Director Technology & IT Transformation

Waterland Private Equity; Frankfurt; Hybrid; EUR 180.000 - 250.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

Waterland Private Equity-backed group seeks a Director Technology & IT Transformation to lead the technology agenda across the business. The role oversees IT and data teams of approximately 25, shaping the roadmap, budgets and partner governance while guiding transformation initiatives.

You will partner with the executive team, report to the managing director & CFO, and drive delivery across sites in Germany using stage-gate, agile or hybrid approaches with clear milestones and measurable

Qualifikationen

• At least 8 years in IT leadership or programme delivery.
• Experience leading managers for 3+ years.
• End-to-end project delivery including ERP or core system replacements.
• Experience with agile and hybrid methods (Scrum, Kanban).
• Exposure to private equity-backed or fast-growing firms is a plus.
• Business-fluent German and English.
• Ability to lead across multiple sites and acquisitions.

Aufgaben

• Own the multi-year technology roadmap, including a new ERP system and turn priorities into a sequenced plan.
• Deliver the plan with strong project management, stage-gate templates and monthly status reports.
• Lead heads and team leads, clarify roles and objectives, manage capacity and performance.
• Maintain stable, secure, cost-effective technology services across sites.
• Develop data, AI agenda and govern pilots into scalable solutions.
• Oversee cyber security, governance and risk across the organisation.

Jobbeschreibung

This role is for a fast-growing, private equity-backed buy & build consumer services company with a nationwide, multi-site footprint and more than 4,000 employees. Headquartered in the Rhein-Main region in Germany, it is professionalising its central corporate functions to support growth, service quality and a scalable operating model.

Technology is moving from an operational support function to a strategic business partner. The organisation is being structured into specialist teams covering technology infrastructure, service and support, field services, cyber security, data and AI, and core business applications, while managing a growing portfolio of cross-functional transformation initiatives.

The Role

The newly created role Director Technology & IT Transformation adds an experienced leadership layer above the established technical teams. The Director provides direction and people leadership, while technical heads and specialists retain day-to-day ownership of operations and engineering. The role requires a strong transformation leader with broad technology judgement, rather than the deepest technical expert in every domain.

Reporting to the group managing director & CFO and part of the senior leadership team, the Director takes overall responsibility for the company-wide technology agenda and leads an existing IT and data organisation of approximately 25 employees. The role owns the technology roadmap, transformation & integration programmes, organisation development, cyber security agenda, data and AI priorities, budgets and strategic partners.

A key part of the role is to improve how technology projects are prioritised, steered and delivered. The Director is the main point of challenge and support for sponsors, project leaders and workstreams, and keeps one clear view of progress, dependencies, risks, decisions, resources and benefits. The Director sets simple delivery standards, steps in early when projects go off track, and builds stronger project management skills across the organisation. Success is measured by what is implemented, used and kept running across the business.

Who we are looking for

• At least 8 years in IT leadership or programme delivery, including at least three years leading managers. Has run technology projects end to end, from business case to go-live and stabilisation, such as an ERP or core system replacement across multiple sites.
• Project and programme management skills covering planning, tracking risks, issues and dependencies, running go/no-go decisions at project gates, and checking that promised benefits arrive. Comfortable with agile and hybrid methods (Scrum, Kanban). Has introduced project standards in a company that had none and coached sponsors and project leaders to use them.
• Experience leading managers and specialist teams, ideally across infrastructure, applications and data, giving technical experts room to work while setting clear priorities, accountability and performance expectations.
• Working knowledge of enterprise applications (ERP, CRM), infrastructure and cloud, cyber security, data, analytics and AI, and workplace services. Enough depth to challenge specialists and vendors and to weigh cost, risk, service quality and cash impact. Deep hands-on expertise in every area is not expected.
• Business-fluent German and English, with regular presence at the Rhein-Main headquarters and travel to company sites.
• Experience in a private equity-backed or fast-growing company is a plus, including working to a board and investor reporting cycle. Experience in a multi-site business, or integrating IT after acquisitions, is a strong advantage.

Key Responsibilities

• Technology strategy and investment: Own the multi-year technology roadmap, including a new ERP system, and turn business priorities into a clear, sequenced plan agreed with the executive team. Prepare business cases and budgets, and set out the expected costs, benefits and trade-offs for executive and shareholder decisions.
• Transformation and project delivery: Deliver the agreed plan and build up strong project management across the company. Introduce one delivery method (stage-gate, agile, hybrid) with common templates, clear project gates and one monthly status report, and train project leaders to use them. Keep one view of milestones, risks and dependencies, challenge sponsors, step in early when delivery is at risk, and hold owners and vendors to account for results.
• Organisation and people leadership: Lead and develop the heads and team leads across the technology function. Clarify roles, decision rights and ownership, set objectives, manage capacity and performance, plan for succession, and build a service culture in which managers are empowered and accountable.
• Technology services and partners: Keep services stable, secure and cost-effective at headquarters and across all sites. Set clear service KPIs and SLAs with named owners, reduce repeat incidents and underlying risks, and manage vendors and service providers against agreed scope, cost, quality and service levels.
• Data, AI and digital innovation: Build a practical data and AI agenda together with the business. Rank use cases by business value and feasibility, set responsible governance, choose tools and partners, and turn successful pilots into solutions that are used and measured.
• Cyber security, risk and resilience: Own the cyber security roadmap, covering governance, identity and access, vulnerability management, staff awareness, incident readiness, business continuity and compliance with relevant requirements. Track cyber resilience through clear KPIs and named owners.

Key Parameters

Location: Rhein-Main region in Germany, hybrid working model with regular office presence.

Travel: Regular visits to company sites and key partners in Germany.

Reporting line: Managing director & CFO, part of the senior leadership team of the company, regular interaction with the executive team, shareholders and other stakeholders.

Team: Approximately 25 employees across specialist technology and data teams.