Position Overview

Technology has the power to transform communities. The City of Champaign is seeking an experienced Information Technologies Director to lead strategic technology efforts that enhance services, strengthen security, and improve the quality of life for residents and businesses.

Champaign is where innovation meets opportunity. Home to the University of Illinois, our diverse and growing community combines big-city amenities with Midwestern affordability and charm. From thriving Downtown and Campustown districts to vibrant arts, parks, trails, and Big Ten athletics, Champaign offers an exceptional quality of life.

The City of Champaign is a recognized leader in municipal service and innovation. We are fiscally responsible, customer-focused, and committed to working alongside residents, businesses, and partners to create a welcoming community.

For more information on required experience, desired attributes, and City priorities, please see the Information Technologies Director Executive Profile.

Qualified applicants should visit submit an application that includes the following:

A cover letter
A Resume
Five professional references
A completed series of online supplemental questions

Apply by July 31, 2026 at 12:00 pm CST for first consideration. Position will remain open until filled.

Job Responsibilities

The Information Technology (IT) Director serves as the City Manager’s chief information officer and is responsible for the strategic leadership, administration, security, and delivery of all municipal IT systems and services. This position ensures high-quality internal IT service delivery, supports mission-critical public safety and emergency management systems, and leads innovation in technology adoption and governance. This position balances strategic leadership with appropriate operational oversight and engagement in key technology initiatives. The IT Director must personify the City’s values of personal integrity, responsibility, respect, teamwork, and results.

The next Information Technology Director will play a critical role in advancing the City's strategic goals and enhancing the services that residents, businesses, and visitors rely on every day.

The ideal candidate is a strategic, collaborative leader who can align technology initiatives with organizational goals while fostering innovation, cybersecurity, and operational excellence. They will be committed to continuous improvement, responsible technology governance, exceptional customer service, and developing high-performing teams. Strong communication skills, sound judgment, and the ability to balance long-term planning with day-to-day operations are essential to successfully lead the City’s technology services into the future.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Public Administration, Management in Information Systems, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, or a related field.
At least seven (7) years of progressively responsible public sector IT experience, including at least three (3) years in a supervisory or managerial capacity.
Demonstrated experience leading and developing technical staff and managing multidisciplinary IT teams.
An equivalent combination of relevant experience and training, which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities of the position, may be considered.

Preferred Qualifications

Highly competitive candidates will have completed:

A master’s degree in information technology, public administration, management in information systems, cybersecurity, computer science, or a related field.
Certification programs or advanced training in leadership, project management, cybersecurity, information system security, geographic information systems, information technology infrastructure library, and/or risk and information systems control.

Drug screening, driving abstract, and criminal background check will be required.

The annual starting salary range is $161,224 - $225,705, DOQ, plus an excellent fringe benefits package. Residency within the City limits is required within six months of appointment.

Other Information

Contact the Human Resources Department at (217) 403-8770 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. if you require an accommodation to complete this application or during any phase of the application, interview, or employment process. The following locations offer free Internet access and assistance: Champaign Public Library, Champaign Public Library Douglass Branch, and the Illinois WorkNet Center.

The City of Champaign is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to promoting a work environme nt and a community that values and supports diversity and inclusion. Women, minorities and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

The City of Champaign's mission is to provide responsive, caring, cost-effective service in partnership with our community. The following values guide our work: Personal Integrity, Responsibility, Respect, Teamwork, Results. The City of Champaign is committed to promoting a work environme nt and a community that values and supports diversity and inclusion. Learn more about the city's mission and values at https://champaignil.gov/city-managers-office

This position is classified as Non-Bargaining Unit Exempt. This information is current as of February 12, 2026.

HEALTH INSURANCE

The City of Champaign offers a robust PPO Select Network plan through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois with a $500 individual and $1,000 family deductible. The plan covers nearly 98% of providers and facilities across the State of Illinois and grants access to providers nation-wide through Blue Cross Blue Shield. The City of Champaign pays up to $580.00 of the employee (single) health insurance premium and 50% percent of the dependent premium for continuous full-time employees. Premiums for single employee coverage above $580.00 per month are shared by the employee and the City. For the 2026/2027 plan year, NBU-EX Full-Time Employees contribute 1.5203% of salary towards employee only health care. Premiums may be made on a pre-tax basis, through the City’s Section 125 plan. Health insurance coverage begins on the date of hire and ends on the employee’s last day of work at the City.

