Chief Technology Officer

Purpose:

Under general direction from the Chief Information Officer (CIO), the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Austin Technology Services (ATS) is responsible for the development and execution of the City’s Technology Roadmap, the management of enterprise architecture, and technology infrastructure. The CTO is responsible for the management of long-term capital planning using a prioritization process based on documented business cases and for producing a coordinated and consistent plan for City government technology.

Duties, Functions and Responsibilities:

Essential duties and functions, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include the following. Other related duties may be assigned.

• Assists in the planning, development, and implementation of City-wide technology strategies.
• Plans, organizes, coordinates, manages, and directs the day-to-day operations of the assigned business technology unit.
• Oversees the preparation of the departmental business plan and budget.
• Creates and continually updates the Citywide Technology Strategy, leveraging strategic initiatives within the department business units, and considering developing technologies across the government value chain to position the City for continued success while achieving cost-effective solutions.
• Provides direction for achieving the goals set forth in the Strategic Plan by working collaboratively with IT and business leadership to ensure that tactical plans, projects, and strategies emanating from the Plan are integrated and aligned.
• Examines City-wide strategic business goals and directs short- and long-range strategic planning and analysis of government service delivery trends to recommend future goals.
• Facilitates the study of innovative technologies and their applicability to City business needs in the near and long-term future.
• Coordinates the examination, analysis, and development of innovative business models that will enable the City to achieve and improve comprehensive and sustainable IT service delivery. Develops and recommends innovative technologies for improved City business operations
• Administers enterprise architecture, development, and maintenance of the architectural blueprint, and alignment of the architecture with City departments’ separate and/or shared operating models, strategic goals, and objectives.
• Works collaboratively with the Chief Information Officer and other departments to develop and implement practical and cost- effective processes for evaluating and implementing technology projects.
• Works with senior IT executives to develop and implement processes for evaluating information systems and other technology initiatives that may be applied across the organization.
• Oversees a broad range of technology evaluation and selection activities.
• Analyzes future opportunities and threats, assesses long-term financial uncertainty and risk, and makes recommendations to the Chief Information Officer on how to best position the City IT for continued success.
• Conducts long-range planning and project prioritization through business cases at the request of City departments by providing resources and personnel to meet their needs.
• Develops effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders that advance the City’s understanding and knowledge of promising information technologies.

Responsibilities - Supervisor and/or Leadership Exercised:

• Responsible for the full range of supervisory activities including selection, training, evaluation, counseling, and recommendation for dismissal.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Must possess required knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience and be able to explain and demonstrate, with or without reasonable accommodations, that the essential functions of the job can be performed.

• Knowledge of Federal, State, Local laws, ordinances, and policies that apply to government operations.
• Knowledge of supervisory and managerial techniques and principles.
• Knowledge of budgeting methods and systems.
• Knowledge of local government and technologies relevant to large cities.
• Knowledge of approaches to strategic and technology planning.
• Knowledge of the application of enterprise architecture to guide organizations towards achieving strategic vision.
• Knowledge of relevant technologies to integrate into the long-term strategic vision of the City.
• Knowledge of best practices related to change management.
• Knowledge of City practices, policies, and procedures.
• Skill in handling conflict and uncertain situations.
• Skill in collecting, analyzing, and interpreting applicable data.
• Skill in oral and written communication.
• Skill in handling multiple tasks and prioritizing.
• Skill in using computers and related software applications.
• Ability to work with frequent interruptions/changes in priorities.
• Ability to quickly recognize and analyze irregular events.
• Ability to establish and maintain excellent communication and working relationships with City employees and the public.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Graduation with a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in a field related to Business Administration, Economics, Engineering, Finance, Information Systems, or Computer Science, plus seven (7) years of related experience including two (2) years of experience in a managerial capacity and two (2) years of experience in Information Technology related operations or planning.
• Education may substitute for non-managerial experience up to two (2) years.

Licenses and Certifications Required:

• None.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience leading enterprise architecture practices and developing long-term technology roadmaps within large and complex organizations.
• Experience developing and implementing enterprise-wide technology strategies, governance frameworks, and infrastructure modernization initiatives.
• Experience rationalizing technology portfolios to improve operational efficiency while maintaining high-quality and resilient services.
• Experience leading and mentoring technology leaders and building succession planning strategies within large IT organizations.
• Experience working across public-sector organizations, with additional private-sector experience preferred, to drive innovation, collaboration, and strategic technology transformation.
• Experience developing and implementing enterprise cloud strategies and leading cloud engineering or infrastructure operations teams.
• Experience managing large-scale enterprise infrastructure operations with a focus on technical hygiene, resiliency, and operational excellence.

Notes To Candidate

To view the detailed Recruitment Profile for this position, please click here.

To view the City of Austin recruitment video, please click here.

Working with the City of Austin provides a number of health and welfare benefits such as low-cost medical, dental, vision, paid leave time, a highly competitive retirement plan, training opportunities and more. Please click HERE for more information.

