MCS Technology Director

Position: Technology Director

Program/Department: Central Office, Maryville City Schools

Supervised by: Dr. Mike Winstead, Director of Schools

Details:

Full time position with benefits, 260 contract days (12-month)

Salary Range - 90-114K (based on experience)

Application Procedure:

• Complete an online application on the Maryville City Schools - https://mcsd.schoolspring.com/
• E-mail cover letter to Dr. Mike Winstead, mike.winstead@maryville-schools.org 

Application Deadline:  Sunday, October 25, 2026

Job Summary:

Leads all district technology operations, cybersecurity, and student data privacy. The Director sets the district's technology vision, manages the technology budget and E-Rate program, and leads the technology team. The Director also protects district systems and student data, and partners with instructional leaders so technology supports teaching and learning in every school.

Qualifications:

Required

• Bachelor's degree in information technology, computer science, cybersecurity, or a related field
• Five or more years of progressively responsible IT experience, including at least three years in a leadership or supervisory role
• Experience managing budgets, vendor contracts, and enterprise networks and systems
• Working knowledge of FERPA, COPPA, and CIPA
• Citizenship, residency or work visa required

Preferred

• Master's degree in information technology, cybersecurity, educational technology, or a related field
• K-12 or public-sector technology leadership experience
• E-Rate program experience
• Security or technology leadership certification, such as CISSP, CISM, Security , or CoSN CETL
• Experience with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Canvas, student information systems, and mobile device management
• Experience leading incident response and building security awareness programs

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Technology Leadership and Strategy

• Develop and lead the district's technology vision and strategic plan, aligned to educational goals
• Partner with curriculum and instruction leaders on technology integration in classrooms and libraries
• Monitor emerging technologies and assess their fit for district needs

Budget, Vendors, and Contracts

• Prepare and manage technology budgets, including general fund, grants, and E-Rate
• Forecast short- and long-term technology expenditures
• Negotiate and manage vendor contracts and service-level agreements; evaluate vendor performance

Staff Leadership

• Supervise the technology department, including network administrator, systems administrator, and technicians
• Develop staffing plans, professional development, and retention strategies for technology staff

Infrastructure and Business Continuity

• Oversee networks, servers, and cloud environments, guiding cloud-first strategies where appropriate
• Ensure system uptime, backups, and disaster recovery readiness
• Lead planning and testing of disaster recovery and continuity plans, and report preparedness to leadership

Cybersecurity Program

• Develop and maintain the district's cybersecurity strategy and an information security framework aligned with standards such as NIST
• Conduct regular risk assessments and report security posture to senior leadership and the school board
• Maintain and test the incident response plan; lead investigations and coordinate with legal, insurance, and communications during incidents
• Work with technology staff on firewall, endpoint, and email security; review alerts from security tools
• Ensure MFA and least-privilege access; audit user and privileged access
• Oversee security awareness training and phishing simulations for staff and students

Data Privacy and Compliance

• Ensure compliance with FERPA, COPPA, CIPA, accessibility standards, and Tennessee student privacy law
• Review and approve vendor data privacy agreements (DPAs) and evaluate third-party application risk
• Maintain an inventory of approved digital tools
• Define data classification, retention, and secure disposal practices; guide data governance and analytics

Policy and Communication

• Develop and enforce technology, security, and privacy policies, including responsible use and device management
• Present updates to the leadership team and school board
• Communicate technology initiatives to families, staff, and the community, and respond to public inquiries

Equity and Access

• Ensure equitable technology access for all students, including students with disabilities
• Lead initiatives that close the digital divide, including device distribution, home internet access, and assistive technology

Other duties as assigned

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Explain technical and security topics clearly to non-technical audiences, including the school board and families
• Lead and develop a team, and build collaborative relationships across schools and departments
• Balance strategic planning with hands-on problem solving during outages and security incidents
• Exercise sound judgment with confidential student and employee data

Working Conditions

• Primarily office-based, with regular travel to district schools and facilities
• Must be available after hours and on weekends for critical outages and security incidents

Clearances

Criminal Justice Fingerprint/Background Clearance

FLSA Status

Exempt