What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director - Information Technology position at Hays County?
Essential functions, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, include the responsibilities, knowledge, skills, and other characteristics listed below. This list of responsibilities is ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY, and is not a comprehensive listing of all functions and tasks performed by positions in this class. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Other duties may be assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Summary
Under the general direction of the County Administrator, the Director of Information Technology provides executive leadership, strategic direction, and operational oversight for all County technology systems, cybersecurity functions, and enterprise information services. This position is responsible for the planning, development, implementation, security, and support of the County’s technology infrastructure, enterprise applications, public safety systems, and information security programs. The Director leads the County’s long-term technology strategy, ensures the reliability and resilience of mission-critical systems, and supports the technology needs of all County departments, elected offices, and public safety partners—including the Sheriff’s Office, emergency communications, and regional interoperability efforts.
The Director establishes technology governance frameworks, oversees major technology initiatives, manages multimillion-dollar budgets, and ensures compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, including CJIS, HIPAA (as applicable), and data-privacy requirements. This position provides expert guidance to executive leadership and serves as the County’s primary advisor on technology risks, opportunities, cyber threats, and innovation. The Director supervises a team of professional and technical IT staff, oversees vendor and contract relationships, fosters cross-departmental collaboration, and ensures high-quality, secure, and efficient delivery of enterprise technology services. Work is performed with considerable independent judgment, strategic decision-making, and accountability for results.
Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Governance
Summary
Under the general direction of the County Administrator, the Director of Information Technology provides executive leadership, strategic direction, and operational oversight for all County technology systems, cybersecurity functions, and enterprise information services. This position is responsible for the planning, development, implementation, security, and support of the County’s technology infrastructure, enterprise applications, public safety systems, and information security programs. The Director leads the County’s long-term technology strategy, ensures the reliability and resilience of mission-critical systems, and supports the technology needs of all County departments, elected offices, and public safety partners—including the Sheriff’s Office, emergency communications, and regional interoperability efforts.
The Director establishes technology governance frameworks, oversees major technology initiatives, manages multimillion-dollar budgets, and ensures compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, including CJIS, HIPAA (as applicable), and data-privacy requirements. This position provides expert guidance to executive leadership and serves as the County’s primary advisor on technology risks, opportunities, cyber threats, and innovation. The Director supervises a team of professional and technical IT staff, oversees vendor and contract relationships, fosters cross-departmental collaboration, and ensures high-quality, secure, and efficient delivery of enterprise technology services. Work is performed with considerable independent judgment, strategic decision-making, and accountability for results.
Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Governance
- Provides overall leadership, direction, and management of the County’s Information Technology Department, including strategic planning, organizational development, service delivery, and resource allocation.
- Develops and implements the County’s long-term technology vision, strategies, and enterprise architecture to support operational efficiency, public safety, and organizational priorities.
- Participates in countywide strategic planning and serves as the primary advisor to executive leadership, elected officials, and department heads on technology-related issues, opportunities, risks, and investments.
- Establishes and oversees IT governance processes, technology standards, service level agreements (SLAs), and performance metrics to ensure consistent, secure, and high-quality service delivery.
- Oversees the design, implementation, maintenance, and enhancement of the County’s enterprise infrastructure, networks, telecommunications systems, cloud environments, and data center operations.
- Ensures the effective delivery of enterprise IT services, including network operations, cybersecurity, applications, databases, end-user support, public safety technology, geographic information systems, and 24/7 mission-critical systems.
- Directs the integration of new technologies and evaluates existing systems for efficiency, modernization potential, cybersecurity posture, and cost-effectiveness.
- Provides enterprise-level technical oversight and support for mission-critical County systems, including public safety, emergency communications, Elections technology, and other department-specific platforms requiring high reliability, security, and interagency coordination.
- Develops, implements, and monitors a comprehensive countywide information security program ensuring confidentiality, integrity, availability, continuity, and resilience of information systems.
- Leads the County’s cybersecurity governance structure, including risk assessment, vulnerability management, compliance monitoring, policy development, and security awareness programs.
- Collaborates with legal, compliance, HR, and public safety partners to maintain adherence to federal, state, and local laws, including data privacy requirements and criminal justice information standards.
- Oversees incident response, disaster recovery, and business continuity planning, ensuring critical systems can be restored rapidly following disruptions or security events.
- Maintains active relationships with external cybersecurity and law enforcement partners to stay informed on emerging threats and best practices.
- Develops and manages the IT Department’s operating and capital budgets, including oversight of multimillion-dollar technology budgets supporting County departments and public safety operations.
- Provides final authority on procurement, technology purchases, vendor contracts, licensing, and long-term asset lifecycle management.
- Manages vendor relationships, contract negotiations, and service partnerships to ensure cost-effective and high-quality technology solutions.
- Oversees the development of IT business plans, budgeting processes, forecasts, and financial reporting for enterprise technology investments.
- Establishes, updates, and enforces County technology policies, procedures, cybersecurity standards, and compliance frameworks.
- Ensures consistent application of IT and security policies across all departments, systems, and technology projects.
- Develops and maintains documentation for information security, technology operations, and system management.
- Oversees compliance with state and federal regulations affecting technology and data management, including CJIS, HIPAA (if applicable), data privacy laws, and retention mandates.
- Provides leadership, supervision, and direction to management, technical, and professional IT staff, including hiring, performance management, professional development, and succession planning.
- Ensures appropriate staffing and resource allocation to support both strategic initiatives and daily operations.
- Fosters a culture of innovation, customer service, accountability, and continuous improvement within the IT Department.
- Facilitates communication and collaboration across departments, elected offices, public safety agencies, and external partners.
- Serves as a liaison with law enforcement, emergency services, partner jurisdictions, regional IT groups, and state/federal entities to ensure technology alignment and interoperability.
- Represents the County on committees, boards, and collaborative groups related to technology, cybersecurity, emergency communications, and public-sector innovation.
- Leads the execution of high-impact, countywide technology initiatives and modernization projects.
- Identifies opportunities to improve service delivery, reduce costs, enhance security, and leverage new technologies to support County operations.
- Drives technology planning, engineering, implementation, and continuous improvement efforts across the organization.
- Performs other technology leadership duties as assigned to support County operations and strategic goals.
- Bachelors's degree in the area of information technology, computer science or related field
- 10 years experience in computer science applications in a enterprise setting
- Valid Texas Class C Drivers License
- Master’'s degree in the area of information technology, computer science or related field
- Experience in government, public sector, or county experience
- National Certified Government Chief Information Officer (CGCIO) certification
- Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC).
- Certified Information Security Manager (CISM).
- Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA).
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).