Director, IT Strategy & Alignment

Exsif; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

EXSIF, part of Marmon Holdings, seeks a Director of Strategy and Business Alignment in Chicago to guide IT strategy and application portfolios. You will bridge business goals with IT execution, valuing ROI and governance, while leading cross-functional teams across IT and business units.

You will champion agile delivery, facilitate stakeholder workshops, and drive adoption of new technologies to improve processes and outcomes in a global, Berkshire Hathaway-backed environment.

Qualifications

• Translate business objectives into actionable IT roadmaps.
• Balance initiatives by value, risk, and dependencies.
• Lead governance forums and drive stakeholder alignment.

Responsibilities

• Define strategic direction for business applications and identify solutions that drive value.
• Develop and manage multi-year IT application portfolio and roadmaps.
• Organize agile delivery rhythms to ensure high-quality deployments and timing.

Skills

Strategic vision

Business acumen

Agile expertise

Communication & influence

Analytical thinking

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a related field

Job description

EXSIFAs a part of the global industrial organization Marmon Holdings—which is backed by Berkshire Hathaway—you’ll be doing things that matter, leading at every level, and winning a better way. We’re committed to making a positive impact on the world, providing you with diverse learning and working opportunities, and fostering a culture where everyone’s empowered to be their best.EXSIF (exsif.com) is the world’s largest and most trusted tank leasing company. EXSIF provides reliable and sustainable equipment combined with best-in-class services that enable the global movement of products essential to everyday life. EXSIF is a global organization with more than 90 team members in 10 countries.EXSIF is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marmon Holdings, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway company. Marmon Holdings, Inc. may be the biggest company you’ve never heard of. It is comprised of 11 groups and more than 100 autonomous businesses with a total annual revenue of $10 billion. Marmon’s 20,000-plus team members serve diverse industries and markets worldwide. As a member of the Marmon team, you have access to career opportunities across the entire organization.EXSIF’s experienced leadership team, growing end markets, and the financial backing of Berkshire Hathaway have poised EXSIF for significant growth.Job SummaryThis is a strategic, business-facing role. The core of the role is product ownership, business process insight, and stakeholder engagement. This role is a bridge between business strategy and execution, making sure we are working on the right things, for the right reasons, at the right time. The Director of Strategy and Business Alignment is responsible for defining the strategic direction of business applications by identifying, prioritizing, and advocating for solutions that drive business value. This role works closely with business leaders, users, and technical teams to understand business processes, pain points, and opportunities, ensuring IT investments are aligned with organizational goals.Key ResponsibilitiesStrategic Planning & Business AlignmentEvaluate opportunities for application enhancements or new solutions based on business outcomes, ROI, and strategic fit.Serve as a key liaison between business stakeholders and IT, ensuring technology strategies align with overall business objectives.Realize a deep understanding of business processes, goals, and pain points to inform technology decisions.Translate business needs into clear problem statements and priorities.Facilitate the gathering, documentation, and validation of high-level business requirements.Develop business cases to support strategic initiatives.Portfolio & Roadmap ManagementDefine and manage the roadmap for business applications in alignment with business priorities.Develop and manage a multi-year IT application portfolio, balancing enhancements, new solutions, and technical debt remediation.Build strong business cases for new investments, including ROI analysis, cost/benefit evaluation, and risk assessment.Prioritize initiatives based on business value, urgency, risk, resource capacity, and dependencies.Analyze usage and performance of existing applications to recommend improvements.Create and deploy enterprise frameworks to drive improved requirements gathering, prioritization, communication and alignment.Lead governance forums to evaluate proposed projects and changes.Ensure transparency into roadmap progress and communicate decisions and rationale to stakeholders.Agile Delivery & Execution OversightOrganize work into sprints, ensuring alignment between business needs, IT capabilities, and delivery timelines.Conduct agile delivery rhythms that promote high quality deployments and process adherence.Manage deployments to ensure adherence to requirements, minimization of risk, and maximization of value.Stakeholder Engagement & Change LeadershipServe as the strategic advisor to business unit leaders, helping them leverage technology to achieve key outcomes.Communicate project status, risks, and dependencies to executives and stakeholders in a clear and concise manner.Facilitate workshops, design sessions, and planning meetings to align stakeholders on priorities and solution approaches.Drive change management efforts, ensuring smooth adoption of new technologies and processes across the organization.Leadership & Team DevelopmentLead and mentor business analysts to strengthen organizational capability.Foster a collaborative, high-performance culture between business and IT teams.Act as a strategic people leader, responsible for workforce planning, goal setting, performance management, and career development for team members.Instill Agile principles, continuous improvement, and customer-centric thinking across IT.Act as a role model for leadership excellence, demonstrating empathy, transparency, and inclusivity while driving high standards of performance and collaboration across IT and business teams.Required Skills & CompetenciesStrategic Vision: Ability to translate business objectives into actionable IT roadmaps.Business Acumen: Strong understanding of business operations, financial drivers, and ROI-based decision-making.Agile Expertise: Deep knowledge of Agile frameworks, sprint planning, and iterative delivery methodologies.Communication & Influence: Exceptional ability to engage, influence, and build trust with stakeholders at all levels.Analytical Thinking: Skilled in prioritizing competing demands, evaluating trade-offs, and making data-driven decisions.Leadership: Proven ability to lead, coach, and develop cross-functional teams.Experience8+ years of progressive IT leadership experience, including business relationship management or similar roles.3+ years leading IT strategy, portfolio management, or enterprise application roadmaps.Experience partnering with executive stakeholders to define and deliver business-driven technology solutions.Demonstrated success managing multiple initiatives in cross-functional environments.Hands-on experience implementing and managing Agile delivery frameworks. Education· Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a related field is preferred· At least 15 years of IT applications experiencePreferred Qualifications· Multi-location and international experience strongly preferredFollowing receipt of a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be required to complete additional job-related screening processes as permitted or required by applicable law.We are an equal opportunity employer, and all applicants will be considered for employment without attention to their membership in any protected class. If you require any reasonable accommodation to complete your application or any part of the recruiting process, please email your request to [e-mail], and please be sure to include the title and the location of the position for which you are applying.