Vice President of Global IT
Our global manufacturing client has a portfolio of brands across three primary market segments and they are seeking a Vice President of Global IT to join their leadership team. The organization is looking to drive automation and implement tools, making them easier to do business with, both internally and externally.
The leadership team is looking for a fellow leader who is an enabler of growth that can give freedom to their team members that empowers and hones their decision-making abilities. There’s a lot of change ahead, and our client wants every team member to understand how their choices will directly impact the team and their global culture.
Description:
The Vice President of Global IT will be responsible for directing and managing the alignment of information technology in support of achieving the goals and objectives of the broader organization. This is accomplished by enabling internal and external customers through the application of technology, creating cohesion, directing and leading business requirements assessments, and overall coordination, design, development, and maintenance of strategic, enterprise and departmental applications and infrastructure.
The IT leader will have direct responsibility for the global IT organization and will work in a matrix environment with the international business heads to deliver for the geographic regions; they will work to balance the global shared service needs together with the local and regional requirements around the world. This individual's interpersonal skills are as critical as their technical leadership skills in defining success for this role. The role reports directly to the CFO and will have significant direct exposure to the Executive Leadership Team of our client through participation in cross functional strategic discussions and initiatives, along with IT steering committee meetings. This role will allow for a great level of diversity between using a hands on approach and applying strategic thinking skills.
Responsibilities and Duties:
- Develop and maintain an IT Strategic Plan and multi-year roadmap of IT goals and projects revised regularly to align with and contribute to Company’s business plans and strategies; including the Company’s effort to be a fully integrated “one-stop-shop” for customers purchasing a variety of products and services
- Build out the Business Intelligence/Analytics strategy, in partnership with the Corporate Finance organization, ensuring management has the appropriate information for key decision making
- Create cohesion inside the team and beyond IT across regions and businesses through open lines of communication, guidance and education, partnership and collaboration
- Translate strategic vision into actionable goals and lead, mentor, and motivate the IT team to achievement of those goals
- Develop and enrich the business acumen inside the IT organization to provide a comprehensive understanding of overall business processes and end-to-end product/service delivery across all business functions
- Ensure that the IT team possesses relevant competencies, amongst both internal employees and external vendors, for the business’s current and future technology needs in line with technology standards
- Direct the establishment and maintenance of Enterprise Architecture as a framework for business support, IT strategy development and organizational change
- Establish an IT services model to deliver cost effective hardware, software, and services with an associated financial allocation model
- Establish a companywide IT Governance structure and decision framework to identify domains, decision rights and execution amongst IT and business units
- Manage and direct the strategic projects portfolio, ensuring a balanced portfolio of projects (run, growth, and transform)
- Develop annual IT operations plan in conjunction with CFO, affiliates, and regions/businesses for equipment, software, headcount, and other expenses required to address company's needs
- Evaluate technology trends and developments for business opportunities and risks, and introduce strategies to capitalize on these opportunities and to mitigate risks (including security, disaster recovery, business continuity)
- Ensure the full spectrum of policies and practices within the sphere of IT comply with relevant legal and statutory requirements globally and meet principles of sound corporate governance
Requirements:
- B.S. Degree in Computer Science or related disciplines plus a minimum of ten to fifteen (10 - 15) years’ experience in IT.
- Global leadership experience, leading multiple functions of an IT department, within manufacturing organizations.
- Strong technical and business acumen and the ability to express complex technical concepts in business initiative terms to visualize challenges and solutions with leadership
- Strong project management and prioritization experience, especially with ERP implementations including setting the guiding principles of the initiative, conversion and sun-setting of legacy systems, and change management processes relating to both people and technology
- Technical expertise in application technology (e.g., ERP, Cloud, MES, Web Services, CRM) and implementation and use of business information tools (e.g., data modeling, Business Intelligence). Experience with Epicor and/or Oracle a plus
- Ability to thrive in a “hands-on” environment that demands a consultative approach and solutions that span multiple business functions
- Experience in acquisition due diligence and integration
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with emphasis on the ability to influence
- Excels at building and maintaining relationships within a global enterprise