Chief Information Officer - 48000901

Requisition No: 885169 

Agency: Department of Education

Working Title: Chief Information Officer - 48000901

 Pay Plan: SES

Position Number: 48000901 

Salary:  AGENCY TO UPDATE 

Posting Closing Date: 10/28/2026 

Total Compensation Estimator Tool

Florida Department of Education

Office of The Commissioner

Location: Tallahassee

Position Title: Chief Information Officer (SES)

Salary Range: $180,000.00 - $190,000.00

SALARY IS BASED ON CANDIDATE’S EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

OFFICE CONTACT:

Jennifer Boswell, 850-245-9867

JOB DESCRIPTION:

The Chief Information Officer is a cabinet-level executive who sets the Department’s technology vision, architecture, and investment agenda; runs the Division of Technology and Innovation (including the Education Data Center and related application, infrastructure, data, security, and service functions); and represents FDOE with the Florida Digital Service (or successor enterprise IT body), the Legislature, school districts, colleges, and vendors.

Success in this role is defined by four outcomes: (1) a funded, governed, and executing plan to exit the mainframe and retire COBOL-dependent applications on a public timeline; (2) a production-ready AI and advanced analytics program that improves operations and decision-making under a clear risk and privacy framework; (3) measurable improvement in reliability, security, and service to program offices and local education agencies; and (4) a rebuilt technology organization that can attract and keep modern engineering, data, and product talent.

The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) is seeking a transformation-minded Chief Information Officer to serve as the agency’s senior technology executive and statutory agency CIO under section 282.3055, Florida Statutes. This is not a caretaker role. The next CIO will retire a remaining mainframe and COBOL/DB2 estate that still underpins core statewide education operations, stand up a durable cloud and data platform, and scale artificial intelligence in a way that is useful to districts, colleges, and the Department—without compromising student privacy, cybersecurity, or public trust.

A completed feasibility study frames enterprise mainframe modernization as a multi-year program—three phases over six years, with an estimated total cost of approximately $151 million—covering student data collection, education finance calculations, financial reporting, transcript exchange, assessment reporting, school identification, and capital outlay. Year-one work includes a program management office, COBOL and DB2 inventory and business-rule extraction, knowledge transfer from a shrinking specialist workforce, and cloud foundation work consistent with Florida’s cloud-first policy and Chapter 60GG cybersecurity rules. The CIO will own that program end to end and will be judged on whether the mainframe actually goes away.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

(Note: The omission of specific job duties does not preclude management from assigning specific duties not listed herein if such duties are a logical assignment to the position.)

The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) has an open position that is responsible for executing the following functions:

1.      Enterprise modernization and mainframe exit

• Own the enterprise mainframe modernization program as a single accountable executive—scope, sequence, budget, vendors, risk, and legislative reporting.
• Complete and maintain a full inventory of COBOL, CICS, DB2, batch, and interface assets; extract business rules; map data and process dependencies; and publish a system-by-system retire, rewrite, replace, or encapsulate decision.
• Stand up a Program Management Office with independent verification and validation, stage-gate funding, and monthly executive dashboards that a non-technical cabinet and legislative staff can read.
• Move remaining workloads off the mainframe to cloud-native or commercially supported platforms consistent with s. 282.206, F.S. (cloud-first), Northwest Regional Data Center and enterprise hosting policy, and Chapter 60GG-2, F.A.C.
• Protect continuity of FEFP funding calculations, survey/data collections, transcripts, assessments, MSID, PECO, and related mission systems during cutover. No “big bang” that puts a school year at risk.
• Capture institutional knowledge from retiring mainframe specialists before it walks out the door; convert it into documented product and data contracts.

