Senior Director, Strategy & Engagement

The Senior Director of Strategy and Engagement serves as the primary interface between Einstein Information Technology and the leadership of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, ensuring that information technology is experienced as a trusted, visible, and mission-aligned partner. This role operates across all Einstein Information Technology domains, connecting institutional priorities to information technology planning and ensuring that commitments made to stakeholders are tracked, delivered, and communicated with transparency.

The Senior Director leads the realization of value from Einstein's core information systems and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and automation, bringing a business-oriented approach to improving how the institution operates and how technology investments deliver measurable results. As a senior leader within Einstein Information Technology, the Senior Director contributes to department-wide strategy, owns the department-wide objectives and key results program, leads the Program Management Office, and serves as a line-of-succession leader for the Assistant Dean for Information Technology.

• Provide leadership for maximizing the value of Einstein's core information systems, including the enterprise resource planning system, student information system, research administration platforms, scientific computing infrastructure, and the integrations that connect them, serving as the primary point of contact with stakeholders, determining the action plan, and ensuring execution.
• Serve as Einstein Information Technology's primary engagement lead for artificial intelligence and intelligent automation, helping faculty, researchers, administrators, and students understand what these technologies can realistically do for them and designing adoption approaches that improve automation and business processes.
• Establish, lead, and mature the Einstein Information Technology Program Management Office, setting standards for project governance, delivery methodology, and stakeholder communication across all domains, building trust through consistent engagement, clear communication, and disciplined follow-through.
• Lead the department-wide objectives and key results program in partnership with domain leaders, establishing service performance indicators, coordinating regular review cadences, and ensuring progress is visible to the Assistant Dean for Information Technology.
• Serve as the primary information technology relationship owner for institutional stakeholders including and not limited to the Office of the Dean.
• Develop and maintain a structured engagement and communications program, conducting discovery with clients and stakeholders, anticipating needs, leading change management for major system transitions, and ensuring that all Einstein Information Technology communications are written for the audience they serve.
• Apply a business-oriented approach to identifying opportunities for efficiency, automation, and process improvement across Einstein Information Technology and the institution, drawing on approaches and solutions from outside information technology where they offer a better path forward.
• Support the Assistant Dean for Information Technology in developing the strategic plan, annual roadmap, and budget narratives that connect information technology investments to institutional priorities.
• Maintains availability to respond to critical incidents and service disruptions outside of regular business hours, and monitors Einstein Information Technology communications channels as needed to stay informed and support the department's operational responsibilities.
• Works effectively within a complex academic medical center environment, coordinating with affiliated organizations when operational responsibilities intersect, and escalating issues appropriately to maintain clarity of accountability.
• Performs other duties as needed to support the mission and operations of Einstein Information Technology, recognizing that all members of the department contribute beyond formal role boundaries when circumstances require.

Experience and Educational Background

• Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Business Administration, Health Administration or related field is required; Master's degree (MBA, MHA, MS in Information Systems or related discipline is preferred).  Equivalent combination of education and senior level experience will be considered.
• 12–15 years of progressive professional experience in client-facing, relationship-driven roles such as account management, strategic consulting, organizational development, institutional advancement, or similar functions. Experience should demonstrate a strong ability to understand stakeholder needs, build trusted relationships, and drive alignment toward shared organizational outcomes within complex environments.
• At least 5–7 years of experience in senior leadership roles, with a demonstrated track record of partnering closely with executive-level stakeholders (e.g., Dean’s office, or equivalent) and influencing decisions across organizational boundaries.
• Proven ability to lead stakeholder engagement and relationship management functions at an enterprise level, including establishing trust, navigating competing priorities, and achieving measurable outcomes through collaboration, communication, and disciplined follow-through.
• Experience working within higher education, academic medicine, healthcare, or other complex, research-intensive, and matrixed environments is strongly preferred.

Skills and Competencies

• Exceptional listening and communication skills, with the ability to understand what stakeholders need, translate complexity into clarity, and write for the reader rather than for the information technology department.
• Proven ability to build and sustain trusted relationships with senior leaders through consistent engagement, clear communication, and reliable follow-through.
• Strong persuasion and facilitation skills, with the ability to bring diverse stakeholders toward shared outcomes without relying on hierarchy or authority.
• Extensive familiarity with enterprise resource planning and student information systems, including how they are configured, integrated, and experienced by the administrative and educational communities that depend on them.
• Demonstrated ability to draw on approaches and solutions from outside information technology, applying business thinking, process efficiency, and cross-industry learning to improve how Einstein Information Technology and the institution operate.
• Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities across a complex organizational environment with discipline and composure.
• Familiarity with artificial intelligence, automation, and emerging technology trends sufficient to lead credible conversations with institutional leaders without requiring deep technical expertise.
• Experience establishing and leading objectives and key results programs or comparable performance management frameworks.
• Commitment to making information technology visible, trusted, and indispensable to the institution it serves.

Scope of Responsibility

The Senior Director of Strategy and Engagement maintains primary accountability for the Digital Strategy and Engagement domain and all staff within it, while carrying a shared responsibility for the success of Einstein Information Technology as a whole. This role has the broadest reach of any domain leader position, with sustained contact across all offices and leadership levels of Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The Senior Director exercises independent professional judgment in stakeholder engagement, portfolio decisions, and communications, escalating strategic tradeoffs and resource conflicts to the Assistant Dean for Information Technology as appropriate. The domain leader positions across Einstein Information Technology are expected to engage with this role as a partner and coordinator for objectives and key results, portfolio management, and communications. This position serves as a line-of-succession leader for the Assistant Dean for Information Technology.