Chief Technology Officer

Job Description:

Title: Chief Technology Officer

Location: Remote US or Canada

Reports to: Chief Product & Technology Officer (CPTO)

Position Overview

The Chief Technology Officer will be a pragmatic technology leader reporting to the Chief Product & Technology Officer (CPTO), responsible for the complete engineering and technology operations across J.D. Power's complex ecosystem of 11 acquired entities. This role encompasses platform engineering, infrastructure, enterprise systems, corporate IT, security, and AI/ML capabilities.

The CTO will drive technical integration strategy to consolidate fragmented systems while maintaining business continuity, lead the security organization including CISO oversight, enable engineering teams to deliver against product roadmaps for POWER Launchpad and API Marketplace, modernize enterprise systems (Salesforce, NetSuite, Workday), and transform internal IT from cost center to strategic enabler. This role requires a leader who can simultaneously optimize legacy systems, build new engineering capabilities, establish DevOps as a core competency, and ensure robust security posture - all while enhancing the profitability of large-scale OEM custom development operations.

With direct responsibility for 300+ engineers and technologists spanning platform engineering, application development, infrastructure, corporate IT, and security functions, the CTO will establish enterprise-wide technical standards while respecting the realities of a complex, multi-acquisition environment. Success requires balancing pragmatic incremental improvements with strategic platform investments, maintaining strong engineering delivery while building for the future, and creating clarity from complexity with a bias for action.

Key Responsibilities

Technology Strategy & Platform Architecture (30%)

• Architect extensible platform foundation through pragmatic consolidation of existing systems
• Drive selective cloud optimization across Azure/AWS environments where ROI is demonstrable
• Build reusable components and APIs from proven custom development patterns
• Establish microservices architecture incrementally without disrupting current operations
• Design platform capabilities for plug-and-play integration of future acquisitions
• Lead Architecture Council to govern technology standards while respecting existing constraints
• Partner with SVP Data on UDP/EDH technical architecture evolution
• Enable measured adoption of AI/ML capabilities where they drive clear value

Engineering Leadership & Operations (25%)

• Lead 300+ person technology organization across product engineering, platform services, and corporate IT
• Optimize engineering productivity without wholesale retooling or disruption
• Enhance profitability of custom development operations through improved reusability
• Establish engineering excellence standards appropriate for mixed-skill teams
• Implement SRE practices incrementally to improve platform reliability
• Balance technical debt reduction with maintaining feature velocity
• Direct oversight of CISO and security engineering function
• Lead VP AI Enterprise to establish pragmatic AI/ML governance and adoption

Platform & Product Partnership (20%)

• Partner with VP Product Platform to deliver POWER Launchpad and API Marketplace through iterative releases
• Extract and productize patterns from custom OEM development work
• Support Auth0 identity management and Salesforce/NetSuite consolidation where beneficial
• Establish sustainable platform/product boundaries that respect current realities
• Enable product portfolios through careful abstraction of common capabilities

Digital Transformation & Optimization (15%)

• Lead measured technology integration across acquired companies
• Partner with West Monroe consultants on pragmatic improvement roadmaps
• Drive adoption of modern practices where they demonstrate clear value
• Consolidate redundant systems with minimal business disruption
• Manage technology vendor relationships with strong financial discipline
• Enable Palantir partnership integration without over-engineering

Organizational Development (10%)

• Build effective teams that can work with legacy constraints
• Develop talent across varying skill levels and backgrounds
• Improve developer productivity through targeted tooling investments
• Foster practical innovation aligned with business value
• Present technology progress to board with focus on ROI and risk management

Required Qualifications

Experience

• 10+ years progressive technology leadership in complex, multi-product organizations
• 5+ years as SVP Engineering/Technology or similar senior role
• Proven success optimizing established technology estates without business disruption
• Track record consolidating systems post-acquisition with minimal investment
• Experience managing profitable custom development operations at scale
• Automotive industry or B2B data/analytics platform experience preferred
• Private equity portfolio company experience valued

Technical Expertise

• Deep understanding of enterprise architecture and pragmatic system consolidation
• Experience with measured cloud migration strategies and hybrid environments
• Expertise in API strategy and platform economics
• Knowledge of extracting reusable components from custom implementations
• Understanding of security architecture and compliance requirements
• Familiarity with modern AI/ML applications in data products
• Experience with both product engineering and corporate IT functions

Leadership Competencies

Core Leadership Attributes

• Ability to digest and reduce complexity with a bias for action - transforms complex technical landscapes into clear, actionable roadmaps
• Proven ability to influence product stakeholders based on technology strategy - builds compelling cases for technical investments tied to business outcomes
• Pragmatist who balances technical excellence with business reality
• Skilled at driving incremental change without demanding massive investment
• Experience working effectively with legacy constraints and mixed skill levels
• Strong financial acumen and vendor management capabilities

Strategic & Operational Skills

• Translates complex technical trade-offs into business language for executive and board audiences
• Partners effectively with product leaders to shape roadmaps based on platform capabilities and constraints
• Drives decisions through data and demonstrable ROI rather than architectural ideology
• Maintains delivery momentum while systematically improving technical foundations
• Builds trust with stakeholders through consistent execution and transparent communication

Team & Culture Leadership

• Experience leading geographically distributed teams across varying skill levels
• Creates clarity in ambiguous environments without oversimplifying challenges
• Fosters pragmatic innovation culture focused on business value over technical elegance
• Develops talent while managing performance across diverse technical backgrounds

Company Mission

J.D. Power is clear about what we do to ensure our success into the future. We unite industry leading data and insights with world-class technology to solve our clients' toughest challenges.

Our Values

We POWER Our Customer's Success

We are Innovative, Collaborative and Grounded in Data

We Make Things Easy

We Get It Done

We Start with Trust & Prove it Everyday

J.D. Power is committed to employing a diverse workforce. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, or disability.

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