Austin Technology Services

Austin Technology Services (ATS) is the City of Austin's principal information technology department and focuses on the delivery and operations of vital IT infrastructure network and telecommunications services, continuous service improvement, and solutions to enable customer success. ATS also teams up with regional partners to improve public safety communication throughout Central Texas.

ATS is comprised of multiple service areas, each with a unique focus: 

• Information Security leads the defense of the City’s digital environment - protecting infrastructure, data, and essential public systems. From the Security Operations Center to Governance, Risk & Compliance and Security Architecture, this team ensures Austin operates safely in an increasingly complex threat landscape.
• Customer Engagement works hand-in-hand with City departments, ensuring technology is aligned with business needs. Through Business Relationship Management, Service Portfolio Management, and the Project/Program Management Office, the team drives effective delivery of Citywide technology initiatives.
• Critical Infrastructure & Public Safety supports the highly specialized, always on systems used by our public safety agencies and essential services. This team provides engineering, architecture, and continuity planning to ensure the systems Austin relies on remain resilient, secure, and available.
• Customer Delivery ensures that enterprise applications, DevOps, testing, and the Service Desk work seamlessly together. This function provides dependable, high quality services that enable City employees to work efficiently and deliver exceptional service to the community.
• Data & Analytics leads the City’s transformation into a data driven organization. From engineering and governance to business intelligence, AI/ML, and performance measurement, this team empowers departments with insights that support informed decisions and measurable outcomes.
• Business Management supports the operational backbone of ATS—finance, contract support, vendor management, workforce development, performance metrics, and administrative services. Their work ensures strong stewardship of public resources and the growth of a talented, engaged technology workforce.
• Governance, Planning, Engineering & Architecture provides Citywide technology leadership, establishing the standards, architecture, strategic plans, and delivers the resilient infrastructure backbone that all services depend on.

Salary Range: Salary is commensurate based on experience and the approved salary range.

Location: 2400 Grove Blvd, Austin, TX 78741

Days and Hours: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Monday – Friday.

*Hours may vary depending upon business needs. This position is on-site.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a strategic and operationally focused technology leader with experience balancing enterprise strategy, infrastructure modernization, and daily technology operations. They bring experience leading complex technology environments, ideally within the public sector, while valuing innovation and best practices from the private sector. This individual possesses strong expertise in enterprise architecture, governance, infrastructure resiliency, and long-range planning, to streamline technology portfolios while maintaining reliable and cost-effective services. They are also a collaborative and people-focused leader committed to mentoring staff, developing future leaders, and partnering across the organization to advance resilient and forward-thinking technology solutions.

The following core competencies are important for this role:

• Strategic Technology Leadership: Demonstrates the ability to develop and implement long-term technology strategies, roadmaps, and enterprise architecture practices that align with organizational goals and support sustainable service delivery.
• Infrastructure and Operational Excellence: Possesses strong technical expertise in enterprise infrastructure, technology operations, and technical resiliency, with a focus on improving system health, reliability, and operational efficiency.
• Governance and Enterprise Planning: Understands technology governance, portfolio rationalization, capital planning, and strategic prioritization to ensure technology investments are cost-effective, aligned, and scalable across the organization.
• Leadership Development and Mentorship: Builds high-performing teams through coaching, mentorship, succession planning, and the development of future technology leaders within the organization.
• Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement: Establishes strong working relationships across departments and with executive leadership to support shared decision-making, cross-functional alignment, and enterprise-wide technology initiatives.
• Innovation and Change Management: Leads organizations through technological transformation by evaluating emerging technologies, driving modernization efforts, and implementing change in a strategic and sustainable manner.

What to Expect in the Role:

The selected candidate will provide leadership for Technology Governance & Planning, Enterprise Architecture, End-User Technology Management, Cloud & Infrastructure Platforms, Monitoring & Resilience, Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery and Identity & Access Management teams, including support from five senior technology managers, while also working with the Austin Technology Services executive team and department executives across the City.

The role includes responsibility for the effective delivery and operations of reliable, scalable, and secure platforms that provide the digital backbone, for City of Austin digital business and services as the foundation for technology services delivered to the community and regional partners, with a scope that includes over 130 staff and 6 direct reports, and a budget over $60M/yr.

Initial priorities may include strengthening the enterprise architecture practice, providing continued organizational alignment leadership during technology centralization, and guiding technology governance efforts through application rationalization and technology standardization. Key considerations include the ability to lead organization through complex changes, a strong commitment to mentorship and employee development, and expertise in advancing the citywide technology strategy.

The selected candidate should be prepared to navigate these areas while supporting strong operations, employee engagement, community trust, and long-term service excellence.

Regarding Your Application:

• A detailed and complete Employment Application is required. A Resume and Cover Letter are required and will not be accepted in lieu of a complete online Employment Application.
• Verification of employment history dates on resume should match online Employment Application.
• This position requires a Criminal Background Investigation (CBI).
• A first review of candidates will occur on July 20, 2026. To apply, candidates must complete this online application. Interested candidates should apply early in the process for optimum consideration.

Note: Information submitted for consideration may be made available to the public in compliance with the Texas Open Records Act.