Interim Director of Research Computing & IT Infrastructure

Date Posted: 10/08/2026

Hiring Organization: Rose International

Position Number: 508898

Industry: Government/Staffing

Job Title: Interim Director of Research Computing & IT Infrastructure

Job Location: Columbia, SC, USA, 29208

Work Model: Hybrid

Work Model Details: Hybrid schedule 3 days onsite/week

Shift: 8:00AM-5:00PM, Mon-Fri

Employment Type: Temporary

FT/PT: Full-Time

Estimated Duration (In months): 7

Min Hourly Rate($): 80.00

Max Hourly Rate($): 90.00

Must Have Skills/Attributes: Azure, Change Management, Infrastructure

Experience Desired

Experience leading organizational transformation, change management, and service delivery optimization (8 yrs),

Experience leading large, complex technology projects (8 yrs),

Experience with personnel management, coaching, and performance accountability (8 yrs),

Experience with research cyberinfrastructure, high-performance computing, high-speed storage and networking technologies (8 yrs),

Experience implementing governance and operational maturity frameworks (8 yrs),

Experience managing organizational change in higher education (8 yrs)

Required Minimum Education: Bachelor’s Degree

Preferred Education: Master’s Degree

Preferred Certifications/Licenses: ITIL/Cloud/AI Inftrastructure (AWS/Azure/Google)/Carpentries Instructor/HPC Technologies (Slurm)

**C2C is not available**

Job Description

REQUIRED EDUCATION:

• Requires a completed bachelor's degree
  
  

Preferred Education

• Master’s degree in science, technology, or a related field
  
  

Preferred Certifications

• ITIL
• Cloud Infrastructure (AWS/Azure)
• AI Infrastructure (AWS/Azure/Google)
• Carpentries Instructor
• Training on HPC Technologies (Slurm, Infiniband)
  
  

Required Skills/ Experience

• 8 years of experience leading organizational transformation, change management, and service delivery optimization
• 8 years of experience leading large, complex technology projects
• 8 years of experience with personnel management, coaching, and performance accountability
  
  

Preferred Skills

• Experience with research cyberinfrastructure, high-performance computing, high-speed storage and networking technologies
• Experience implementing governance and operational maturity frameworks
• Experience managing organizational change in higher education
  
  

SCOPE OF THE ROLE: The Division of IT requires an experienced leader to provide immediate organizational stabilization and transformational leadership during a period of significant departmental change. The department is currently experiencing organizational, operational, and cultural challenges that require decisive leadership, objective assessment, and rapid implementation of corrective actions before recruiting a permanent Director.

The interim assignment is intended to serve as a transformational leadership role focused on rebuilding organizational culture, aligning resources with institutional priorities, improving operational effectiveness, and implementing sustainable management practices. The successful candidate will be empowered to make organizational decisions necessary to position the department for long-term success and ensure a smooth transition to permanent leadership.

Daily Duties / Responsibilities

Over a 9–12-month engagement, the Interim Director will lead a comprehensive organizational transformation initiative that includes:

• Stabilizing departmental operations while maintaining continuity of critical IT services and customer engagement
• Conducting an inventory of current research technology infrastructure, services, operational procedures, active/anticipated projects, and budget needs/requests
• Establishing or aligning operational procedures with divisional standards and practices for customer engagement, including leveraging the service desk ticketing system for managing support requests, client communications, task/project tracking, reporting analytics
• Establishing governance, communication, and decision-making processes that support long-term success
• Documenting organizational recommendations, strategic priorities, lifecycle budgets, professional development needs, and transition plans for the incoming permanent Director
• Recruiting, mentoring, and preparing team members where appropriate to support long-term organizational success
• Success will be measured by demonstrable improvements in organizational culture, employee accountability, operational performance, customer satisfaction, governance maturity, and departmental readiness for permanent executive leadership
  
  

Other Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for all departmental operations, research technology infrastructure, and related services
• Supervise managers, professional, and student staff
• Establish performance expectations and monitor organizational outcomes
• Make timely operational and resource allocation decisions
• Lead organizational change initiatives and culture transformation efforts
• Evaluate organizational effectiveness and recommend structural improvements
• Develop and monitor departmental priorities and performance metrics in collaboration with executive leadership
• Coordinate departmental budgets and strategic resource allocation in collaboration with executive leadership
• Ensure compliance with university policies, security standards, audit requirements, and regulatory obligations
• Remove organizational obstacles that inhibit productivity, innovation, and collaboration
• Provide executive-level reports and recommendations to executive leadership
• Develop succession planning and transition documentation for permanent leadership
• **Only those lawfully authorized to work in the designated country associated with the position will be considered.**
• **Please note that all Position start dates and duration are estimates and may be reduced or lengthened based upon a client’s business needs and requirements.**
  
  

Benefits

For information and details on employment benefits offered with this position, please visit here. Should you have any questions/concerns, please contact our HR Department via our secure website.

California Pay Equity

For information and details on pay equity laws in California, please visit the State of California Department of Industrial Relations' website here.

Rose International is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender (expression or identity), national origin, arrest and conviction records, disability, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. Positions located in San Francisco and Los Angeles, California will be administered in accordance with their respective Fair Chance Ordinances.

If you need assistance in completing this application, or during any phase of the application, interview, hiring, or employment process, whether due to a disability or otherwise, please contact our HR Department.

Rose International has an official agreement (ID #132522), effective June 30, 2008, with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Employment Verification Program (E-Verify). (Posting required by OCGA 13/10-91.).