The Director of Technology & Business Systems oversees technology platforms, ensuring alignment with business strategies while managing projects and vendor relationships.
Director of Technology & Business Systems
Job Summary
The Director of Technology & Business Systems provides enterprise‑level ownership of the organization’s technology platforms, ensuring they enable business strategy, operational efficiency, and future growth. This role is accountable for the technology ecosystem as a whole—including infrastructure, business systems, AI capability, and vendor partnerships—and serves as a strategic advisor to leadership.
The Director leads technology‑enabled initiatives end‑to‑end, establishes system governance and roadmaps, and acts as the executive bridge between business leadership and technical resources. This role emphasizes strategic platform stewardship, AI adoption, and business enablement.
Key Responsibilities
Technology Operations & Internal Systems
- Oversee day‑to‑day management of internal hardware, software, and business systems.
- Ensure systems are properly configured, maintained, updated, and documented.
- Coordinate provisioning, support, and lifecycle management for devices and software.
- Monitor system performance, reliability, and security, escalating issues as needed.
- Lead or support projects that include a technology component, from requirements through implementation.
- Translate business needs into clear functional and technical requirements.
- Coordinate internal stakeholders, vendors, and technical resources to meet project timelines and objectives.
- Track project risks, dependencies, and milestones; communicate status to leadership and stakeholders.
- Serve as the primary point of contact between business staff and technology resources.
- Actively engage with departments to understand workflows, challenges, and improvement opportunities.
- Recommend and implement technology solutions that improve efficiency, visibility, and outcomes.
- Provide guidance and support to non‑technical users in plain, business‑friendly language.
- Manage relationships with external technology vendors, consultants, and service providers.
- Evaluate technology tools, platforms, and services for fit, cost, and value.
- Coordinate support agreements, licensing, renewals, and service levels.
- Maintain system documentation, standards, and technology roadmaps.
- Support compliance, security, and best practices related to technology usage.
- Identify opportunities for process automation, integration, and modernization.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in a role combining IT operations, project management, and business analysis.
- Familiarity with cloud platforms, SaaS applications, and system integrations.
- Exposure to cybersecurity best practices and data governance.
- Formal project management experience or certification (e.g., PMP, Agile, or similar) is a plus.
Core Competencies
- Own the technology platform portfolio across the organization, including infrastructure, productivity platforms, enterprise systems (e.g., Microsoft Dynamics), and AI‑enabled tools.
- Define and maintain a multi‑year technology and systems roadmap aligned with organizational strategy and operational priorities.
- Establish clear standards, governance, and decision‑making frameworks for system selection, configuration, integration, and retirement.
- Advise executive leadership on technology investments, risks, tradeoffs, and opportunities.
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What you need to know about the Chicago Tech Scene
With vibrant neighborhoods, great food and more affordable housing than either coast, Chicago might be the most liveable major tech hub. It is the birthplace of modern commodities and futures trading, a national hub for logistics and commerce, and home to the American Medical Association and the American Bar Association. This diverse blend of industry influences has helped Chicago emerge as a major player in verticals like fintech, biotechnology, legal tech, e-commerce and logistics technology. It’s also a major hiring center for tech companies on both coasts.
Key Facts About Chicago Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 245,800; 5.2% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
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