help build it.

We are the largest provider of workforce development training in the state. The activities of our colleges and their students support one out of every 28 jobs in Maricopa County. Learn about our economic impact.

We believe our employees are our most valuable asset.

Our 10 colleges and District Office support nearly 10,000 jobs and careers throughout Greater Phoenix.

Join us in making a real difference in the lives of over 140,000 college students each year.

Benefits

Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) is committed to providing a competitive and comprehensive benefits program that supports our employees' and their families' health and well-being. Therefore, the MCCCD benefits support every stage of life and are designed to meet the diverse needs of our community. Explore the wide range of benefits and perks available to eligible employees at MCCCD:

Affordable and Comprehensive Benefits Package:

• Nationwide Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage
• Paid Time Off: Vacation, Sick Leave, and Personal Time
• 20 Paid Observed Holidays
• Company-paid Life Insurance, AD&D, and Short-Term Disability plans, with the option to purchase supplemental coverage
• Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) Pension, including Long Term Disability and Retiree Health
• Insurance with 100% employer-matching contributions
• Optional Retirement Plans: 403(b), 457(b), Roth 403(b), Roth 457(b)
• Tuition Reimbursement for employees and dependents
• Annual Professional Development Funding
• Flexible Work Schedules

Employee Health & Wellness Programs:

• District-Wide Wellness Program with Workshops and Webinars
• Monthly Health & Wellness Calendar and Newsletter
• Virta Diabetes Reversal Program, Support Groups, and Diabetes Empowerment Education Programs
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Sight-On-Site Eye Care Services
• Mobile On-Site Mammography Screenings
• Pre-Retirement Planning Events
• Qualifying Employer for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (potential loan forgiveness for federal Direct
• Loans after meeting repayment requirements and working full-time for an eligible employer)

Job Opening: Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

Salary: $142,000 - $184,600/annually, DOE

Apply online: https://www.maricopa.edu/about/careers/full-time-staff

Job ID 322174; Keyword “Chief Technology Officer”

Open until filled - First review of resumes will be the week of January 5, 2026

Job Summary

The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) serves as a strategic technical leader within the Maricopa County Community College District’s Information Technology Services (ITS) division, advancing the district’s mission of academic excellence, innovation, and community impact through secure, modern, and reliable technology infrastructure. Reporting to the CIO, this executive partner helps shape the long-term technology strategy and vision for the district by recommending and implementing enterprise infrastructure modernization and

investment decisions that ensure scalability, resilience, and alignment with institutional goals. The CTO is instrumental in leading on-premise and cloud initiatives, which will increase network resilience and elevate service delivery across MCCCD.

With the support of the CIO, this role provides a unique opportunity to optimize technology architecture, infrastructure, and operational processes to establish a future-ready foundation. This position will work closely with the District Office Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and College CIO’s to align best practices for network security and operational excellence with the goal to mitigate risk and reduce operational complexity. The CTO will partner with college technical leaders to ensure a transparent technical strategy throughout the

district and alignment across all technology domains.

The CTO will provide vision, leadership, and disciplined execution to ensure technology becomes a strategic enabler of organizational goals. This leader will be tactically focused with opportunities to lean into strategy as a member of the District Office Senior IT leadership team.

Essential Functions

Operational Stewardship (25%)

This role leads a high-performing infrastructure and operations organization. The CTO fosters alignment of district-wide technology initiatives across the colleges.

• Strategic Technology Leadership: Develops and executes a comprehensive technology transformation
• strategy aligned with the enterprise’s long-term objectives, ensuring modernization, standardization, and sustainability across all technology domains.
• Operational Excellence: Establishes modern IT service management practices, operational frameworks,
• and performance standards that elevate reliability, security, and customer experience.
• Data & Analytics: Builds a robust data strategy and ecosystem that enables advanced analytics, informed decision-making, and consistent data governance.
• Stakeholder Partnership: Serves as a trusted advisor to executive leadership, operational leaders, and the Governing Board; communicates complex technical concepts with clarity and ensures alignment on priorities and outcomes.
• Vendor & Partner Management: Oversees key technology partners, integrators, and service providers to ensure high-quality delivery and value.

Enterprise Engineering (25%)

This function provides executive oversight and operational leadership for MCCCD’s enterprise infrastructure ecosystem, including IT operations, network, server, storage, and cloud environments. The CTO ensures reliable, secure, and scalable systems that serve as the foundation for academic and administrative success. By applying engineering best practices, automation, and performance analytics, the CTO drives operational excellence, service reliability, and continuous improvement across all infrastructure domains.

• Enterprise Architecture & Modernization: Redesigns and rebuilds the core technology stack, including infrastructure, cloud architectures, enterprise applications, data platforms, and integration frameworks.
• Oversees the design, implementation, and maintenance of high-availability and high-performance enterprise networks across the district.
• Ensures secure and scalable server, storage, and virtualization platforms to support mission-critical applications and services.
• Leads migration strategies for cloud-based services while optimizing legacy systems.
• Optimizes resource allocation and usage across all infrastructure platforms, ensuring efficient operation and cost-effectiveness.
• Directs all aspects of network, server, storage, and cloud operations across multiple campuses and administrative sites.
• Oversees the architecture, engineering, and administration of infrastructure platforms to ensure performance, reliability, scalability, and security.
• Implements best-practice frameworks such as ITIL, NIST, and ISO to drive service consistency,
• automation, and proactive maintenance.

