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.
• •Exp