On behalf of our client (academic institution), we are seeking to appoint a dynamic, visionary and experienced Director - Technology & IT / Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to join their leadership team at Gandhinagar location.

The position reports to the Director General and will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing long-term technology strategy and driving the transformation of the company into a Digital-First and smart campus. This role will establish a world-class, future-ready digital ecosystem to enable academic excellence, research innovation, and operational efficiency.

Key Responsibilities -

- Define and execute Company's comprehensive IT & Digital Infrastructure strategy aligned with the institution's academic, research, and operational priorities.

- Spearhead the transformation into a Smart Campus, incorporating IoT, AI, XR Labs, and Industry 4.0 platforms required for providing the best-in-class teaching and hands on industry exposure as well as research experience to the students.

- Build and manage a robust, secure, and scalable digital environment covering: Cloud Platforms, Cybersecurity, Enterprise Applications (ERP, LMS, CRM, etc.), Smart Campus Technologies, Data Analytics, AI/ML & Business Intelligence Tools

- Ensure IT infrastructure scalability to support Company's growth from:

- Students: 300+ to 5,500+ (including online/hybrid learners)

- Faculty & Staff: 50+ to 200+ (across on-campus and remote environments)

- Establish and enforce IT governance policies aligned with institutional goals, industry best practices, and regulatory requirements (ISO 27001, GDPR, etc.).

- Ensure the availability, security, privacy, and compliance of all IT systems critical to academic delivery, research, administration, and campus life.

- Establish Company's Center of Excellence for Digital Infrastructure & Operations, benchmarked against global standards.

- Foster a culture of innovation, agility, and operational excellence within the IT function.

- Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing IT team and scale it with Company's future requirements in mind.

- Forge strategic collaborations with leading technology providers, academic institutions, and government bodies to advance Company's digital ambitions.

- Responsible for developing in-house applications/Websites/Mobile apps

- Prepare and manage IT budget

- Lead the central initiatives like:

a. HR and Finance ERP rollout

b. Intranet / Internet portals

c. Network and Hardware - local DC

d. IT Asset Management

e. IT policies

Must-Have Experience and competencies -

- Should have 20+ years of experience in IT with 5+ years in IT leadership position.

- Should come with a strategic mindset along with the ability of being hands on wherever required.

- In-depth knowledge in:

a. Cloud Platforms, Cybersecurity, Enterprise Applications, Smart Campus Technologies, Data Analytics, AI/ML & Business Intelligence Tools

b. Integration of different platforms (Application, ERP and Packaged platform)

c. IT Infrastructure (Network, Server platform and Security) set-up and resilience planning

- Hands-on experience on Database and solution architecture design.

- Should possess extensive experience in evaluation of various Tools/ platforms.

- Should have prior experience across Vendor Management, Proposal review and negotiation.

- Very good communication and multi stakeholder management skills.

- Excellent Team Management and collaboration skills.

- Must be abreast of the latest cost-effective technologies which can be leveraged for an institution.

- Must have an entrepreneurial bent of mind with the passion to learn new things and remain in sync with the sectoral trends.

Highly desirable knowledge, skills and experience :

- Prior experience in leading IT initiatives for a university/academic set up.

- Good understanding of academic processes and systemic interventions to improve teaching and learning experience and effectiveness of a university/academic set up.