Position Summary UNSW Bengaluru is establishing a distinctive international campus, with teaching now underway and an interim IT operating model supporting its initial operations. The Head of IT will lead the next stage: shaping and delivering a secure, reliable and scalable technology environment that can support the campus as its academic, research and student activity grows. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the role provides senior leadership across campus technology operations, service delivery, people, partners and investment. The Head of IT will set the local IT strategy and technology roadmaps, strengthen the operating model, and guide the transition from tactical solutions to sustainable services aligned with UNSW standards and the needs of the Bengaluru campus. The role will work closely with campus leadership, academic and professional staff, UNSW IT and delivery partners in Australia and India. It will lead a multidisciplinary local team and champion digital transformation that improves the experience of students and staff and enables high-quality teaching and research. Key Accountabilities IT strategy, governance and roadmaps
• Develop and maintain a campus IT strategy aligned with UNSW Bengaluru’s objectives and the needs of students, academics and professional staff.
• Translate strategic priorities into a sequenced, costed technology roadmap covering platforms, infrastructure, cyber security, service maturity, digital learning and research enablement.
• Establish clear decision rights, architecture and service governance, investment priorities, performance measures and reporting across local and UNSW Australia teams.
• Provide advice to the Chief Operating Officer and senior campus leaders on technology opportunities, risks, dependencies, investment choices and delivery progress. Campus operating model and service maturity
• Assess the interim operating model and tactical solutions established to enable teaching to commence; prioritise and deliver a practical transition to supportable, resilient and well-governed services.
• Define and implement the local IT operating model, including service ownership, support pathways, escalation, operating procedures, service levels and interfaces with UNSW IT and external providers.
• Lead service management across incidents, requests, changes, problems, major incidents and communications, using service data and user feedback to drive measurable improvement.
• Build operational readiness into new services and projects, including support arrangements, documentation, monitoring, continuity, lifecycle ownership and knowledge transfer. Academic, teaching and research technology
• Partner with academic leaders and UNSW IT to plan and deliver an expanded local academic and research technology stack as campus programs and capability grow.
• Ensure technology is designed around academic and research needs, supports an excellent and consistent student experience, and can be operated sustainably in the local context.
• Coordinate requirements, design, testing, deployment and support with faculty, central platform owners, research teams and implementation partners. Digital transformation and service innovation
• Identify opportunities to modernise processes and platforms, using user research, service data and emerging technology to shape evidence-based improvements.
• Build change management, communications, accessibility,



adoption and benefits measurement into digital initiatives from the outset.
• Promote responsible innovation and ensure solutions align with enterprise architecture, information management and security requirements. Technology operations, infrastructure and resilience
• Collaborate with delivery partners to provide oversight of campus networks, connectivity, cloud and local infrastructure, identity, collaboration, endpoint services, classroom technology and core business systems.
• Set expectations for availability, performance, capacity, monitoring, patching, configuration and technology lifecycle management.
• Maintain effective backup, disaster recovery, business continuity and technology recovery arrangements; exercise plans and address identified gaps.
• Coordinate campus technology incident response and recovery with UNSW IT, service providers, campus operations and relevant business owners. Cyber security, risk and compliance
• Embed security and privacy by design across technology services, projects and supplier arrangements, working within UNSW policies and applicable Indian requirements.
• Oversee local cyber risk management, vulnerability and access controls, security awareness, incident readiness and remediation, escalating material risks through agreed governance.
• Maintain appropriate controls and evidence for audit, regulatory, contractual and University assurance obligations. Leadership, people and culture
• Lead, develop and retain a multidisciplinary local IT team, with multiple direct reports across relevant technology and service functions.
• Create a collaborative, inclusive and service-focused culture that values accountability, continuous improvement, knowledge sharing and solid relationships with the academic community.
• Plan team capacity and capability as the campus grows, balancing local expertise with shared services and specialist support from UNSW Australia. Financial, commercial and partner management
• Develop and manage the campus IT budget, business cases, forecasts and investment proposals, demonstrating value, affordability and whole-of-life costs.
• Lead technology procurement and supplier performance, including service outcomes, contract obligations, risk, renewals and opportunities to improve value.
• Build effective working relationships with UNSW Bengaluru, UNSW IT, suppliers and other partners; hold delivery partners accountable for agreed outcomes. Portfolio and change delivery
• Prioritise and oversee a portfolio of technology initiatives, maintaining visibility of scope, benefits, dependencies, risks, resources and delivery confidence.
• Ensure projects have clear business ownership, architecture and security input, stakeholder engagement, transition-to-operations plans and benefits review.
• Coordinate delivery across local teams and central UNSW functions, resolving dependencies and communicating decisions and impacts clearly. Selection Criteria Qualifications And Experience
• A bachelor’s degree in information technology, computer science, information systems or a related discipline,



or equivalent professional experience.
• Substantial senior IT leadership experience, typically 10 years or more in technology roles, including significant responsibility for leading teams, services and complex change.
• Demonstrated success developing IT strategy and roadmaps and translating them into funded, governed and deliverable plans.
• Experience maturing technology operations or establishing an operating model in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment.
• Experience in a university, tertiary education or research environment is strongly preferred; candidates from comparable complex, service-intensive organisations will also be considered.
• Experience supporting teaching, learning, research, student services or other specialist academic environments, with an understanding of the importance of reliable and accessible digital services.
• A record of delivering digital transformation and technology programs from discovery and business case through implementation, adoption and operational handover.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and managers, developing capability and delivering through a mix of local staff, central teams and external partners.
• Experience managing budgets, vendors, contracts, technology assets and competing investment priorities.
• Knowledge of cyber security, privacy, service management, business continuity and technology risk in a regulated or policy-led environment. Leadership Capabilities
• Strategic and commercially minded, able to connect technology choices to academic, research, student and organisational outcomes.
• Credible with senior executives and academic leaders; able to influence across organisational boundaries and communicate complex matters clearly.
• A pragmatic builder who can bring structure to ambiguity, make sound decisions with incomplete information and maintain momentum during campus growth.
• Strong people leader who sets direction, develops others, builds trust and holds teams and partners accountable for outcomes.
• Analytical and improvement-focused, using performance data, user insight and sector developments to guide priorities and measure results.
• Adaptable and culturally aware, able to work effectively with colleagues and partners across Bengaluru and Australia. Desirable
• Postgraduate qualification in a relevant field and/or relevant professional certifications such as ITIL, project or program management, cyber security, cloud or architecture.
• Experience establishing or scaling technology services for a new campus, international operation or fast-growing organisation. Key Relationships Chief Operating Officer and Bengaluru campus leadership: Strategy, advice, performance, investment and risk. Academic and research leaders, teaching staff and faculty representatives: Academic technology needs, teaching delivery and research enablement. Professional services: Integrated services and the student and staff experience across student services, admissions, finance, facilities and learning support. UNSW IT and relevant central University functions in Australia: Enterprise platforms, standards, cyber security, architecture, service integration and shared delivery. Local IT team and technology partners: Service outcomes, capability, delivery quality and operational readiness. Relevant regulators and assurance bodies in India: Technology-related compliance, accreditation and evidence as required.

📌 Head of IT (Bengaluru)
🏢 Emeritus
📍 Bengaluru