Cloud Innovation Director (Higher Ed.)

Here at Ellucian, we are motivated by a mission ~ the power of education to transform lives and change the world. We are the global market leader in EdTech for Higher Education, serving more than 2,700 customers and reaching over 26 million students in 50 countries. We are dedicated to helping Higher Ed thrive by transforming their institutions to agile, digitally connected campuses that enable student success.

About the Opportunity:

Reporting to the VP for Global Service Innovation, the Cloud Innovation Director leads and coordinates the development of executive-level organizational change management practices at key clients across the globe. This position is instrumental in driving the client mindset shift around SaaS solution adoption and delivery, both internally and externally. Working in cross-functional partnership with senior Professional Services leadership, Product Management, Research and Development, Digital Transformation and others as necessary, the Cloud Innovation Director prepares our clients for the rapid pace of change experienced during a cloud adoption engagement.

Where you will make an impact:

• 
  Building and leading a new program around executive-level organizational change management practices that embrace and enable SaaS adoption at key clients
• Demonstrating sought after thought leadership amongst our customers, and internally, through an effective mindset modernization approach
• Developing a trusted advisor relationship with our key customers by leveraging your higher education expertise and Ellucian best practices to guide our customer path to the cloud
• Proactively work with customers to identify barriers to successful cloud adoption and work with senior customer executives to adopt strategic plans, and potential course corrections, in order to ensure successful modernization transformations
• Acting as an executive customer liaison into the Ellucian Executive Leadership Team (ELT) regarding strategic account modernizations to SaaS
• Identifying issues or trends that threaten customer success and work cross-functionally to drive solutions on customers’ behalf
• Driving customer success at key SaaS implementations by demonstrating strategic, executive advisory practices around operational excellence and value driven adoption
• Coordinating with service delivery leadership in a manner that drives faster time to value at key customer engagements
• Proactively engaging with North American service delivery peers to assess and adjust the new program based on a continuous improvement methodology
• Developing a client facing strategy around the varied logistical changes associated with a SaaS migration to ensure cross-functional customer success
• Ensuring alignment with new outcomes-based delivery practices across the service delivery units, laying a foundation for service delivery at scale
• Understanding the global Services marketplace and delivery best practices in driving new implementation practices throughout the organization
• Working with vendor partners, as required, to ensure effective delivery of formal organizational change management programs
• Developing related materials and artifacts that drive and support the new program
• Where appropriate, provide leadership on critical issue management
• Where appropriate, establish delivery compliance and assurance metrics and measurements along with monitoring practices in collaboration with other senior Services leadership

What you will bring:

• A Bachelor's degree or higher in business, technology or a higher education related field is required
• 5 years of C-level or Associate C-level service in large complex Higher Education institutions OR 10 years of consulting or directly relevant client management
• In depth knowledge of the higher education delivery practice and solving the business needs of higher education through SaaS-enabled solutions
• Demonstrated understanding of the role technology serves in supporting the college/university educational mission and how it may be leveraged to bring out operational efficiencies through speed to delivery
• Positive, self-motivated, team-oriented individual with the ability and desire to innovate, create, and develop solutions that have the capability of transforming the effectiveness of higher education
• High level insight into higher education business processes and knowledge of using strategic combinations of people, processes and technology to deliver value to customers
• Demonstrated and successful implementation of IT governance, standards, best practices, and outsourcing options relevant for the higher education setting
• Experience presenting digital transformation strategies, including perspectives on managing change across people, process, and technology
• Ability to develop detailed plans to deliver excellence at educational clients
• Exceptional relationship building skills supported by proven action and follow-through using strong time and project management skills
• Demonstrated understanding of current industry trends and issues in higher education
• Solid understanding of the roles of higher education executive leaders and their roles in supporting the college/university educational mission and enhancing institutional effectiveness and operational efficiencies
• Superior interpersonal, written and oral communications skills with an emphasis on relationship building, facilitating, public speaking and presentations.
• Willingness to travel and consult on-site, on average, up to 50% of a particular month
• Ability to coordinate and organize travel logistics, time and expense reporting, and other administrative tasks

What makes #Ellucianlife

• Comprehensive health coverage: medical, dental, and vision
• Flexible time off
• Thrive Flex Program that allows you to contribute towards your health, financial or learning interests
• 401k w/ match & Bright Plan - to help you save for the future
• Maternity & Paternity Leave

• Charitable leave – 40 hours/year
• Telemedicine
• Wellness

• Ginger (mental health)
• Wellbeats (virtual fitness classes)

• Rethink – caregiver support
• Diversity and inclusion programs which provide access to 11 internal employee resource groups
• Tuition Reimbursement Assistance
• Professional development opportunities

#LI-MW1

#LI-REMOTE

Additional Information: