What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director of IT Strategy position at Ciera Bank?
GENERAL SUMMARY (of Director of IT Strategy)
- Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance
- Flexible Spending Account
- 401(k) or ROTH with Company Match
- Employer Paid Life/Disability/Dependent Life Insurance
- PTO Benefits w/Paid Holidays
- Incentive Award/Bonus Program
- Monthly Gym Allowance
- Tuition Reimbursement Program
- Continuing Education/Training & Development Opportunities
- Free Checking/Savings Accounts
- Annual Company Apparel Allowance
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS (of Director of IT Strategy)
Strategic Planning & Enterprise Architecture
- Develop, maintain, and execute a 3–5 year IT strategy aligned with organizational goals and regulatory requirements.
- Oversee enterprise architecture principles, standards, and target state that have been developed in conjunction with the IT Manager.
- Define initiatives in application modernization, data/AI, automation, and cloud adoption
- Digital Transformation & Innovation
- Champion digital initiatives including mobile banking, cloud migration, automation, and AI-driven fraud detection.
- Support modernization of applications and infrastructure to improve scalability, efficiency, and customer engagement.
Governance, Risk & Compliance
- Lead IT governance in collaboration with Risk & Compliance teams, ensuring alignment with FFIEC, FDIC, GLBA, DFS, and other regulatory frameworks.
- Own the IT policy framework and technology standards..
- Collaborate with Risk & Compliance to identify, mitigate and report IT and cybersecurity risks.
- In collaboration with the Information Security Officer (ISO), set and maintain business continuity and disaster recovery posture, including RTO/RPO targets.
Cybersecurity & Resilience
- Coordinate with internal teams and MSPs to ensure infrastructure support, incident response, and change management align with audit and third-party risk requirements.
Financial & Vendor Management
- Direct IT budgeting, resource allocation, and capital planning; manage OpEx/CapEx and total cost of ownership.
- Assist in vendor management and contract administration.
- Maintain strategic oversight of Managed Service Providers (MSPs), ensuring service levels, compliance, and performance metrics are met.
Leadership & Organizational Development
- Supervise IT leadership and senior staff; build and mentor a high-performing team.
- Define the IT operating model (centralized, federated, or hybrid) and support workforce planning, capability roadmaps, and succession planning.
Stakeholder Engagement & Change Leadership
- Collaborate with executive leadership to align IT strategy with business growth, compliance, and customer trust.
- Communicate IT strategy, performance, and risk to executive stakeholders.
- Sponsor major transformation initiatives, establish organizational standards, and oversee the execution of change management strategies.
Additional
- Represent IT in board and committee meetings, audits, and regulatory reviews.
- Monitor emerging technologies and assess their potential impact on banking operations.
- Foster a culture of innovation, security, and continuous improvement within the IT department.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES (of Director of IT Strategy)
- Strong technical knowledge of telecommunications, network and PC operating systems.
- Strong technical knowledge of current network hardware, protocols and standards.
- Advanced PC skills including computer commands, equipment operating instructions, and output requirements.
- Extensive application support experience.
- Proven experience in IT infrastructure planning and development.
- In-depth knowledge of applicable data privacy practices and laws.
- Strong understanding of project management principles.
- Strong leadership skills.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- Moderate written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills.
This level of knowledge is normally acquired through completion of an undergraduate degree in a business-related discipline and 8 years related work experience.
WORKING CONDITIONS (of Director of IT Strategy)
Internal – Work is normally performed in climate-controlled office environment, where exposure to conditions of extreme heat/cold, poor ventilation, fumes and gases is very limited. Occasionally noise level is high and includes sounds of computer equipment (printers, telephones, etc.). No known environmental hazards are encountered in normal performance of job duties.
External – N/A
PHYSICAL DEMANDS (of Director of IT Strategy)
Work involves standing and walking for brief periods of time, but most duties are performed from a seated position. Work routinely includes pushing, pulling, or carrying objects weighing up to 20 pounds such as computer printouts and boxes of forms; occasionally includes moving objects weighing up to 50 pounds. Deadlines, workloads during peak periods and pressure to achieve production goals may cause increased stress levels. Work normally requires finger dexterity and eye-hand coordination to operate computer keyboard at a moderate skill level.
WORKING RELATIONSHIPS/CONTACTS (of Director of IT Strategy)
Internal – Frequent contact with personnel throughout the institution regarding specific job runs, printouts or distribution of information and to initiate and coordinate special request processing. Collaboration directly with the CFO on budgeting, strategic planning, and vendor partnership initiatives.
External – Contact with vendors regarding equipment operation and maintenance and coordination with auditors and examiners during IT audits and assessments.
Supervision of Others – The IT Manager and IT Team
ACCOUNTABILITY (of Director of IT Strategy)
This position is directly responsible for individual production goals.