Ellucian Colleague Application Director- Southern California Varies NJ

Please note this role is on-site or hybrid in Southern California.

Job Summary

The Director of IT Enterprise Applications provides strategic leadership, vision, and operational oversight for the University�s administrative software ecosystem. This pivotal role focuses on the lifecycle management, optimization, and continuous modernization of our core Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform, Ellucian Colleague alongside all integrated third-party systems.

The Director leads a dedicated team of business analysts, developers, and administrators to deliver high-quality, customer-focused technology solutions across academic and administrative departments. The ideal candidate is a dynamic, collaborative leader with deep functional and technical expertise in higher education operations.

Key Responsibilities

1. ERP & Strategy Management Drive application roadmaps: Define and execute the long-term application strategy and modernization roadmaps, focusing heavily on adopting Ellucian Colleague SaaS functionalities. Manage release cycles: Coordinate the testing, planning, and deployment of Colleague patches and software releases to ensure minimal disruption to university operations. Mitigate technical debt: Evaluate all sub-modules and code modifications to avoid technical debt and eliminate unnecessary system customizations.
2. System Integration & Analytics Oversee API ecosystems: Lead the technical architecture and maintenance of integration tools, using Ellucian Ethos to connect the ERP with third-party software like LMS (Canvas) and CRMs. Support data governance: Partner with stakeholders to implement strict data standards, ensuring data integrity, security, and compliance across administrative systems. Enhance reporting systems: Oversee data reporting infrastructure leveraging tools like Entrinsik Informer, Argos, or Ellucian Insights to drive university business analytics.
3. Team Leadership & Governance Mentor technical talent: Direct, recruit, and foster professional development for a team of database administrators, system programmers, and business analysts. Establish IT governance: Prioritize functional system requests, enhancements, and workflow automations alongside university leadership teams. Manage vendor relations: Act as the primary liaison to software providers, keeping track of licensing compliance, support contracts, and service level agreements.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, or a closely related field. Leadership: Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible IT experience, including at least 3 years in a direct management or leadership role. ERP Domain Expertise: At least 3 years of hands-on experience supporting and administering an Ellucian Colleague environment within a Higher Education institution.

Technical Knowledge: Proven understanding of higher education operational frameworks (e.g., Financial Aid, Admissions, Student Records, and Human Resources).

Preferred Qualifications

Master�s degree in a technical or business management field. Advanced Ellucian Stack: Experience migrating legacy architectures to Colleague SaaS or managing environments built on Ellucian Experience, Self-Service, and Ethos. Legacy and Modern Tooling: Proficiency or familiarity with Envision, Unidata, Colleague Studio, WebAPI, or SQL databases.

Reporting Architecture: Prior success designing reporting ecosystems using Informer or Ellucian ODS/Insights.