2. Scale artificial intelligence—responsibly and in production

• Publish and execute an agency AI strategy covering use-case intake, model risk, human-in-the-loop rules, procurement, evaluation, and retirement of tools that do not perform.
• Prioritize high-value, low-regret uses first: document intelligence, code and test generation for modernization, service-desk deflection, data-quality assistance, legislative and policy research support, and internal knowledge retrieval. Expand to instructional and district-facing tools only after governance, FERPA, and security controls are proven.
• Establish an AI review board (legal, privacy, program, security, and data) with authority to pause or kill deployments.
• Require vendors to meet data-residency, training-data, audit, and no-retention terms appropriate for student and staff records. Prefer architectures that keep sensitive data inside the State’s control plane.
• Build internal capability so the Department is not permanently dependent on a single AI vendor or on shadow tools.
• Measure adoption and outcomes. AI that is not used, not evaluated, or not secure does not count as scaled.

3. Data, interoperability, and the K-20 information architecture

• Treat education data as a product: owned, documented, quality-measured, and reusable across program offices and authorized partners.
• Strengthen the K-20 Education Data Warehouse, survey collections, and longitudinal reporting so the Commissioner, State Board, districts, and Legislature can act on timely, trusted numbers.
• Reduce duplicative collections from districts and colleges; publish APIs and data contracts instead of one-off file drops wherever feasible.
• Align with statewide data and identity standards from the Florida Digital Service and the agency CIO workgroup.
• Partner with Accountability, Research and Measurement; Finance and Operations; Public Schools; Florida Colleges; Career and Adult Education; and Vocational Rehabilitation so technology follows the business, not the other way around.

4. Cybersecurity, privacy, and resilience

• Serve as the Department’s senior executive for information security posture, working with the designated Information Security Manager / agency CISO and the State CISO / Cybersecurity Operations Center under s. 282.318, F.S.
• Drive identity, least privilege, logging, vulnerability management, incident response, and tabletop exercises that include mainframe-to-cloud transition risk.
• Protect student education records and other regulated data under FERPA, related federal grant conditions, and Florida public-records and cybersecurity law.
• Maintain tested disaster recovery and continuity of operations for funding, collections, and other time-critical cycles.

5. Architecture, platforms, and operations

• Set a target enterprise architecture: cloud landing zones, integration layer, identity, data platform, observability, and DevSecOps. Stop net-new development on dead platforms.
• Run reliable day-to-day operations—networks, endpoints, collaboration, service desk, application support—while the transformation work proceeds. Modernization cannot excuse outages.
• Rationalize the application portfolio. Every system has an owner, a cost, a risk rating, and a sunset or invest decision.
• Improve service levels to Department staff and to districts and colleges that depend on FDOE systems.

6. Investment, procurement, vendors, and the Legislature

• Build and defend the IT legislative budget request, including multi-year mainframe-exit and AI platform funding, with clear milestones the Legislature can hold the agency to.
• Advise the Commissioner and cabinet on technology risk, technical debt, and the true cost of delay.
• Run competitive, well-scoped procurements. Prefer outcomes and interoperability over lock-in. Hold integrators to acceptance criteria tied to retired mainframe MIPS, migrated workloads, and working products—not slide decks.
• Coordinate with Florida Digital Service project oversight where required and with NWRDC and other enterprise providers.

7. Organization, talent, and culture

• Lead the Division of Technology and Innovation. Hire, develop, and, where needed, restructure so the shop can do product, data, cloud, security, and AI work—not only keep a mainframe alive.
• Create career paths that retain remaining COBOL/DB2 expertise long enough to finish the exit, while recruiting engineers, architects, product managers, and data scientists who will run the next platform.
• Replace heroics and tribal knowledge with written standards, agile delivery where it fits public-sector constraints, and honest status reporting.
• Model a service culture: technology exists to make teachers, students, program staff, and district partners more effective.

