Chief Information Officer (Ref: 198299)

Forsyth Barnes Consultancy; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 320,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Executive visibility

Austin leadership role

Job summary

Forsyth Barnes Consultancy in Austin, TX seeks a CIO to define and lead the technology agenda for a multi-channel retail business focused on vitamins and health products. You will align technology investment with revenue growth, customer experience and risk management, delivering measurable business results.

The successful candidate will modernise capabilities, oversee digital commerce, store platforms, data services and security, while ensuring delivery teams focus on outcomes and value

Qualifications

• Experience leading enterprise technology or digital functions at executive level.
• Proven ability to align technology with retail business goals and customer outcomes.
• Strong communication skills with executive audiences and boards.

Responsibilities

• Set enterprise technology strategy and portfolio governance aligned to commercial priorities.
• Translate objectives into a sequenced roadmap for commerce, stores and data.
• Lead investment planning, benefits measurement and executive sponsorship.
• Improve platforms for reliability, scalability and user experience across channels.
• Strengthen cybersecurity, privacy, resilience and continuity practices.
• Establish an accountable technology operating model with clear ownership.
• Partner with leaders to apply automation, analytics and emerging tech.
• Drive modernisation while protecting critical services and dependencies.

Skills

Executive technology leadership

Retail technology landscape

Strategic planning

Cybersecurity & risk

Stakeholder communication

Job description

About Us

This organisation operates in retail, with a focus on vitamins, supplements and health-oriented products that support customers in making informed choices about everyday wellbeing. Its business spans customer engagement, product discovery, purchasing, fulfilment and ongoing service, creating a technology environment where dependable platforms and useful information directly influence commercial performance.

Job Description

The Chief Information Officer will define and lead the technology and information agenda for a multi-channel retail business serving customers across the vitamins, supplements and health products market. This executive will connect technology investment to revenue growth, customer experience, operational efficiency and risk management, ensuring that strategic priorities produce measurable business results.

Success will require a balanced approach: modernising capabilities while protecting the reliability of essential retail services. The role will oversee the evolution of digital commerce, store and customer platforms, enterprise applications, data services, infrastructure and security, with accountability for how these capabilities work together across the organisation.

Working closely with executive stakeholders, the CIO will establish investment priorities, strengthen governance and create a clear view of the technology portfolio. The position will bring commercial discipline to transformation, improve decision-making through trusted information, and ensure that delivery teams are focused on outcomes rather than activity alone.

Leadership scope will include the technology operating model, enterprise architecture, cybersecurity, privacy, resilience, service management and talent development. The successful candidate will bring clarity to complex decisions, build confidence with senior stakeholders and create an accountable function capable of delivering both near-term performance and long-term capability.

Located in Austin, Texas, this opportunity suits a pragmatic and influential technology leader who can operate at enterprise level while maintaining an informed view of customer journeys, retail operations and the systems that support them.

Key Responsibilities

• Set an enterprise technology and information strategy that clearly supports commercial priorities, customer needs and operational goals.
• Translate strategic objectives into a sequenced roadmap covering commerce, stores, customer engagement, data, infrastructure and corporate systems.
• Direct portfolio governance, investment planning and benefits measurement so major initiatives receive appropriate scrutiny and executive sponsorship.
• Improve the reliability, scalability and usability of platforms that support digital channels, retail operations, fulfilment and internal services.
• Advance data and information capabilities that give leaders timely, trusted insight into customers, products, performance and risk.
• Strengthen cybersecurity, privacy, identity, resilience and continuity practices in line with the organisation’s risk profile and operating requirements.
• Establish a technology operating model with clear accountability, service standards, architecture principles and decision rights.
• Partner with commercial and operational leaders to identify practical applications for automation, analytics and emerging technology.
• Lead modernisation efforts while protecting critical services and managing dependencies across a complex retail environment.
• Build a strong leadership bench, develop specialist capability and create a culture centred on ownership, delivery quality and continuous improvement.

Requirements

• Significant experience leading enterprise technology, information or digital functions in a CIO, CTO or comparable executive capacity.
• A demonstrated record of developing and executing technology strategy within retail, consumer, healthcare-related commerce, multi-site operations or another customer-facing environment.
• Strong understanding of retail technology landscapes, including digital commerce, point-of-sale or store platforms, customer data, merchandising, supply chain and enterprise applications.
• Practical expertise across cybersecurity, privacy, technology risk, resilience, infrastructure, architecture and service operations.
• Evidence of delivering complex transformation portfolios while maintaining availability and performance across business-critical services.
• Commercial acumen, including the ability to assess investment choices through customer value, growth potential, efficiency, risk and total cost of ownership.
• Experience establishing effective governance, prioritisation frameworks, operating models and performance measures for technology organisations.
• Confidence presenting recommendations, trade-offs and risk positions to executive leadership, boards or equivalent governing groups.
• A strong record of recruiting, developing and retaining senior technology talent across varied disciplines.
• Exceptional communication and influencing skills, with the judgement to adapt technical detail for commercial, operational and non-technical audiences.

Benefits

• Enterprise-level influence over the technology foundations of a growing health-focused retail business.
• Direct visibility across customer experience, digital commerce, stores, supply operations, data and corporate services.
• The mandate to shape investment priorities, operating disciplines and modernisation plans rather than manage technology in isolation.
• Meaningful scope to improve resilience, information quality, service performance and the value generated from technology expenditure.
• Access to executive-level partnership on decisions that affect growth, efficiency, customer trust and operational continuity.
• An Austin-based leadership opportunity within a market connected to everyday health, wellbeing and informed consumer choice.
• Potential to build enduring organisational capability through leadership development, stronger governance and a clearer technology operating model.
• A role where successful delivery will be visible through improved customer journeys, stronger decision-making and more dependable retail operations.

Other

The position is based in Austin, Texas, and carries enterprise-wide accountability across technology and information. Candidates should be prepared to operate across strategic planning, executive advising, investment governance and operational oversight.

Priority will be given to leaders who combine transformation experience with disciplined execution and who can explain complex choices in clear commercial terms. Experience in a health-oriented retail, supplements, consumer products or similarly regulated and trust-sensitive environment will be valuable, alongside the ability to transfer lessons from other large-scale customer businesses.

Simon Wilkinson

Divisional Principal BDM, Technology

ETail Specialist

• [e-mail]

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