Team/Project Leadership (25%)

This role cultivates a culture of collaboration, accountability, and professional excellence. The CTO drives talent development, succession planning, and staff empowerment while ensuring performance expectations and team cohesion. Through strong mentorship and cross-functional engagement, the CTO strengthens

organizational capability.

• Team Leadership & Culture: Plans, organizes, assigns, supervises, reviews, and evaluates the work of staff; identifies training needs and promotes professional growth; holds team members accountable for execution and deliverables; leads recruiting, onboarding, and retention strategies; mentors staff on technical best practices, career progression, and cross-functional engagement
• Project Oversight: Prioritizes, oversees, and delivers major infrastructure programs and initiatives; ensures projects are on time, within scope, and within budget, with a focus on organizational impact and measurable results; collaborates with and receives support from PMO leadership

Stakeholder Engagement and Governance (10%)

The CTO will participate in the defined shared governance practices within MCCCD by advising on technology planning and service delivery. Partnering with college technical teams, the CTO will recommend infrastructure priorities within governance forums and foster transparent communication. The CTO cultivates trust, drives

stakeholder alignment, and ensures IT initiatives are communicated clearly and executed effectively across MCCCD.

• Serves as the primary operational IT liaison between ITS and college technical teams, college IT leaders, and college administrative leaders.
• Represents infrastructure priorities in districtwide IT governance committees and task forces.
• Effectively communicates complex technical topics to non-technical stakeholders.
• Serves as a strategic communicator and trusted advisor to college and district leadership on infrastructure planning, service levels, and technology initiatives.
• Translates complex technical topics into clear, actionable information for executive audiences.
• Represents ITS in governance forums, steering committees, and inter-institutional collaborations.
• Cultivates transparency and trust through clear reporting, regular updates, and proactive stakeholder engagement.

Budget and Vendor Management (10%)

The CTO oversees the fiscal and contractual dimensions of infrastructure operations, ensuring responsible stewardship of district resources. This includes budget planning, forecasting, procurement, and vendor relationship management. The CTO ensures MCCCD’s infrastructure investments deliver maximum value and strategic alignment with institutional priorities by optimizing cost efficiency, negotiating favorable agreements, and evaluating total cost of ownership.

• Develops and manages a multi-million dollar infrastructure budget, including forecasting, procurement, and cost optimization.
• Leads vendor and contract negotiations for hardware, applicable software, and service providers.
• Ensures vendor performance and compliance with service-level agreements (SLAs).
• Partners with the CIO in the development and management of the ITS operational and capital budgets, ensuring fiscal responsibility and alignment with institutional priorities.
• Oversees cost-optimization efforts, including vendor contract management, cloud-cost governance, and asset lifecycle planning.
• Identifies and pursues opportunities for shared services, efficiency gains, and strategic reinvestment of technology resources.
• Evaluate total cost of ownership (TCO) and ROI for infrastructure investments and service transitions

Risk and Compliance Management (5%)

The CTO ensures MCCCD’s infrastructure environment adheres to rigorous security, compliance, and reliability standards. In close partnership with the CISO, the CTO enforces policies, coordinates remediation efforts, and safeguards district technology assets through proactive risk management, vulnerability management, and disaster recovery planning.

• Partners with the CISO to implement and maintain infrastructure security policies, tools, and practices.
• Ensures compliance with federal, state, and district IT security standards and regulatory requirements.
• Supports disaster recovery and business continuity planning for all infrastructure services.

Minimum Qualifications

Master’s Degree from a regionally accredited institution in education or a field related to the area of assignment and four (4) years of progressively responsible management and/or leadership experience in the field of assignment that includes two (2) years of supervisory experience.

OR

An equivalent combination of education, experience, and/or relevant industry certifications sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job, such as those listed above, unless otherwise subject to any other requirements set forth in law or regulation, may be considered.

Desired Qualifications

1. Experience leading large-scale technology modernization or infrastructure strategy initiatives within a complex, multi-site organization.

2. Experience establishing and leading technical teams–fostering a culture of accountability, inclusion, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

3. Experience creating professional allies and leveraging relationships with senior leaders in order to advance district priorities.

4. Experience managing multimillion-dollar infrastructure budgets and complex vendor ecosystems, including negotiating high-value agreements, evaluating total cost of ownership, and driving cost

optimization, shared services, and reinvestment strategies that enhance institutional value and operational efficiency.

5. Experience overseeing enterprise infrastructure operations—network, server, storage, and cloud—in environments requiring high availability, performance, and security.

6. Experience applying ITIL, NIST, or ISO frameworks to optimize service delivery, automation, monitoring, and disaster recovery.

7. Experience overseeing infrastructure risk management, compliance, and security governance, including collaborating with information security leadership to ensure adherence to regulatory standards.

8. Experience producing executive-level reports, presentations, and communications that reflect organizational priorities and strategic direction.