8. Statutory and enterprise CIO duties

• Perform the duties of the agency chief information officer under s. 282.3055, F.S.: plan and manage agency IT services; implement procedures and standards consistent with enterprise policy; advise senior management; and help prioritize IT needs in the legislative budget request.
• Represent FDOE on the agency CIO workgroup and in enterprise architecture, cybersecurity, and cloud-first forums.
• Ensure accessibility of public-facing systems (s. 282.601 et seq., F.S.) and compliance with applicable records, procurement, and technology rules.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Strategic clarity. Can reduce a six-year, nine-figure program to a sequence a cabinet can fund and a delivery team can execute.
• Technical judgment. Enough depth in mainframe, cloud, data, identity, and AI to call vendor bluffs and protect the Department from fashionable but unfit architecture.
• Political and legislative fluency. Comfortable in Sunshine, appropriations, and public scrutiny.
• Operator’s discipline. Transformation work does not excuse missed survey windows or funding-calculation failures.
• Talent magnet. Can hire in a market that pays private-sector CIOs far more than state SMS rates by offering mission, authority, and a real modernization mandate.
• Integrity and candor. Reports risk early. Does not confuse activity with progress.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Required Licensure/Registration/Certification/Experience or Education:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in information systems, computer science, engineering, business, public administration, or a closely related field. Ten or more years of progressive executive or senior IT leadership may substitute on a year-for-year basis for the degree.
• Ten or more years of progressive information technology leadership, including at least five years leading a multi-function IT organization (applications, infrastructure or cloud, security, and data) in government, education, or a comparably regulated enterprise.
• Demonstrated record of delivering at least one large-scale modernization: mainframe or COBOL exit, core system replacement, cloud migration of mission systems, or equivalent transformation with published outcomes.
• Experience owning an IT budget, vendor portfolio, and legislative or board-level investment case.
• Working knowledge of cybersecurity and privacy obligations in a public or education setting.
• Ability to obtain and maintain any access required for State of Florida systems and to work in Tallahassee on a regular cadence.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Preferences will be given to:

• Master’s degree (MBA, MPA, MS in a technical field) or an executive credential such as CGCIO.
• Direct experience modernizing IBM mainframe / COBOL / CICS / DB2 estates, including business-rule extraction and coexistence architectures.
• Experience standing up or scaling an enterprise AI, machine learning, or intelligent-automation program with governance—not a pilot that never left the lab.
• K-12, higher education, or state education agency experience, including student information, education finance, assessment, or longitudinal data systems.
• Florida state government experience, including Chapter 282 / 60GG, Florida Digital Service engagement, legislative budget requests, and SMS/SES organizations.
• CISSP, CISM, PMP, cloud architect, or equivalent professional certification.
• Record of rebuilding an IT workforce—succession for legacy skills and hiring for cloud, data, and product roles.

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION MISSION STATEMENT

Every day the Department of Education works hand in hand with parents, teachers, educators, and community members to improve Florida’s education system for students of all backgrounds and abilities. Our site reflects the cooperative relationship and the role that so many Floridians play in ensuring student success.

The FDOE’s mission for Florida’s Early Learning-20 education system is to increase the proficiency of all student within one seamless, efficient system, by allowing them the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills through learning opportunities and research valued students, parents, and communities.

Serving approximately 3 million students, 4,400 public schools, 28 colleges, 200,000 instructional staff, 46,000 college professors and administrators, and 340,000 full-time staff throughout the state, FDOE enhances programs and services for Florida’s students from early learning through college and career development. In addition, FDOE manages programs that assist individuals who are blind, visually impaired, or disabled succeed either in school settings or careers – encouraging independence and self-sufficiency.

FDOE’s goal is to hire individuals to provide:

1. Higher Student Achievement
2. Seamless Articulation and Maximum Access
3. Skilled Workforce and Economic Development
4. Quality Services

Florida Department of Education Home

WORKING FOR THE STATE OF FLORIDA HAS BENEFITS!

• State Group Insurance coverage options+ 
• Nine paid holidays and a Personal Holiday each year
• Student Loan Forgiveness Program (Eligibility required)
• Tuition Fee Waivers (Accepted by major Florida colleges/universities)
• Retirement plan options, including employer contributions (www.myfrs.com)
• Annual and Sick Leave Benefits
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Ongoing comprehensive training provided
• Career Growth
• Maternity and Parental Leave Benefits
• Highly skilled, professional environment

For a more complete list of benefits, visit www.mybenefits.myflorida.com

*We care about the success of our employees.

