Senior Director, Technology Leader

Established in 2021, Independence Pet Holdings is a corporate holding company that manages a diverse and broad portfolio of modern pet health brands and services, including insurance, pet education, lost recovery services, and more throughout North America.

We believe pet insurance is more than a financial product and build solutions to simplify the pet parenting journey and help improve the well-being of pets. As a leading authority in the pet category, we operate with a full stack of resources, capital, and services to support pet parents. Our multi-brand and omni-channel approach include our own insurance carrier, insurance brands and partner brands. 

Job Summary:

The Senior Director will lead a multi-brand business unit to drive consolidated roadmaps, tracking, budget, and delivery of all technology projects. This role will work closely with senior leadership to:

• Align technology execution to business outcomes
• Driving roadmaps including moving environments onto a companywide standard
• Own communication and change management for large initiatives
• Ensure that key initiatives are prioritized, executed, and ROI measured effectively
• Tracking project progress and financials against approved roadmap
• This role requires the ability to collaborate with and influence multiple stakeholders to develop and deploy robust enterprise-wide technology projects to meet long term business goals.

The Senior Director plays a pivotal role in driving the organization’s technology strategy and ensuring alignment with business goals. This is an exciting opportunity for a seasoned strategic leader to influence the long-term direction of technology at a high level while working closely with executive leadership to achieve business success.

Focus areas:

• Technology Excellence– Exemplify the organization’s commitment to excellence, building trust and credibility among stakeholders and customers
• Transformation Enabler - Foster a culture of experimentation and collaboration within the organization, driving continuous improvement, agility, and competitive advantage in with a cost effective and reliable environment leveraging Gen AI and automation
• Capability Builder - Support the organization's technological needs by delivering holistic roadmaps to deliver the required ROI
• Customer Champion - Prioritize customer-centric technology projects and track the appropriate ROI

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Vision:

• Partner with technology leadership and other executives to define and communicate the long-term technology roadmaps aligned with the company’s business goals and market opportunities
• Lead planning efforts to ensure that technology investments are future-proof, scalable, and capable of supporting business growth and transformation
• Identify emerging technologies and industry trends, advising leadership on their potential impact on the business and shaping the organization’s technology roadmap
• Technology Roadmap & Planning:
• Develop and maintain comprehensive, technology road maps that align with both current and future business needs
• Drive the planning and prioritization of key technology initiatives across the organization, ensuring that resources are optimally allocated and aligned with strategic goals
• Work with business units to understand their strategic objectives and translate those into actionable technological plans and solutions

Portfolio Management:

• Oversee the portfolio of technology projects, ensuring alignment with business outcomes and proper resource allocation
• Evaluate project performance, track key performance indicators (KPIs), and adjust course as necessary to ensure timely delivery and alignment with overall strategy
• Identify risks within the portfolio and collaborate with project managers and business leaders to mitigate or resolve issues
• Cross-functional Collaboration:
• Foster close collaboration between the technology team and other business units (e.g., Product, Operations, Marketing, Sales) to ensure alignment and successful execution of technology initiatives
• Act as a liaison between technical and non-technical teams, ensuring clear communication of technology strategy and priorities to senior business leaders
• Drive integration of technological initiatives across the business, ensuring that systems and processes work cohesively to support overall business objectives

Financial Management:

• Work closely with Procurement and Finance team to develop and manage the technology budget, ensuring effective allocation of resources to strategic priorities
• Analyze the financial impact of technology initiatives, providing recommendations on investment and cost optimization strategies.
• Ensure the effective management of technology investments to deliver maximum return on investment (ROI)
• Metrics & Reporting:
• Develop a set of key metrics and performance indicators to track the progress and success of technology initiatives and investments
• Provide regular strategic updates to the CTO, executive leadership, and other stakeholders, using data and analytics to communicate progress, risks, and outcomes
• Use insights from reporting and metrics to refine strategy and drive continuous improvement across the organization
• Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Strategy:
• Support the CTO and leadership team in M&A activities by evaluating potential technology synergies, assessing integration opportunities, and providing strategic guidance on technology-related aspects of acquisitions
• Lead the development of integration plans that align acquired technologies with the broader organizational strategy

Communication and Change Management:

• Lead change management activities required to roll out and adopt technology projects to ensure effective return on investment
• Drive communication to ensure stakeholders across the portfolio of companies are kept aware of the latest developments and buy into the technology project impacts
• Required Skills & Abilities:
• Forward-thinking strategist skilled in devising and operationalizing a technology strategy across multiple operating entities
• A storyteller who translates technical concepts into business terms and articulates the value of technology investments to stakeholders
• Commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accountability in managing the organization’s technology
• Flexible and adaptable to respond to evolving technology challenges and organizational needs
• A change agent that fosters a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, encouraging experimentation, and adapting to evolving circumstances and environment
• An authentic and tenacious leader who leans in to partnering with peers and is a collaborative team leader who is steadfast in leading by example
• Exemplary organizational skills coupled with proactive initiative-taking meticulous attention to detail, and adept time management, flourishing in a dynamic and rapidly evolving environment
• Acts as a culture ambassador, living our organizational values
• Experience Managing Onshore and Offshore Teams: Proven ability to lead and manage both onshore and offshore teams, ensuring seamless collaboration and execution of technology projects. This includes strategic oversight, cross-cultural leadership, communication and coordination, performance management, resource allocation, and risk management.

Education and Experience:

• Proven experience 15+ years in project management, strategy, communication, and operations in a technology-driven global organizations
• Experience driving internal development teams and external partners to deliver business outcomes using agile methodologies
• Strong understanding of technology project lifecycles, portfolio management, and best practices in delivering large-scale technology initiatives
• Strong understanding of financial management, including budgeting, ROI analysis, and investment prioritization for technology projects.
• Experience with vendor management in an outsourced or managed service environment
• Experience with M&A or PE environment is desirable
• Exceptional analytical skills, with the ability to track and report on roadmaps, business cases, and ROI
• Strong leadership with the ability to influence and collaborate with cross-functional teams across different geographical locations
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to effectively present complex information to senior executives and stakeholders
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field

Other:  Limited US travel to major hubs is required.

Compensation:

Chicago Base pay range: $172,103 – $252,008 per year. This is the range we reasonably expect to pay at hire. Placement within the range depends on job-related factors such as experience, skills, and certifications. This position is eligible for an annual bonus. Base pay is one part of a total rewards package that includes the benefits listed below.

All of our jobs come with great benefits including healthcare, parental leave and opportunities for career advancements. Some offerings are dependent upon the location of where you work and can include the following:

• Comprehensive full medical, dental and vision Insurance

• Basic Life Insurance at no cost to the employee

• Company paid short-term and long-term disability

• 12 weeks of 100% paid Parental Leave

• Health Savings Account (HSA)

• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

• Retirement savings plan

• Personal Paid Time Off

• Paid holidays and company-wide Wellness Day off

• Paid time off to volunteer at nonprofit organizations

• Pet friendly office environment

• Commuter Benefits

• Group Pet Insurance

• On the job training and skills development

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

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