Career Level Minimum of 5 years of progressive IT leadership and systems engineering experience

Job Description

About McMaster:

At McMaster University, we are driven by a shared purpose: advancing human and societal health and wellbeing. Through world-class research, transformative education, and meaningful community impact, we are addressing some of the world's most complex challenges and creating positive change locally and globally.

Consistently ranked among Canada's top universities and recognized internationally for research excellence, innovation, and student success, McMaster is home to more than 37,000 students, over 200,000 alumni worldwide, and a vibrant community of scholars, researchers, learners, and partners. From pioneering discoveries in health sciences and engineering to advancing social innovation and community wellbeing, McMaster's impact extends far beyond our campus.

As we look toward the future, philanthropy will play an increasingly important role in enabling the University's aspirations. Through strategic partnerships with donors, alumni, foundations, corporations, and community leaders, McMaster is creating opportunities to accelerate discovery, enhance student experiences, support breakthrough research, and strengthen its impact on society.

About Univeristy Advancement:

University Advancement at McMaster University is an integrated department that encompasses the areas of Communications and Public Affairs, Marketing, Development, Alumni Advancement, Stewardship, Volunteer Engagement, and Advancement Services & Operations, and works collaboratively with McMaster’s Faculties and units across campus. These areas coordinate their activities and work as a team to build relationships, reputation and resources on behalf of the University.

Our vision is: Together, we enable McMaster to advance human and societal health and well-being.

Our mission is: Inspired by McMaster’s tradition of collaboration and innovation, we strengthen relationships, reputation and resources in pursuit of our goal to be the best.

University Advancement’s approach to realizing our mission and vision reflects these core values and principles: Integrity, Quality, Respect, Service, Strategy and Teamwork.

About the role:

Reporting to the Director of IT, Business Intelligence & Data Strategy, the Manager of IT Solutions is a critical technical anchor responsible for leading the strategic development, enhancement, and architectural evaluation of all application infrastructure, software, and core database systems within University Advancement (UA). Operating at the intersection of business requirements and systems engineering, this role collaborates closely with cross-functional UA teams to ensure that current operational needs and future digital transformation goals are seamlessly met.

The Manager will actively assess emerging enterprise technologies, architect secure API-driven integration models, and provide definitive recommendations for robust system usage, application security, and advanced operational reporting. Additionally, the incumbent will establish structured end-user request intake frameworks, enforce mature release management and QA/UAT protocols, and direct comprehensive user data literacy training programs to optimize technology adoption across the department.

This position requires a profound commitment to University Advancement’s mission, vision, and core values: Integrity in data governance, Quality in engineering, Respect for constituent privacy, Service to our institutional partners, Strategy in technology scaling, and Teamwork across all university stakeholders.

Accountabilities:

- Leadership & Culture: Drive a collaborative, service-focused IT culture to support the university's core research and academic missions.
- Systems Architecture: Act as the technical SME for all advancement software, with a primary focus on securing and optimizing Ellucian Advance as the transactional system of record.
- Team Management: Direct, hire,



and mentor UA IT applications and systems staff, providing strict technical oversight on all programming and business analysis deliverables.
- Modern Integration & APIs: Partner with UTS to transition the department away from legacy batch syncs toward low-latency, API-driven integration models and robust ETL pipelines.
- DevOps & Release Management: Enforce mature change control and release management protocols, including structured QA and User Acceptance Testing (UAT) pipelines.
- Advanced Analytics: Engineer and implement operational reports and executive dashboards to track complex fundraising targets, pipeline metrics, and organizational KPIs.
- Strategic Procurement: Lead requirements gathering, vendor evaluations, and post-implementation reviews for all newly introduced cloud and on-premises software.
- Collaborative Governance: Support the Director in translating business bottlenecks into scalable technical requirements, anchoring a collaborative forum (such as the Data Stewardship Committee) to prioritize institutional needs.
- Security & Compliance: Administer system permissions, Entra ID app registrations, and network access boundaries to ensure flawless compliance with university cybersecurity and data privacy regulations (e.g., PIPEDA).
- Data Stewardship: Lead large-scale data cleansing, duplicate resolution, and anomaly detection workflows by developing advanced diagnostic scripts and data-quality reports.
- User Support Infrastructure: Standardize and monitor tier-2 functional support frameworks and desktop support response times, while directing ongoing data literacy training for end-users.

Qualifications:

Education

- Required: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, or a related technology discipline.
- Asset: A degree from McMaster University.

