Entertainment Company Vice President Information Technology

Stonewood Group Inc.; Toronto; On-site; CAD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading entertainment company is seeking a Vice President, Information Technology in Toronto. The role involves managing IT strategies, overseeing technology projects, and leading a distributed team. Ideal candidates have 20+ years in IT, with a strong leadership background and experience in the entertainment sector. A university degree and PMP designation are preferred.

Qualifications

• 20 years of experience in information technology, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Experience in the entertainment industry is highly desirable.
• Experience dealing with complex rules-based applications is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and manage IT strategies, operational plans and budgets.
• Oversee delivery of key technology projects.
• Lead a geographically distributed team.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Communication

Planning

Commercial acumen

Education

University degree in Computer Science or Engineering

PMP designation

Job description

The Company

Our client is an established leader in the entertainment business. This company has deep roots and a rich history in a broad range of entertainment industry products and models. As the industry is now re‑inventing itself and experiencing rapid evolution, this company is focused on leading in the global entertainment products distribution industry. The company is achieving great success, through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions. The company now requires a dynamic and passionate information technology leader that will enable it to stay ahead of the changes by driving a proactive, innovative and highly effective team.

Scope of Position

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer this Toronto-based Vice President, Information Technology will manage the planning, development and support of the technology solutions and infrastructure for the company. Working closely with operations teams, finance, and sales and marketing organization, the Vice President will oversee the achievement of tactical and strategic objectives that will support the business goals.

Specific Responsibilities

• Prepare and manage IT strategies, operational plans and budgets that align with overall business objectives.
• Oversee the delivery of numerous and imperative key technology projects on a timely and cost‑effective basis.
• Lead a geographically distributed team of combined permanent and contract employees that support a global operation.
• Oversee project team members with long‑term view of easy transitions to stable permanent solutions.
• Serve as a trusted business partner and collaborate with members of the senior management team to participate in the development and execution of the technology.
• Manage the software, hardware, and services in a manner that supports the strategic and operational goals of the company with specific responsibility for oversight of the voice/telecommunications; data network; systems management; service desk; server and desktop support and hosted solutions to meet the current and future needs of the organization and its customers.
• Manage vendor relationships with technology partners.
• Work with colleagues and partners to establish and integrate information management metrics into business processes and deliver timely and ongoing support.
• Identify opportunities for improving processes and mentoring personnel to become high performers in their functional areas.

Qualifications

• Post‑secondary technical education is required with a preference for a university degree in Computer Science or Engineering.
• A PMP designation is highly desirable.
• Twenty years experience in information technology with at least five years in a leadership role in a dynamic organization.
• Experience in the entertainment industry is highly desirable.
• Experience dealing with complex rules‑based applications would be highly desirable.
• Exceptional project/program management skills are imperative.
• Must have strong general business skills and a reputation as a technical leader with business sense.

Our client seeks the following competency profile

Results Orientation

Focuses strongly on achieving agreed upon outcomes and ensures that key objectives are met; Conveys a sense of urgency and drives issues to closure; Aims to improve upon past performance; Establishes aggressive personal targets and strives to achieve them.

Communication

Expresses ideas in a clear, fluent and concise manner; Written and oral arguments are compelling and responsive to the needs of the audience; Comprehends communications from others and responds appropriately.

Planning & Objective Setting

Systematic in approach to work; Produces action plans in which objectives are defined and steps for achieving them are clearly specified; Plans by breaking down large task into subtasks; Develops plans that anticipate obstacles; Is realistic about time‑scales and builds in appropriate checkpoints, milestones and controls in order to ensure that desired results are realized.

People Management

Establishes and communicates clear priorities and sense of direction; Clarifies roles and responsibilities; Adapts management style to achieve optimum results.

Commercial Acumen

Applies appropriate commercial and financial principles; Understands situations in terms of costs, profits, added‑value and return on investment; Appreciates the commercial impact of own work on the organization’s total expenses and revenues.