Health Insurance Premiums PPO (2026-27 Plan Year)

Type of Coverage

City Pays (per month)

Employee Pays (per month)

Employee Only

$580.00 + City share of premium above $580.00

1.5203% of salary

Spouse

$644.00

$644.00

Children (one or more)

$399.50

$399.50

Family (spouse and children)

$690.50

$690.50

DENTAL AND VISION INSURANCE

Employees may purchase dental and/or vision insurance through payroll deduction. Employees pay 100 percent of the monthly premium for this coverage. Premiums for dental and vision insurance may be made on a pre-tax basis, through the City’s Section 125 plan. Dental and vision insurance begins after waiting for one complete calendar month (e.g., if hire date is in the month of January, coverage begins on March 1st).

The dental plan has two options: Delta Dental Network Low Plan (PPO) and Delta Dental High Plan.

Dental Premiums

Type of Coverage

Low Monthly Premium

High Monthly Premium

Employee Only

$25.54

$ 44.50

Employee/Spouse

$52.57

$ 91.60

Employee/Children

$60.01

$102.82

Family

$95.76

$163.08

Vision insurance is provided by EyeMed.

Vision Premiums

Type of Coverage

Monthly Premium

Employee Only

$ 7.34

Employee/One Dependent

$13.94

Family

$20.48

LIFE INSURANCE

The City provides a term life insurance policy equal to annual salary rounded to the next highest thousand dollars (up to a maximum of $100,000), or $30,000, whichever is greater. Employees may elect to purchase voluntary supplemental life insurance for themselves up to 5x their annual salary or $500,000 (whichever is lower), through payroll deduction. Employees may also purchase term life for their spouses/dependents.

Employee voluntary supplemental life insurance coverage can be purchased in $10,000 increments and the price is calculated based on the employee's age.
Employees may purchase voluntary supplemental life insurance for their spouses up to half the amount purchased for themselves in $5,000 increments. Cost is calculated based on the employee's age.
Employees may purchase voluntary supplemental life insurance for their dependent children in the amount of $10,000 for any/all eligible children.
Employees may purchase Basic Life Insurance for their spouse and eligible dependent children.
- Option #1: $3.60/month for $10,000 for spouse and $5,000 for any/all eligible children.
- Option #2: $1.80/month for $5,000 for spouse and $2,000 for any/all eligible children.

PENSION

Illinois state law requires that eligible municipal employees be covered by the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF). Employee contributions to IMRF are 4.5 percent of salary and are tax-deferred. For 2026,

the City contributes 7.97 percent of eligible employee’s salaries to IMRF. In addition, IMRF members are covered by Social Security (FICA). Obtain additional information by contacting IMRF at 1-800-ASK-IMRF. Employees are eligible to contribute additional funds to IMRF through Voluntary Additional Contributions.

Per IMRF Guidelines, all “unused, unpaid sick leave” goes towards IMRF service credit for employees who retire from the City and whose effective date of their pension is within 60 days of their retirement. You will earn one month of service credit for every 20 days of unused, unpaid sick leave at the time of retirement. Employees with 1-20 days of unused, unpaid sick leave receive one (1) month of additional service credit, employees with 21-40 days of unused, unpaid sick leave will receive two (2) months, etc. If you have any questions regarding this, you can reach out to the Human Resources Department or IMRF directly.

RETIREMENT HEALTH SAVINGS (RHS)

A retirement health savings plan administered by the Mission Square Retirement Corporation has been established for NBU employees. NBU employees participate in a mandatory contribution of 1 percent of pre-tax salary into an RHS investment account. This account is available for use by the employee at retirement or separation of service. Eligible uses of the funds include medical expenses such as health insurance premiums, dental/vision expenses, coinsurance, and co-pays for employees, spouse, and/or dependents.

Note: Upon separation, a mandatory 50 percent of accrued vacation, compensatory and payout-eligible sick leave will be contributed to your RHS balance.

HOLIDAYS

New Year’s Day

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday

Memorial Day

Juneteenth

Independence Day

Labor Day

Veterans Day

Thanksgiving Day

Friday after Thanksgiving

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

PERSONAL LEAVE

At the beginning of each fiscal year July 1st, employees are credited with three personal days (24 hours). Personal leave may not be accumulated and carried over into the next fiscal year. Personal leave during the first year of employment varies based on the date of employment. Personal leave is prorated based on the number of hours of regularly scheduled work.

