Introduction

SPD is currently recruiting to fill one full-time Chief Information Officer (Management Information Manager classification) based out of our Madison Administration Office.

Where We're Located: Our Madison Administration Office is located just off of the Capital Square award-winning Madison, Wisconsin, at 17 South Fairchild Street. We are within easy walking distance of many shopping and dining options, a weekly farmer's market , the State Capitol Building , and two beautiful lakes with walking & biking paths. There are numerous public transit options and multiple parking lots nearby.

Position Summary

As the Wisconsin State Public Defenders' Chief Information Officer (CIO), the incumbent works independently under the general direction of the Administrative Services Director. The incumbent is responsible for directing and overseeing information technology strategic planning, applications development, system administration, system support, and telecommunication services. There is also the expectation that this position will serve as a back-up for functional IT services. This position serves on the SPD's Agency Leadership Team (ALT) and provides leadership, professional technical advice, counsel, assistance, and support to the agency's approximately 700 management and staff located in 42 locations statewide.

To view a copy of the position description, please click here .

Salary Information

The starting hourly rate for the position will be $46.14 to $72.84 per hour ($95,971 to $151,507 per year) depending on qualifications and experience. This classification is assigned to pay schedule/range 70-01. A two-year career executive trial period may be required. Pay for current state employees will be set in accordance with the rules of the Wisconsin State Compensation Plan in effect at the time of hire.

Final selected candidates may be eligible for moving expense reimbursement to relocate to the place of employment.

Job Details

Background Check: We consider all qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. A criminal background check will be done prior to an offer of employment.

Ability to Work in the US: The SPD does not sponsor work visas at the time of hire or anytime during employment. All persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and complete the required Employment Eligibility Form I-9.

Veterans: The State of Wisconsin offer a special program for qualified veterans with a 30% or greater service-connected disability. If you are a qualified veteran, please visit the Veterans Employment page for application instructions to be considered for the Veterans Non-Competitive Appointment program.

Qualifications

LETTER OF QUALIFICATIONS & RESUME: You must submit both documents in order to be considered. It is important that you clearly explain and elaborate on your experience in your letter of qualifications and/or resume.

Minimally qualified applicants will have demonstrated professional experience in all of the following:

1. Enterprise IT Strategic Leadership: leading short- and long-term IT strategic planning, technology governance, and operational execution for a multi-location or enterprise-level organization.

2. IT Budgeting & Procurement Management: developing and managing an annual IT operating budget, conducting cost/benefit analyses for technology investments, and managing hardware, software, or service procurements.

3. IT Infrastructure, Security, & System Administration: Directing network infrastructure, data security protocols, cloud/on-premise systems, and core database management or software development life cycle (SDLC) processes.

4. Technical Supervision & Team Management: Directly supervising technical personnel (e.g., systems administrators, software developers, helpdesk staff) and managing external IT contractors, including resource allocation and performance evaluation.

In addition to meeting all of the minimum qualifications listed above, well-qualified applicants will have demonstrated professional experience in at least two (2) of the following specialized areas:

1. Public Sector Governance & Central IT Alignment: navigating state government IT governance, working with central state IT agencies (e.g. Wisconsin Department of Administration/Division of Enterprise Technology policies, rate structures, and high-risk project reporting), or representing an agency on statewide IT councils.

2. Legal Tech & Digital Evidence Architecture: managing legal technology systems, eDiscovery workflows, or high-volume digital media processing pipelines (e.g. body-worn camera footage, surveillance files, and cell phone extractions using multi-tiered cloud storage like hot vs. archive tiers).

3. Frugal Innovation & Operational Automation: Implementing open-source solutions, local AI processing tools (e.g. local transcription models like Whisper), automated scripting (e.g., Python, PowerShell, FFmpeg, etc.), or writing custom SQL Server queries to resolve operational bottlenecks under strict budgetary constraints.

4. Hands-on Technical & System Administrator Backup: Functioning as a technical lead or secondary hands-on backup for software developers, database administrators (SQL Server queries), server OS upgrades, or cloud infrastructure management.

How To Apply

To apply, click "Apply for Job" to start the application process. That will prompt you to access your existing account or create a new account. You will be asked to attach a resume and a cover letter as part of the application process. It is important that these materials clearly illustrate how your qualifications relate to the qualifications of this job.

If you encounter issues submitting your online application (e.g. signing in or uploading a resume), please contact the Wisc.Jobs Help Desk at (608) 267-1012 or [email protected] (Monday - Friday, 7:45am - 4:30pm).

Your letter of qualifications and resume are very important parts of your application and are used during our evaluation process to determine your qualifications as they relate to the job. If both of these documents are not submitted, you will not be eligible for consideration. Application materials will not be accepted if received in an email, as a hard copy or a fax.

Materials submitted by all applicants will be evaluated by one or more job experts. Candidates that are deemed eligible will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process.

Current state of Wisconsin employees with Career Executive status must apply through Wiscjobs.

Deadline to Apply

This posting will remain active until 11:59pm CST Wednesday, September 9, 2026. If you have any questions on this recruitment or how to apply; please contact Monica Endres at [email protected].