Associate Director of Computing Services (SL6)

This title is in the unclassified service and in the SUNY Professional Services Negotiating Unit.

As a family the Computing Services positions provide technical guidance and professional administrative support to program managers, department heads or administrative officers, faculty, support staff and students of the University. Distinctions among classes within the group are based primarily upon the incumbent's level of involvement in applications programming, systems analysis and/or systems programming, respectively. The degree of supervision given or received, technical complexity of work, autonomy in making program decisions, and educational and experiential prerequisites are all valid criteria in classifying a position within the series. Classification actions on these positions are not mutually exclusive, and a large department or division may have several individuals working in one or more of these titles.

As a class, can be distinguished from all lower classified positions in that the incumbent is typically assigned full responsibility for all technical areas within the department. These areas include applications programming, systems analysis and system programming. As a part of this family, incumbents work at the highest professional level, assisting the Director of Computing Services in all technical areas. Incumbents are indirectly supervised, receiving direction via stated goals from the Director and/or other campus managers. They are subsequently responsible for meeting such goals or commitments. Supervision is typically exercised over clerical support staff, and lower level computer professionals. Duties typical to Associate Director of the applications programming function include: directing, organizing, scheduling and supervising completion of major projects having campus-wide implications; analyzing and evaluating programming staff, and recommending to campus management ways of improving efficiency of operations and better utilizing human resources; analyzing and evaluating programming systems to determine the most economical and efficient ways of meeting project specifications as agreed to be the user department/unit; analyzing user requirements to effectively incorporate within overall user system; participating in developmental and user committees; conferring with users to define, analyze and communicate problem and potential solutions.

Responsibilities involved in the systems analysis function may typically include: planning, organizing and controlling activities of the systems analysis projects for the department, including implementation of new or revised system and procedures; responsible for feasibility studies, systems design and for making recommendations for improved service; assigning department personnel to various projects and directing activities; analyzing, developing, and evaluating complex computer systems to determine the most economical ways to meet user/project specifications; and conferring with users and user groups to define, analyze and communicate system problems.

Tasks of the systems programming sub-unit my include; directing, organizing, scheduling and supervising large groups (often broken down into small teams) assigning to systems programming projects; working with users and programming staff to define, analyze and communicate system problems and specifications; analyzing user requirements so that they will be successfully incorporated within overall user systems; participating in developmental and user committees; coordinating assignments and establishing work schedules; assigning, outlining, and coordinating the work of programmers engaged in writing program and routines; establishing standards for programming procedures; reviewing and evaluating the work of the staff, and subsequently preparing periodic performance reports; and collaborating with other technical professionals in scheduling equipment analyses, feasibility studies and system planning.

Preferred Qualifications:

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related area, and five (5) to seven (7) years of professional, including supervisory, experience in the computer field. Minimum of three (3) years of supervisory experience, preferably in a computing environment. At this level, a full compliment of programming and systems analysis skills should be possessed by incumbent.

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