Associate Director, AI Enablement & Adoption

Job ID54833

Location

Evanston, Illinois

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Department: IT Assoc VP IT Svcs & Support

Salary/Grade: ITS/85

Target hiring range for this position will be between $157,080-$170,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data

Job Summary:

Northwestern Information Technology seeks a strategic and innovative leader to serve as Associate Director of AI Enablement & Adoption. This senior individual contributor will lead efforts to help Northwestern faculty, staff, and students effectively adopt and realize value from emerging digital capabilities, including artificial intelligence, automation, productivity technologies, and evolving digital workplace tools.

The Associate Director will focus on the people, process, and organizational dimensions of technology adoption. By partnering across Northwestern IT and university units, this role will identify opportunities to improve institutional effectiveness, streamline administrative processes, enhance service delivery, and build workforce capabilities through thoughtful application of technology.

The position requires a highly independent professional who can operate with broad autonomy, influence stakeholders across organizational boundaries, and translate emerging technologies into meaningful outcomes for the university. While the role's initial emphasis will be on AI enablement, the position is designed to evolve alongside the university's changing technology landscape

\*Note: Not all aspects of the job are covered by this job description.

Specific Responsibilities:

AI and Emerging Technology Enablement

Lead Northwestern IT's efforts to support responsible adoption of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.

Develop practical guidance, support resources, and implementation approaches that make complex technologies accessible to non-technical audiences.

Coordinate pilot programs, evaluations, and demonstrations that help departments assess potential value and risks.

Serve as a trusted advisor to university units exploring new technology-enabled approaches to work.

Help translate evolving technology capabilities into practical institutional use cases and business outcomes.

Adoption and Training

Design and implement technology enablement programs that build digital literacy and confidence across the university community.

Develop role-based learning pathways, workshops, office hours, and self-service resources.

Create and sustain networks of departmental champions, ambassadors, and communities of practice.

Partner with organizational leaders to embed technology competencies into workforce development initiatives.

Promote a culture of experimentation, continuous improvement, and responsible technology use.

Organizational Change and Process Improvement

Facilitate discovery workshops and assessments to identify opportunities for business process improvement.

Help departments redesign workflows and services using technology-enabled approaches.

Lead change management efforts associated with new technology implementations.

Assist stakeholders in measuring outcomes, adoption, and organizational impact.

Develop frameworks that help units move from isolated experimentation to sustainable operational adoption.

Service Innovation and Support Design

Partner with service owners to design scalable support and engagement models for emerging technologies.

Develop consultation services, knowledge resources, and user support frameworks.

Identify opportunities to leverage technology to improve IT services and customer support experiences.

Establish metrics and reporting mechanisms to measure adoption, satisfaction, effectiveness, and institutional value.

Ensure technology enablement activities align with broader Northwestern IT service strategies.

Institutional Coordination and Leadership

Serve as a trusted advisor and institutional connector across Northwestern IT, schools, and administrative divisions.

Coordinate closely with AI platform owners, enterprise application teams, collaboration services, research computing and data services, teaching and learning technologies, technology support service, data and analytics teams, and cybersecurity leaders.

Participate in university-wide committees, working groups, and advisory bodies focused on digital transformation and AI.

Partner with university governance, privacy, security, legal, compliance, and data stewardship leaders to promote responsible AI use.

Contribute to development and maintenance of institutional AI policies, standards, and guidance.

Help establish governance models for AI agents, copilots, automation capabilities, and emerging AI technologies. Foster collaboration across schools and administrative units to reduce duplication and promote sharing of successful practices.

Represent Northwestern IT in strategic discussions related to institutional technology adoption.

Build partnerships with peer institutions, higher education organizations, and industry partners to identify leading practices.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications (Education, Experience, Certifications, Skills)

Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Data-driven field, Education, Educational Technology, or equivalent combination of training, education and experience from which comparable skills can be acquired.

Seven to ten years of progressively responsible experience in technology leadership, organizational change, consulting, digital transformation, workforce enablement, academic technology, or related fields.

Demonstrated success leading complex initiatives through influence rather than direct authority.

Experience designing and implementing organizational adoption, training, or change management programs.

Experience translating technical capabilities into practical business, academic, or operational outcomes.

Experience engaging senior leaders, faculty, and diverse stakeholder groups.

Strong understanding of technology adoption, change management, and organizational effectiveness principles.

Familiarity with artificial intelligence, automation, and digital workplace technologies.

Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, and presentation skills.

Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management capabilities.

Ability to operate independently and manage multiple strategic initiatives simultaneously.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Demonstrated ability to influence organizational change across complex environments.

Preferred Qualifications (Education, Experience, Certifications, Skills)

Experience working in higher education.

Experience with AI enablement, governance, training, or adoption programs.

Familiarity with service management and customer experience practices.

Experience building communities of practice, ambassador networks, or institutional learning programs.

Certification or formal training in change management, organizational development, project management, or continuous improvement methodologies.

Benefits:

At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful and competitive benefits. The available benefits package for this position will include health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance; paid vacation and holidays; paid medical/sick and parental leave; tuition benefits for the employee and dependents; pre-tax and flex spending accounts for commuting and dependent care; generous retirement savings options; and wellness programs.

For a comprehensive overview of available benefits, including eligibility details, visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:

Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life’s challenges and opportunities and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.

We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:

Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you’re interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern’s non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.