Deputy Chief Information Officer at National Radio Astronomy Observatory – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Position Description:

Position Summary

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is a renowned and prestigious research facility that plays a crucial role in studying the universe. Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) is a nonprofit organization that manages and operates the NRAO under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation The Observatory operates various radio telescopes around the world, including the well-known Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico, the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) across North America, and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile. These telescopes are among the most advanced globally, enabling astronomers to explore the universe in unprecedented detail. Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) is a nonprofit organization that manages and operates the NRAO under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.

The NRAO is seeking a strategic, execution-focused Deputy Chief Information Officer to lead the Observatory’s Information Technology organization through a period of significant modernization and organizational evolution.

Reporting to the Assistant Director for Data Management & Software (DMS)/CIO, the Deputy CIO acts as the top IT leader responsible for operational excellence, technology transformation, and delivering dependable, scalable services across a highly distributed, data-heavy environment. This position will lead the development of IT capabilities to support next-generation radio astronomy, large-scale scientific projects, and a hybrid workforce.

This position may be located at any of the NRAO facilities (Green Bank, WV; Charlottesville, VA; Albuquerque or Socorro, NM). Hybrid or remote work agreements may be considered for highly qualified applicants.

What You Will be Doing

This is a hands-on leadership role that requires a balance of strategic vision and operational execution. The successful candidate will be a proven change leader with experience in modernizing complex IT environments and building high-performing organizations. The duties and responsibilities for this position will include, but are not limited to:

Technology Strategy & Transformation

• Leading transformation of IT operating model, service delivery, and technical capabilities
• Developing and executing IT strategy aligned with scientific and organizational priorities
• Driving standardization, automation, and process maturity
• Advising leadership on technology strategy, risk, and investment

Infrastructure, Networks & Platforms

• Overseeing multisite infrastructure including networks, observatory connectivity, data centers, cloud, compute, and storage
• Ensuring reliability, scalability, performance, and security of all platforms

Digital Workplace & Enterprise Services

• Leading end-user services including service desk, endpoint engineering, and collaboration tools
• Improving service quality and overall user experience

Scientific Computing & HPC

• Overseeing HPC, GPU/compute resources, and scientific storage platforms, including evaluation and use of external or outsourced capabilities where appropriate
• Aligning infrastructure and service delivery—internal and external—with data-intensive scientific workflows

Operational Excellence & Reliability

• Implementing SRE practices including SLOs, incident management, and continuous improvement
• Improving observability, automation, and operational efficiency

People Leadership & Organizational Development

• Leading, mentoring, and developing a high-performing IT organization
• Fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement

Financial & Vendor Management

• Managing budgets, capital investments, and major initiatives
• Overseeing vendor relationships and supporting long-term planning

Work Environment

The successful candidate will join a team of professionals engaged in research and development in the fields of science, engineering, software development, and education. Work is typically performed in a research or development environment. Must be able to operate a personal computer. Must be able to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.

Who You Are:

• You have a Bachelor's degree in information technology, computer science, engineering, or related field; highly relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a Bachelor's degree.
• At least 10 years experience in IT with at least five years in leadership roles, including responsibility for complex, distributed environments
• Demonstrated success leading large-scale IT transformation or modernization initiatives
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills across technical and non-technical audiences

Preferred

• Experience supporting scientific, research, or high-performance computing environments
• Familiarity with hybrid cloud architectures, large-scale data systems, and research infrastructure
• Experience implementing modern IT practices such as Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) or advanced IT service management frameworks

Competency Summary

• Transformational Leadership – Ability to lead organizational and technical change at scale
• Operational Excellence – Focus on reliability, performance, and measurable outcomes
• Strategic Thinking – Aligns technology investments with mission and long-term priorities
• Collaboration & Influence – Builds strong partnerships across scientific, technical, and administrative domains
• Execution Discipline – Drives initiatives from concept through delivery in complex environments

Additional Requirement

Observatory employees must be authorized to work in the United States.

Total Rewards:

Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) offers a comprehensive total rewards package for this position, subject to eligibility requirements. We are committed to serving our employees and their families with an extensive and competitive compensation and benefits package that supports our employees’ overall well-being and career growth.

Compensation

AUI strives to attract and retain dedicated, highly qualified, competent, and motivated employees by offering competitive compensation and recognition for performance.

Salary Range, Deputy Chief Information Officer: $130,000-$230,000

Benefits

AUI’s benefits package addresses the needs of employees and their families with most benefits beginning on the first day of employment. AUI provides excellent paid time off (13 holidays, annual accrual of up to 24 vacation days and 15 sick days, additional time off for doctor/dentist visits, and 8 weeks of paid parental leave). Medical, dental and vision plans are effective on the first day of employment. AUI’s retirement benefit contributes an amount equal to 10 percent of a qualified participant’s base pay with no required employee contribution; we also offer an optional supplemental, tax-deferred plan for employee retirement contributions.

Application Instructions:

Select the “Apply Now” button. Please be prepared to upload your current CV/Resume and a cover letter describing interest and suitability for the position

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement:

AUI is an equal opportunity employer. To view our complete statement, please visit https://public.nrao.edu/careers/. If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, you may submit your request by sending an email to resumes@nrao.edu. PM20