Chief Information/Technology Officer

Description

W.S. Darley & Co is seeking a Chief Information/Technology Officer (CITO) to join its leadership team. 

This role is accountable for setting direction, prioritizing initiatives, and ensuring technology investments align with business strategy across all operating divisions. The position emphasizes leadership, organization, governance, and decision-making and will play a critical role in shaping Darley’s future, serving first responders and defense customers worldwide. 

In this role, the CITO delivers decisive leadership across technology operations, people leadership, customer engagement, and vendor relations, fostering strong credibility with internal teams, Darley Executive Leadership team, and external partners. The role oversees all aspects of IT strategy, cybersecurity, ERP (JD Edwards) optimization, infrastructure, data architecture, analytics, automation, and AI-based transformation initiatives.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in people and project management, with proven experience leading teams, prioritizing initiatives, and delivering results across complex environments.

This role requires familiarity with enterprise technologies, including CRM platforms (Salesforce or similar), ERP systems (JD Edwards or similar), AI, data architecture, cybersecurity (CMMC), and automation, with the ability to align these capabilities to business goals.

About W.S. Darley & Co: Founded in 1908, W.S. Darley & Co. (Darley) remains a family owned and operated business, supplying the highest quality equipment solutions to its military and first responder customers. With origins in the equipment distribution and Midwest manufacturing, Darley offers a family of leading innovate emergency equipment brands and innovative solutions. Darley prides itself on delivering the highest quality solutions and services from its corporate headquarters in Itasca, IL and its’ ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturing operations in Chippewa Falls, WI and Janesville, IA.

Darley Defense, a division of the W.S. Darley company, specializes in using existing contracts to distribute products and services to the Federal Government. Darley Defense specializes in special operational equipment and fire and emergency services.

Requirements

Executive Leadership

• Serve as the executive owner of technology strategy and priorities, representing technology and systems to the Executive Leadership Team. 
• Communicate technology priorities, risks, and progress in clear, business-focused terms to executives and stakeholders including Board of Directors and Advisory Boards.
• Act as a trusted advisor to leadership on where technology can (and should not) be used to drive value.

Strategic Leadership & Alignment

• Develop and execute a comprehensive, multi-year technology and product strategy/roadmap aligned with the company’s      business objectives and growth plans.
•  Maintain a holistic view of technology initiatives across all business divisions, understanding operational needs, dependencies, and constraints. 
• Establish and manage a clear prioritization framework to determine what initiatives should be worked on, deferred, accelerated, or stopped. 
• Make informed tradeoff decisions between cost, risk, speed, and business value.

Financial Leadership

• Develop and manage a comprehensive technology budget (OPEX CAPEX). 
• Implement cost optimization initiatives (cloud cost control, vendor consolidation, automation).
• Evaluate, prioritize and recommend technology investments; forecast future technology expenses based on business growth, ROI and strategy.
• Support capital investment strategy and M&A due diligence. 
• Negotiate large scale contracts; oversee licensing strategies to ensure compliance and cost efficiency.
• Maintain strong vendor relationships to optimize resources and deliver value.

People Leadership, Talent Strategy, & Organizational Development

• Create a clear technology organizational structure aligned to business strategy and future business needs.
• Shift the organization from reactive support to a proactive, product-centric delivery model.
• Foster a culture of learning, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Set performance expectations, KPIs, and frameworks for evaluating team and individual success.
• Lead and mentor IT team; develop next generation of technical leaders, emphasizing technical, leadership, and cross-functional skill development.

Technical/Operational Excellence and Risk Management

• Oversee the design, development, and deployment of scalable software, hardware, and digital platforms that enhance operational efficiency and customer experience.
• Oversee the end-to-end SDLC for customer-facing products, implementing Agile, CI/CD, and automated testing for rapid, high-quality releases.
• Manage operational performance to ensure maximum uptime, business continuity, and elimination of single points of failure.
• Ensure the security, integrity, and reliability of all technology systems, data, and infrastructure; ensure CMMC, NIST, and DFARS compliance.
• Lead data architecture, analytics expansion and AI enablement.
• Lead DevOps governance for internally developed platforms, ensuring standardization, security, and scalability while enabling high quality delivery aligned and business opportunities.
• Stay abreast of emerging technologies and industry trends to identify opportunities for innovation and competitive      advantage.
• Ensure business continuity and no single point of failure.
• Enable UX and champion digital touchpoints for Darley and its customers.
• Support business process engineering; enable simplification and standardization; cloud enablement.

Security, Risk & Compliance Oversight

• Provide executive-level oversight of cybersecurity, data protection, and technology risk management.
• Ensure appropriate policies, controls, and governance are in place to protect the organization.
• Balance security requirements with business agility and operational efficiency.

Stakeholder, Client and Vendor Engagement

• Collaborate with executive leadership and other departments to align technology with business needs and drive cross-functional projects that support strategic initiatives.
• Key contacts: Executive leadership team, Board of Directors, divisional leadership, customer leadership, vendors, and technology parters.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

Provides leadership and oversight for the Technology team, supporting a team of approximately six members including 2-3 direct reports.

WORK ENVIRONMENT 

This job operates in a professional office environment in Itasca, IL. This role routinely uses company standard office equipment such as computers and cell phones.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS 

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms.

POSITION TYPE / EXPECTED HOURS OF WORK 

This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or as otherwise required to meet business needs.  Occasional evening and weekend work may be required to support system outages, critical incidents, upgrades, implementations, or significant improvements to enterprise systems and infrastructure.

TRAVEL

Occasional travel is required to Darley sites, customer sites, as well as to management meetings.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology, Computer Science, Engineering,Information Systems, Cyber Security or requisite experience
• Master’s degree (MBA, MIS, or related discipline) strongly preferred
• Professional certifications such as CISSP, CISM, ITIL, TOGAF or cloud architecture certifications are beneficial

Experience

• 10 years of progressive experience in technology leadership roles, preferably in manufacturing, defense, or related industries
• Experience with enterprise platforms JD Edwards, Salesforce
• Cybersecurity and defense-grade compliance background
• Experience in analytics, automation, AI, and digital transformation

Skills

• Strategic mind-set with hands-on capability 
• Strong communication and leadership skills
• Deep understanding of enterprise architecture
• Ability to manage complex multi-division environments
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities. 

Compensation

$200,000-$300,000 base salary

Benefits

• PTO
• Paid Holidays
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Health & Wellness Reimbursement
• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Life & Disability
• HSA with Darley contribution
• FSA
• 401K/Roth with match and profit sharing
• Darley paid life insurance

AAP/EEO Statement

Darley is an equal opportunity organization. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local law

Salary : $200,000 - $300,000