Chief Information Officer

Introduction

University of the People (UoPeople) is the first non-profit, tuition-free, American, accredited, 100% online university. Today, UoPeople has over 170,000 students enrolled from more than 200 countries and territories, including 18,800 students who are refugees. UoPeople is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).

We believe that higher education is a basic human right and that it can transform not only the lives of students, but also their families’ lives, their communities, their nations, and, by extension, the world. See President Reshef’s TED Talk when he announced the founding of the University.

UoPeople is an innovative university, and we welcome team members who bring creativity and innovation to their roles. We’re a fast-paced organization with remote teams all around the globe. If you’re a self-starter who wants to succeed alongside a passionate team, we’d love to hear from you!

UoPeople is supported by the generosity of individuals and foundations, including the Gates, Hewlett, Ford Foundations, Foundation Hoffmann, and others. The University has been covered by The New York Times, BBC, NPR, Times Higher Education, U.S. News & World Report, and many other leading media outlets. President Reshef’s TED Talk and Nas Daily interview about the University have more than 30 million combined views.

General purpose

The Chief Information Officer (CIO) is responsible for leading the University’s global information systments and technologies and defining the strategy that enables the University’s mission and long-term growth.

Reporting to the President, the CIO oversees all Information systems and technology functions, including Product Management, Engineering, Data & Analytics, AI transformation, Enterprise Architecture, Infrastructure, Cybersecurity and IT Operations. The CIO ensures that all Information Systems remain secure, scalable, resilient, innovative, and aligned with the University’s strategic priorities while delivering outstanding experience for students, faculty, and staff worldwide.

We are seeking an accomplished executive who has previously served as Chief Information Officer in a global, mature, service-oriented organization with significant operational complexity.

Essential functions & responsibilities

Organizational Leadership - Lead and develop a global organization of ~50 professionals, building strong leadership capability, succession depth, and a high-performance culture. Recruit, mentor, and retain top talent while fostering an inclusive, collaborative environment across distributed teams.

As a member of the executive team, partner closely with the President to advance strategic, business, and cultural priorities, ensuring alignment across functions and geographies.

Information System Leadership - Define and execute a university-wide information systems strategy aligned with institutional goals. Establish a clear multi-year roadmap driving growth, innovation, and operational excellence while modernizing the ecosystem with strong governance, architecture standards, and best practices. Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on strategy, risk, and opportunities.

Product Management - Lead end-to-end ownership of internally developed systems across their lifecycle, from design through continuous enhancement. Define aligned roadmaps, drive ongoing improvement, and partner with academic and business leaders to deliver meaningful outcomes for students, faculty, and staff.

Software Engineering & Enterprise Applications - Oversee engineering, QA, DevOps, and enterprise applications, ensuring modern practices, scalable architecture, and reliable delivery. Drive modernization, cloud adoption, and platform optimization, and guide build, buy, or partner decisions through clear value and ROI analysis.

AI Transformation - Lead AI strategy and implementation aligned with institutional priorities and responsible use. Assess and deploy solutions across academic and administrative functions to enhance decision-making, efficiency, and experience, supported by strong governance and integration.

Data, Analytics - Define and execute the enterprise data strategy, establishing governance, quality, and security while building scalable analytics capabilities that enable consistent, data-driven decision-making.

Infrastructure, IT Operations & Cybersecurity - Lead the global information systems environment, including infrastructure, cloud, networks, and end-user services. Ensure secure, resilient, and reliable operations, with strong cybersecurity, privacy, and continuity capabilities, and full compliance with regulations and standards.

Vendor Management - Lead vendor strategy and partnerships, overseeing procurement, selection, contracting, and performance. Govern the investment portfolio to optimize cost, quality, and resilience.

Key competencies

• Strategic Enterprise Leadership – Translates institutional vision into clear, actionable information systems strategy.
• Executive Influence & Stakeholder Partnership – Serves as a trusted advisor and aligns senior leaders around priorities and decisions.
• Innovation & Future Orientation – Curiosity and forward-thinking mindset to identify emerging opportunities (e.g., AI, digital capabilities) and translate them into practical value.
• Transformation & Change Leadership – Leads complex, organization-wide change and drives adoption at scale.
• Organizational & Talent Leadership – Builds, develops, and sustains high-performing global teams and leadership pipelines.
• Business & Value Orientation – Connects investments to outcomes, prioritizes effectively, and ensures measurable institutional impact.
• Financial & Value Management Mindset – Ability to connect investments to outcomes, optimize costs, and clearly articulate value and ROI at the enterprise level.
• Risk, Governance & Ethical Leadership – Strong sense of accountability for governance, risk management, security, and responsible use of data and emerging technologies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field required; Master's degree preferred.
• 20+ years of progressive leadership experience in information systems, including executive-level accountability.
• Prior experience as a CIO (or equivalent) in a mid-to-large, global organization, with end-to-end responsibility for enterprise systems and digital capabilities.
• Proven ability to define and execute enterprise strategies that drive organizational growth, innovation, and measurable business impact.
• Demonstrated success leading transformation in complex, customer-facing (B2C) environments, with strong stakeholder alignment and Change Leadership.
• Strong advantage: experience in EdTech or education-focused organizations, with an understanding of digital learning platforms, student-centric solutions, and the evolving higher education landscape.