Executive Director, Digital Transformation, AI

Date Posted: 11/13/2025
Req ID: 45979
Faculty/Division: Ofc of the Chief Information Officer
Department: Chief Information Officer
Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)

Description:

Information Technology Services at the University of Toronto is committed to leveraging technology as a powerful tool for empowerment and impact and recognizes AI as a transformative catalyst for this work.  In the AI Task Force Report, the university lays out an approach to responsible AI adoption, ensuring that the future of our technology solutions are inclusive, ethical, sustainable, and instill digital trust.  We are excited for modernized approaches enabling us to serve 100,000 students across three campuses, librarians curating extraordinary collections, faculty and researchers who are on the frontiers of new knowledge, and staff colleagues across our vibrant campus. 

YOUR OPPORTUNITY: 

The Executive Director, Digital Transformation, AI will play a pivotal leadership role in advancing the University of Toronto's technology modernization and AI readiness across the institution's entire digital portfolio. This role requires a leader who excels at building consensus in complex, matrixed environments, convening diverse technical communities, and enabling teams to realize ambitious visions while navigating significant uncertainty. 

Reporting to the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and working in close collaboration with the Associate Vice-President & Vice-Provost, Digital Strategies and Associate Vice-President of Institutional Strategies, this role will translate institutional digital transformation and AI strategy into actionable roadmaps and implementations. The Executive Director will lead across key technology capabilities focused on modernization and digital transformation of technical capabilities across the tri-campus community, convening technical communities, academic leaders, and operational partners to co-create scalable platforms and services. 

A primary focus area will be leading the design, implementation, and scaling of the AI Kitchen—a secure, innovative environment for AI experimentation and deployment. The AI Kitchen is a key enabler to operational excellence efforts across campus and serves as a model for the institution's broader approach to emerging technology adoption and platform development. 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

EDUCATION: 

Graduate degree in disciplines emphasizing engineering or technology management, technology policy and systems leadership, innovation management, human-centered design, organizational agility, and/or the adoption of emerging technologies. Candidates should demonstrate a track record of applying these skills in complex organizations.  

EXPERIENCE: 

Minimum 10 years of progressive leadership in technology innovation, transformational project management, and/or digital strategy in a complex, decentralized organization. 

Demonstrated experience in overseeing enterprise-level technology projects, infrastructure design, and strategic planning. 

Experience working with diverse stakeholders including IT professionals, faculty, staff, and student groups. 

Familiarity with higher education, open scholarship, and the intersection of AI with institutional governance is a strong asset. 

Demonstrated success in strategic planning and data-informed decision-making, as well as digital experience leadership. 

Experience in leading staff. Preferably in a unionized environment.  

SKILLS: 

Advanced knowledge of AI tools, platforms, and data architectures. 

Strong project management skills with a proven ability to lead multifaceted initiatives from concept through to execution. 

Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills; demonstrated ability to build trust and consensus across diverse groups. 

Strong systems thinking, human-centered design thinking, and organizational change management capabilities. 

Expertise in cross-functional leadership and influence, governance design, organizational agility, and technology adoption strategies. 

Highly developed negotiation and consensus-building skills. 

Ability to integrate emerging technologies into institutional strategy and operations while balancing innovation with policy and risk considerations.  

OTHER: 

Values-driven leadership approach with a commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. 

Adept at working in resource-constrained environments and enabling innovation through strategic prioritization and collaboration. 

Commitment to inclusive and distributed leadership models that empower diverse contributors across the institution. 

Strong "integrative" skills related to understanding cross-functional implications and inter-relationships of issues and decisions; strategic in approach to planning; ability to influence others over whom there is no direct reporting relationship to achieve tasks and functional responsibilities by means of esteem, credibility and relationship-building skills; ability to deal with senior University administrators in a manner which facilitates cooperation.

High degree of political acuity and judgment; highly developed skills in oral and written communication, including effective presentation skills; strong planning and organizational skills; excellent facilitation skills; strong analytical skills; precision of thought and attention to detail. 

Closing Date: 12/14/2025,11:59PM ET
Employee Group: Salaried 
Personnel Subarea:PM
Appointment Type: Budget - Continuing 
Schedule: Full-Time
Pay Scale Group & Hiring Zone: PM 9 -- Hiring Zone: $189,279 - $220,827 -- Broadband Salary Range: $189,279 - $315,466 (Open)
Job Category: Information Technology (IT)