Department of Transportation IT Director - Career Executive

Are you an executive leader with broad expertise and experience in overseeing all aspects of a large IT organization?

Become an integral part of our leadership team as the IT Director / Chief Information Officer (Management Information Manager) - Career Executive!

This full time permanent Career Executive position offers a hybridized work schedule! This full-time permanent position will be headquartered at and required to work from the Madison Hill Farms State Office Building at 4822 Madison Yards Way Madison, WI at least 2 days per week. All employees working a hybrid work schedule are generally expected to telework from within the State of Wisconsin. This topic will be discussed more at the time of the interview.

Why work with us in DOT IT? Check out this link for all the benefits of joining our team, or read more below:

WisDOT is a great place to work! In addition to meaningful and rewarding work, we offer a competitive benefits package featuring:

• Substantial leave time including at least 3.5 weeks of paid leave time to start, 9 paid holidays, and 130 hours of sick time that roll over each year.
• Excellent and affordable health, vision, and dental benefits (health plan options start at just $49/month for single plans and $122/month for family plans after two months of employment)
• A casual office atmosphere, flexible work schedules, and telework options depending on the position’s requirements
• An exceptional pension plan with employer match and lifetime retirement payment, plus an optional tax advantaged 457 retirement savings plan
• Well Wisconsin Wellness Program
• A free and confidential employee assistance program that offers employees and their immediate family dependents a variety of tools, resources, and professional consultation services to support their health, goals, and overall well-being
• Use this Total Rewards Calculator to see the total value of our competitive benefits package!

In addition to our generous employee benefits, we strive for inclusivity and celebrate different religious holidays and cultural observances and provide flexibility for utilizing paid time off for such celebrations. For more information on WisDOT you can visit our website by clicking here.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is an organization dedicated to creating transportation solutions through innovation and exceptional service. We are committed to fostering an environment rooted in Integrity, Diversity, Excellence, and Accountability. Click here to learn more about how we apply these values in our work.

As the IT Director for WisDOT you will:

• Lead the agency-wide IT program in the development, planning, and execution of strategic initiatives
• Participate with the IT management team in deliberations and decisions on management and technical solutions having bureau-wide, agency-wide, and state-wide implications
• Provide day-to-day management functions for a bureau of 250 IT staff

Furthermore, you will oversee professional IT leaders responsible for developing high-performance teams supporting all IT operations including:

• Infrastructure
• Security
• Application development
• Desktop support
• Service desk
• Enterprise architecture
• Project management
• IT governance
• Finance
• Procurement
• Asset management

This position also manages and provides leadership to the bureau and ensures the use of industry standard processes and best practices; develops high-performance IT teams ensuring optimum effectiveness of IT staff and resources; aligns the technology resources with departmental needs; implements and monitors IT metrics and service level agreements to meet customer expectations; and establishes and promotes a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement, and experimentation and learning.

This Career Executive position is in schedule-range (70-01) with an annual salary of $133,640 - $151,507 (or $64.25 - $72.84 per hour), plus excellent benefits. A 2-year career executive trial period is required. Pay for current state employees will be set in accordance with the Wisconsin State Compensation Plan.

This position requires infrequent travel, and may include out of State travel for business purposes.

This state agency does not sponsor work visas. This state agency is not enrolled in USCIS E-Verify and is not eligible to employ international F-1 students seeking STEM-OPT extension. Any appointment made will be contingent on the applicant being able to prove valid status to work in the United States.

Prior to any appointments for position(s) filled from this announcement, candidates may be subject to a comprehensive criminal background check which may include FBI fingerprinting.

In order to be considered for the next step in the recruitment process, qualified applicants must have experience in all the following:

• Significant professional work experience directing IT services for an organization (such as monitoring budgets, resource leveling and/or leveraging, and/or vendor management, etc.)
• Creating and implementing IT standards, policies, and/or procedures
• Supervising IT staff in an operational or project-based setting (e.g. creating work plans for staff, hiring and training staff, evaluating staff performance, establishing daily goals and tasks, overseeing employment functions)
• Establishing and/or regularly reviewing an organization’s IT security policies and risk management practices
• Communicating technical issues or topics to non-technical and executive level audiences

In addition to having all the above criterion, well qualified applicants will also detail having experience with the following:

• Developing and implementing tactical and/or operational business plans consistent with IT best practices
• Supervisory experience managing IT supervisors and/or managers within the public sector or a large, complex organization
• Leading IT strategic planning that aligns technology with enterprise or organizational goals, vision, and/or strategy
• Overseeing information security programs, vulnerability management, and compliance with state/federal/PCI DSS regulations

Apply online! To apply, click “Apply for Job” to start the application process. Then, you will access your existing account or to create a new account if you don’t have an account. Once you are logged in, click “Apply for Job.” Follow the steps outlined in the application process and submit your application.

This application requires you to submit a resume and letter of qualifications. Within your resume and letter of qualifications, you should describe your education, training, and experience as it relates to items listed in the “Qualifications” section of the job announcement. Your application materials are very important parts of your application and are used during our evaluation process to determine your eligibility for the position. For instructions on how to develop and what should be included in these materials, please view the Resume and Letter of Qualifications Tips document. Please view the ensuring a fair and equitable hiring process document to find out more information on the State of WI selection process. The vast majority of applicants are able to outline their background and experience in their resume within 1-3 pages. Any resumes or letters of qualifications submitted with more than 3 pages will not be considered after page 3.

Current Wisconsin state employees with Career Executive status need only apply with a resume and letter of qualifications submitted directly to Vicki Kaul at vicki.kaul@dot.wi.gov.

The State of Wisconsin offers a special program for qualified veterans with a 30% or greater service-connected disability. If you are a qualified veteran, please visit the Veterans Employment page and review method 2 for application instructions to be considered for the Veterans Non-Competitive Appointment program.

Submitted materials will be evaluated by a panel of job experts and the most qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process. For general wisc.jobs user information and if you are experiencing issues and need technical assistance, please see the wisc.jobs Frequently Asked Questions page. Questions related to obtaining the job description and details about this specific job posting can be directed to Vicki Kaul at vicki.kaul@dot.wi.gov or 608-261-6302.

All application materials must be received by 11:59 p.m. CST on July 21st, 2026.