Chief Information Officer

SUMMARYSince 1941, Charlotte Country Day School (Country Day) has built upon a long legacy of firsts among the Charlotte regions independent schools, introducing groundbreaking programs and progressive ideas. Country Day was the first school in Charlotte to offer an international studies program, and is still the only independent school in the region to have a separate campus for middle school students. Now serving over 1,700 students in JK-12, Country Day offers students and their families an unsurpassed opportunity to prepare for the future, grounded in tradition and shaped by generations of visionary leaders. Country Day holds a profound commitment to lifelong learning, hands-on learning, individualized attention, and a caring, inclusive community.The arrival of a new head of school this year and forthcoming strategic roadmap has created an ideal moment for Country Day to step back, reflect, and reimagine the role technology can play in service of the schools mission and student learning outcomes.

The CIO will be a new position for the school, which has previously had separate departments for IT and educational technology leadership. This role will unify both IT and ed tech under a single division that strategically builds and defines Country Days technology ecosystem to elevate teaching, learning, and operations across the school. The CIO will directly supervise 5 direct reports including divisional ed tech coordinators and an IT systems manager, who in turn supervises the IT operations team of 9 other employees. The ideal candidate will offer a balance of hands-on and visionary leadershipsomeone capable of thinking both strategically and systematically, lending a curators mindset to refine and select the technologies and systems to best support student learning and operations at Country Day.

The CIO will report to the assistant head of school and will serve as a key member of the leadership team. Country Day looks forward to welcoming the CIO to begin July 1, 2026, or earlier by mutual agreement.12M & Ed Tech Recruiting is running the search on behalf of Charlotte Country Day School. Applications received by January 25 will receive priority review. For application instructions and the full job opportunity statement, please visit: www.EdTechRecruiting.com/jobs/CCDS/technology IMPORTANT INFORMATIONPriority Deadline: January 25, 2026Virtual Semifinal Round: Week of February 16On-site Final Round: Early MarchDecision Announced: March 16, 2026Start Date: July 1, 2026 (or earlier by mutual agreement)Reports To: Assistant Head of SchoolClassification: Full-time, ExemptSPECIFIC DUTIESSchoolwide Technology StrategyOversee multiple functional units including IT infrastructure, data/systems, and educational technology and all operations and project coordination within those units.Run a technology department that supports academic innovation in a scalable and sustainable fashion while adhering to best practices for an enterprise environment.Collaborate with senior leadership and key stakeholders to align technology initiatives, policies, and services to the needs of each campus and various all-school departments.Inspire the technology team and the faculty community to model and support best practices in innovation, technology integration, and instructional design.Educational TechnologyEvaluate emerging technologies and guide senior academic leaders on strategic and operational decisions involving instructional technology, hardware, software, and programs.Oversee the implementation of technology strategy and integration of the curricular arc into core disciplines and other parts of the schools curriculum.Design, deliver, and oversee professional development and growth experiences for faculty and staff in areas of technology integration and instructional design.Develop and standardize schoolwide technology policies, including comprehensive best practices around the use of AI.IT and Information SystemsIdentify and implement opportunities for connecting and consolidating data systems, to ensure datasets are current, reporting is reliable, and redundancies are minimized.Lead the periodic review of the schools systems ecosystem and develop key performance metrics to evaluate capacity and return on investment.In partnership with the IT systems manager, lead decisions regarding hardware, software, systems, back-end infrastructure, and services to ensure cost-effectiveness; customer satisfaction; compliance; asset management; quality of service; and performance.Provide executive oversight for compliance, data governance, and cyber resilience, safeguarding the schools digital assets and operational continuity.Departmental LeadershipOversee the hiring, supervision, evaluation, and growth of all members of the technology department, which includes a team of 14.Implement technology governance, planning, policies, and procedures within a management framework that both department members and constituents support.Ensure that the department responds to end-user needs, provides a reliable IT backbone, designs and delivers excellent end-user training, and aligns procedures to all-school needs.In partnership with the CFO/COO, oversee the allocation and management of the technology budget, ensuring effective use of resources.Report directly to the assistant head of school and perform other duties as assigned.QUALIFICATIONS AND QUALITIESProfessional QualificationsA bachelors degree from an accredited college or university, with advanced coursework or degree preferable7+ years of experience leading technology departments and supervising technology employeesExperience in major areas of technology planning and administration, such as: enterprise systems design and implementation, instructional technology innovation, dataflow and data interoperability, project management, fiscal planning and oversight, and end-user training, preferably in an educational or nonprofit settingA track record of successfully leveraging technology to improve instruction and student learning outcomesDemonstrated success building consensus, facilitating critical discussions, and guiding institutions through transitions or new initiativesLeadership and Personal QualitiesA deep understanding of the diverse technology needs within a large, high-achieving, multidivisional, multi-campus independent schoolA passion and interest for managing all areas of technologyIT, data/systems, and instructionaleven if prior experience in these areas are not equalA collaborative leadership presence that brings people together and instills confidence during times of transitionExceptional communication and interpersonal leadership skills to foster trust across a diverse team working across two campusesA steady, thoughtful approach to team development and organizational growthA systems-thinking orientation and curators mindset that align institutional mission with technological capacityA commitment to the mission, values, and culture of Country DayA blend of confidence and humility, paired with warmth, humor, and approachabilityAn eagerness to engage in the life of an independent school community, including the flexibility for occasional evening and weekend involvement