Experience:

- Required: Minimum of 5 years of progressive IT leadership and systems engineering experience.
- Demonstrated experience must include:
- Project & Team Leadership: Managing complex enterprise technology projects and directly supervising application developers or systems administration staff.
- Full-Stack Programming: Developing and refactoring code using up-to-date programming languages, with the ability to write clean technical specifications and system documentation.
- Database & Systems Engineering: Advanced relational database programming (SQL Server), cloud/serverless integration models, and managing enterprise Windows/Linux operating environments.
- DevOps & QA: Designing and executing comprehensive system testing, debugging, and User Acceptance Testing (UAT) protocols.
- Business Analysis & Governance: Partnering effectively with cross-functional stakeholders and business units to translate operational gaps into scalable system architectures.

Knowledge/Skills:

- Technical Proficiency: Mastery of advanced reporting and enterprise data analysis tools (e.g., Power BI, SQL reporting), custom ETL/import software, and standard productivity applications.
- Systems Architecture & Problem Solving: Proven ability to diagnose complex, multi-tiered application issues and architect scalable, high-integrity solutions.
- Strategic Project Management: Exceptional project management abilities with a track record of balancing multiple high-priority initiatives, managing engineering backlogs, and delivering on strict timelines.
- Leadership & People Management: Superior human resources and leadership skills, with demonstrated experience directing, mentoring, and developing technical teams.
- Enterprise Collaboration & Diplomacy:



Highly collaborative and stakeholder-centered, with the ability to navigate a complex, creative institutional environment using exceptional judgment, tact, and discretion.
- Institutional Alignment: A deep understanding of the unique mission, data governance needs, and operational nuances of a research-intensive university.
- Execution Under Pressure: High level of initiative, execution-focused, and comfortable leading technical teams through high-stakes, fast-paced operational deployments.
- Integrity & Precision: Keen attention to detail and data accuracy, with a proven reputation for total transparency, professional integrity, and data security compliance.

Knowledge of:

- University Advancement policies and procedures
- McMaster University policies and guidelines

Pay Transparency Statement

The posted hiring range represents McMaster's typical hiring range for this position. Actual starting salary will depend on factors such as relevant experience, qualifications, internal equity, and market conditions.

Individuals with extensive experience, deep specialized expertise, and/or those who can demonstrate exceptional past performance, as applicable, may be hired at a higher rate within the full range, in accordance with the University compensation policies.

Employment Equity Statement

McMaster University is located on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee and Mississauga Nations and within the lands protected by the "Dish With One Spoon" wampum agreement.

The diversity of our workforce is at the core of our innovation and creativity and strengthens our research and teaching excellence. In keeping with its Statement on Building an Inclusive Community with a Shared Purpose, McMaster University strives to embody the values of respect, collaboration and diversity, and has a strong commitment to employment equity.

The University seeks qualified candidates who share our commitment to equity and inclusion, who will contribute to the diversification of ideas and perspectives, and especially welcomes applications from indigenous (First Nations, Métis or Inuit) peoples, members of racialized communities, persons with disabilities, women, and persons who identify as 2SLGBTQ+.

As part of McMaster’s commitment, all applicants are invited to complete a confidential Applicant Diversity Survey through the online application submission process. The Survey questionnaire requests voluntary self-identification in relation to equity‑seeking groups that have historically faced and continue to face barriers in employment. Please refer to the Applicant Diversity Survey - Statement of Collection for additional information.

Job applicants requiring accommodation to participate in the hiring process should contact:

To ensure an ongoing and vibrant University community that meets the needs of our students, staff and faculty and supports the University mission, ability to work on‑site continues to be a requirement for most University positions. The University is supportive of exploring flexible work arrangements that effectively balance operational needs and employee interests.

Interview Experience

At McMaster University, we believe in a comprehensive and inclusive interview process. Our interview methods encompass a variety of approaches that allow our hiring teams to provide a flexible and accessible experience for engaging with our candidates. Throughout your recruitment process at McMaster, you may be requested to participate in a variety of formats, that may include in‑person, virtual or recorded interviews. If you have any questions as you move through the hiring process, please reach out to or the HR contact associated with your position of interest.

AI Statement

McMaster and its third‑party partners may use AI tools to screen, assess, or select applicants during the hiring process. Please note that currently our recruitment platform does not use AI nor is it part of our current recommended recruitment process.

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📌 Manager, Advancement IT & Systems (Hamilton)
🏢 McMaster University
📍 Hamilton