Date of Hire

Personal Leave Credits

7/1 - 10/31

24 hours

11/1 - 2/29

16 hours

3/1 - 6/30

8 hours

VACATION

Vacation Accrual Rates Are Based On Years Of Service. Vacation Leave Is Prorated Based On The Number Of Hours Of Regularly Scheduled Work. Vacation Accrual Rates And Maximum Accumulations Are

Years of Service

Biweekly Accrual/Year

Max Accumulation

Beginning with Year 1 through 5

4.62 hours/15 days

240 hours/30 days

Beginning with Year 6 through 8

5.54 hours/18 days

288 hours/36 days

Beginning with Year 9 through 14

6.15 hours/20 days

320 hours/40 days

Beginning with Year 15 through 19

6.77 hours/22 days

352 hours/44 days

Beginning with Year 20 to separation

7.69 hours/25 days

400 hours/50 days

SICK LEAVE

Employees accrue sick leave at the rate of 3.69 hours per pay period (approximately 1 day per month). The maximum accumulation of sick leave is 1,200 hours. Employees begin with a “bank” of 48 hours and start accruing sick leave after six (6) months. The maximum accumulation of sick leave is 1,200 hours.

Sick leave is prorated based on the number of hours of regularly scheduled work.

LONGEVITY PAY

Employees Receive Longevity Pay Based Upon Their Years Of Continuous Employment With The City. Longevity Pay Is An Addition To The Employees’ Base Wage Rate, As Follows

Years of Service

Longevity Rate

10 years

5.0 percent

20 years

10.0 percent

Deferred Compensation Plan

The City of Champaign offers employees the opportunity to participate in a tax-deferred annuity plan and/or Roth plan of the Mission Square Retirement Corporation through payroll deduction. This is an optional plan with no City Contributions. More information may be obtained by contacting Client Services (1-800-669-7400) or Human Resources at 217-403-8770.

HANDBOOK

View the current Non-Bargaining Unit (NBU) Handbook at champaignil.gov/hr/jobs/bargaining-units.

01

Thank you for your interest in the City of Champaign’s IT Director position. In addition to the requested documents, please respond to each of the following questions.

Applicant Instructions

Please keep your responses to 250 words or fewer per question.
Responses should be based on your own professional experiences rather than hypothetical situations or general leadership philosophies. Generic or theoretical responses may not be competitive in this process.
Please use a different professional experience to answer each question. Do not reuse the same example in multiple responses.
Whenever possible, please describe your specific role, the strategic decisions you made, the actions you took, the rationale for your decisions, the outcomes and organizational impact achieved, and the lessons you learned.
Responses will be evaluated for strategic thinking, sound judgment, executive leadership, effective communication, and demonstrated organizational impact.
Candidates selected for an interview should expect to discuss their responses in detail, including the circumstances, the decisions they made, the outcomes achieved, and the lessons learned.

Do you affirm your understanding of the information and instructions provided above?

02

Strategic Technology, Data, and Digital Leadership

Describe the most significant technology, digital transformation, or data initiative you have personally led. Explain the organizational challenge or opportunity, the strategic decisions you made, the outcomes and organizational impact achieved, and how the experience has influenced your approach to technology, data, and digital leadership.

03

Leadership and Workforce Development

Describe a specific experience that best illustrates your approach to building, leading, and developing a diverse, high-performing information technology team. Explain the challenge you faced, the actions you took to develop employees, strengthen team effectiveness, and foster accountability, the outcomes and organizational impact achieved, and what the experience reveals about your leadership philosophy.

04

Leadership Through Adversity

Describe the most significant professional challenge, crisis, or organizational disruption you have led through. Explain how you assessed the situation, made difficult decisions with incomplete information, communicated during uncertainty, and what the experience taught you about your leadership.

05

Executive Influence and Organizational Partnership

Describe a time when you needed to gain support for a significant technology or organizational initiative among executive leadership, governing bodies, operational departments, or external partners with differing priorities or perspectives. Explain how you built trust, influenced decision-making, addressed resistance, and ultimately advanced the organization's objectives.

06

Public Trust, Stewardship, and Governance

The City’s next IT Director must balance innovation with transparency, fiscal stewardship, cybersecurity, regulatory compliance, ethics, and public accountability. Describe an experience that best demonstrates your ability to balance these responsibilities while advancing technology modernization or digital innovation. Explain the principles that guided your decisions, the outcomes and organizational impact achieved, and how the experience has shaped your philosophy of public-sector technology leadership.

07

Applicant Attestation By submitting these responses, I certify that they accurately reflect my own professional experience, judgment, and leadership philosophy. I understand that, if selected for an interview, I may be asked to discuss or elaborate on any aspect of my responses.

08

The salary range for this position is $ 161,224.18 --- $ 225,705.22. Does this range meet your expectations?

09

Do you possess a valid, current driver's license?

10

This position requires residency within the City limits within six months of appointment. Do you affirm your knowledge of this requirement?

Yes
No
Required Question

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