IT Strategy & Innovation Manager

Purpose

• As IT Strategy & Innovation Manager, you define, lead, and continuously evolve the corporate IT vision and multi‑year IT strategy. You act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, translating external technology trends, internal performance insights, and emerging risks into clear investment priorities, sourcing strategies, and strategic roadmaps.

  You ensure that IT strategy, innovation, and AI implementation deliver measurable and sustainable business value, while remaining fully aligned with enterprise architecture principles, data strategy, security, and risk requirements.

Responsibilities

• Define, own, and continuously evolve the corporate IT Strategy and rolling 3‑Year IT Plan, ensuring alignment with company objectives and business priorities.
• Translate IT strategy into a clear executive‑level narrative, supported by focused KPIs, scorecards, and a structured governance and review cadence.
• Define and maintain the Corporate AI Guidance, covering AI vision, strategy, governance principles, decision frameworks, and enterprise guardrails.
• Own and maintain the business capability map and associated heatmaps, using them to connect platforms, solutions, and initiatives to value, risk, and organizational readiness.
• Define and align the IT Innovation process with the corporate innovation framework, including intake criteria, decision rights, prioritization rules, and transition‑to‑scale mechanisms.
• Lead and animate the IT Innovation community, federating business and IT stakeholders around shared innovation priorities, learning loops, and pragmatic experimentation.
• Manage the Emerging Technology Radar and associated decision forums, ensuring insights actively influence architecture principles, platform choices, and investment planning.
• Translate technology trends and performance insights into target solution roadmaps and sourcing strategies, supporting a product‑ and platform‑oriented operating model.
• Collaborate closely with Enterprise Architecture, Data, Security, Risk, and Delivery teams to ensure strategic and innovation decisions are compliant, feasible, and value‑driven.
• Prepare and present executive‑level materials (strategy updates, technology radar summaries, quarterly scorecards) and facilitate structured reviews with senior leadership and audit stakeholders.
• Monitor execution progress, benefits realization, and risk exposure across strategic and innovation initiatives, providing clear recommendations for continuous improvement.
• Lead and develop a team of two resources, including direction setting, coaching, performance management, and skills development.

Education

• A Master’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Digital Transformation, Strategy, or Technology Management is preferred but not mandatory.
• Professional certifications in Enterprise Architecture, IT Strategy, or IT Governance (e.g. TOGAF, COBIT, ITIL, or equivalent) are highly desirable.
• Strong knowledge of modern IT landscapes is mandatory, with particular emphasis on Microsoft Azure and Azure Data & AI platforms and services.
• Knowledge of, or certification in, AI governance frameworks (e.g. NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001) is a strong asset.
• Fluent written and spoken English is mandatory.

Experience

• 10+ years of experience in IT Strategy, Enterprise Architecture, Digital Strategy, or Strategic Planning roles, with demonstrated leadership responsibility.
• Proven experience defining and executing multi‑year IT strategies, translating strategic intent into actionable roadmaps, investment plans, and measurable outcomes.
• Proven experience delivering company‑level AI guidance, consolidating AI vision, strategy, governance, and guardrails in collaboration with key stakeholders.
• Experience working with product‑ and platform‑oriented operating models.
• Demonstrated experience managing strategic vendors and partners, including joint roadmaps, sourcing strategies, and proactive renewal planning.
• Ability to translate complex technology trends into clear, actionable recommendations for business, finance, and executive stakeholders.
• Strong executive communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to influence senior leaders through clear messaging, structured decision forums, and concise strategic artifacts.
• Proven ability to work effectively across business, IT, security, risk, and finance in a federated enterprise environment.
• Proven ability to lead and manage people, including coaching, development, and performance management.

Functional Competencies