*We are always improving our technology, our tools, our customer’s experiences and ourselves

*We care about the success of our clients.

*A rewarding experience for reliable, compassionate and professional employees.

LEAVE INFORMATION: SES

• Annual Leave: Employees in Senior Management Service and Selected Exempt Service positions are credited with 176 hours of annual leave upon appointment. In subsequent years, the annual allotment is credited on the anniversary date of the initial appointment.
• Sick Leave: Employees in Senior Management Service and Selected Exempt Service positions shall be credited with 104 hours of sick leave upon appointment. In subsequent years, the annual allotment is credited on the anniversary date of the initial appointment.

BACKGROUND SCREENING REQUIREMENT

It is the policy of the Florida Department of Education that applicants for employment/volunteer undergo Level 2 Background screening in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 435, Florida Statutes, as a condition of employment or being permitted to serve as a volunteer. You will be required to provide your Social Security Number to conduct required verifications. No applicant for a designated position will be employed, contracted, or permitted to volunteer until the Level 2 screening results are received, reviewed and approved by the Department. Level 2 background screening shall include, but not be limited to, finger printing for all purpose and checks under this requirement, statewide criminal and juvenile records checks through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, federal criminal records checks through the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and local criminal records checks through local law enforcement.

SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM (SSS) AND REQUIREMENT

Male applicants born on or after October 1, 1962, will not be eligible for hire or promotion in the Other Personal Services (OPS) or Career Service (CS), or appointment in the Selected Exempt Service (SES) or Senior Management Service (SMS) unless they are registered with the Selective Service System (SSS) before their 26th birthday, or have a Letter of Registration Exemption from the SSS.

Verification of Selective Service registration will be conducted prior to hire.

For more information, please visit the Selective Service website.

SPECIAL NOTE

Please note that this position requires an on-site schedule of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Telework is not available for this role.

APPLICANT INFORMATION & HIRING REQUIREMENTS

Application Information:

• Your Candidate Profile (application) must be complete in its entirety.
• Work History (in easy to review chronological order) Consists of:
  • Any position held by a State of Florida agency
  • Any position held by a Florida University
  • All periods of employment from high school graduation
  • All periods of current or prior unemployment
  • Gaps 3 months of more must be accounted for*
  • Any Education
  • Any Volunteer Experience
  • Your resume and application must match
• *Gaps 3 months of more must be addressed – you will need to account for and explain any gaps in employment including unemployment. You can either list these in your application under Period of Employment or attach a word document listing your gaps.
• It is unacceptable to use the statement “See Resume” in place of entering work history. Your candidate profile will be converted to your official application.
• Include your supervisor names and phone numbers for reference checks or the contract information for your Human Resources office to verify current or former employment.
• Experience, education, training, knowledge, skills and/or abilities as well as responses to pre-qualifying questions must be verifiable to meet the minimum qualifications.

Hiring Information and Requirements:

• The Bureau of Personnel Management reviews every application for prior State of Florida and Florida University work history in the People First system.
• If claiming Veteran’s Preference, the candidate MUST attach supporting documentation such as the DD214 and your VA Letter that reflects level of disability if applicable. Applicable to career service positions only.
• If claiming Right to First Interview, the candidate MUST attach a copy of your official layoff letter when applying. This only applies to employees laid off from Career Service positions. Applicable to career service positions only.

Equal Opportunity

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority in advance. The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with section 112.0455, F.S. Successful applicants will be screened in accordance with Chapter 435, F.S., as applicable.

If you are missing any of the items above, your packet may be held up at the final review step.

NOTE: Responses to qualifying questions must be clearly supported by the state application and any omission, falsification, or misrepresentation in the answering of the qualifying questions will be cause for immediate elimination from the selection process.

If you experience problems applying online, please call the People First Service Center at (877) 562-7287

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.