CIO

Talentfoot Executive Search; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 250,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

Talentfoot Executive Search is seeking a Chief Information Officer to lead the global corporate technology function from Chicago, driving a multiyear strategy and operational independence. You will oversee infrastructure, ERP, HRIS, cybersecurity, and PMO programs, partnering with regional leaders and senior clients to align technology with business goals.

You will shape a high-performing global team, manage vendors and budgets, and ensure governance and risk management across entities in North

Qualifications

• Proven track record delivering corporate technology strategy for a complex global business.
• 15+ years of progressive technology leadership, including CIO experience.
• Experience managing multi-entity environments (holding company, parent/subsidiaries).

Responsibilities

• Set multiyear technology strategy and drive operational independence.
• Advise executive leadership on technology risks, funding, and opportunities.
• Oversee ERP/financial HRIS platforms and modernization efforts.
• Partner with data/analytics to enable timely, consolidated reporting.
• Lead global IT ops across cloud and on-prem environments; ensure security posture.
• Build and mature PLM and PMO disciplines with governance, SLAs, KPIs.
• Drive vendor management and CAPEX/OPEx planning across entities.
• Strengthen governance, audit readiness, and business continuity.
• Develop a high-performing global team with clear accountability and growth paths.

Skills

Technology leadership

CIO experience

ERP systems

Cybersecurity leadership

Vendor management

PMO governance

Hybrid/remote leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/IS/Engineering

Tools

ERP

HRIS

Cloud platforms

IT Service Management (ITSM)

Job description

Company Overview

For more than 50 years, our client has helped many of the world's most recognized consumer brands reach millions of people every day, bringing creative agency, strategic consultancy, global sourcing, and technology capabilities together under one roof. With more than 1,000 employees across 25+ countries, the company takes ideas from concept to the hands of consumers worldwide, supported by client partnerships that in many cases span decades. Its culture reflects private, long term ownership focused on building enduring businesses, with notably long employee tenure and a collaborative environment where creative, finance, operations, and technology professionals learn from one another across regions and disciplines. As the company advances a multiyear transition toward operational independence and continues to treat technology as a strategic asset for growth, its next Chief Information Officer will play a central role in building the corporate technology foundation for the years ahead.

Company Overview

For more than 50 years, our client has helped many of the world's most recognized consumer brands reach millions of people every day, bringing creative agency, strategic consultancy, global sourcing, and technology capabilities together under one roof. With more than 1,000 employees across 25+ countries, the company takes ideas from concept to the hands of consumers worldwide, supported by client partnerships that in many cases span decades. Its culture reflects private, long term ownership focused on building enduring businesses, with notably long employee tenure and a collaborative environment where creative, finance, operations, and technology professionals learn from one another across regions and disciplines. As the company advances a multiyear transition toward operational independence and continues to treat technology as a strategic asset for growth, its next Chief Information Officer will play a central role in building the corporate technology foundation for the years ahead.

Position Overview

This is a rare opportunity to shape the corporate technology function of a complex global business at a pivotal point in its evolution. Reporting directly to the President, the Chief Information Officer will lead five direct reports and a global organization of 60 to 80 employees and contractors spanning infrastructure and operations, enterprise applications and ERP, HRIS, cybersecurity, IT service management, and technology vendor and program management. First, this leader will set a clear multiyear corporate technology strategy and accelerate the company's progress toward operational independence from its parent organization, working alongside an executive team that views technology as a strategic asset. Second, the role carries broad visibility across the enterprise and beyond it, including partnership with peer technology leaders at sister operating companies, strategic relationships with some of the industry's largest technology providers, and a senior voice on data protection and cybersecurity with the technology and security leaders of major global clients. Third, the CIO will inherit a capable and committed team with deep institutional knowledge, along with the time and support to learn the business before setting direction, backed by private ownership that supports multiyear thinking and investment. This hybrid role is based in Chicago.

Position Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a multiyear corporate technology strategy aligned with the company's growth objectives and its path to operational independence, translating business priorities into a sequenced roadmap that balances daily stability with modernization programs spanning three to five years.
• Advise the President and executive team with clear, candid perspective on technology risks, tradeoffs, and opportunities, and secure the funding, resources, and executive alignment needed to deliver critical initiatives.
• Own the portfolio of ERP, financial, HRIS, and corporate platforms, ensuring the reliability of systems that support high volume global financial transactions while guiding long tenured enterprise applications teams through thoughtful modernization.
• Partner with the data and analytics team to build an integrated data foundation across multiple ERP environments, giving finance and operating leaders the timely, consolidated reporting they need to run the business.
• Lead global infrastructure and IT operations across cloud and on premises environments, networks, endpoints, and end user services in North America, Europe, and Asia, supported by strong IT service management practices.
• Define and execute the enterprise security strategy, including security operations, governance, risk management, compliance, and the data protection controls that support responsible AI adoption, and represent the company in client security reviews, due diligence, and risk assessments.
• Build and mature technology vendor management and PMO disciplines, including governance frameworks, SLAs, KPIs, and performance accountability, while leading CapEx and OpEx planning with allocation and chargeback models across entities.
• Strengthen IT governance, audit readiness, business continuity, and compliance controls across a global footprint with multiple entities, and help define a clear delineation of services, agreements, and accountabilities with the parent organization.
• Assess the organization's structure and capabilities, address single points of failure, and develop a high performing global team with clear accountability, succession, and growth paths aligned to the multiyear roadmap.
• Build trusted relationships with regional business leaders, the parent organization, and sister company technology leaders, leading through influence to drive alignment on shared services, security, and best practices.

Position Qualifications

• A proven track record of setting and delivering a corporate technology strategy that strengthens the reliability, security, and scalability of a complex global business.
• 15 or more years of progressive technology leadership experience, including prior experience as a Chief Information Officer.
• Experience leading technology within an environment of multiple entities, such as a holding company, parent and subsidiary structure, group company, or private equity portfolio, including shared services, parent alignment, and globally distributed teams across multiple regions and time zones.
• Direct accountability for complex ERP environments across multiple platforms that support high volume financial operations, along with HRIS and other core corporate systems, plus depth across hybrid infrastructure, including major cloud platforms, on premises environments, networks, endpoint management, enterprise productivity suites, and IT service management programs.
• Experience leading enterprise cybersecurity, including security operations, governance, risk management, and audit readiness, along with a proven ability to build and mature technology VMO and PMO functions and hold strategic vendors and managed service providers accountable for results.

Preferred

• Experience in complex supply chain, sourcing, manufacturing, logistics, distribution, or CPG environments, and a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field.
• High emotional intelligence, political acumen, and the humility to draw on the knowledge of long tenured team members, paired with skill at leading through influence where decision rights are shared across entities.
• Executive presence and credibility with senior technology and security leaders at major global clients, along with the candor and judgment to advise senior leaders on both opportunities and risks.