Head of Technology and Applications

Jacobs; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology and consulting firm is seeking a Vice President - IT Technology and Applications to drive AI strategy and optimize the enterprise application portfolio. This role focuses on aligning IT with business goals while fostering innovation. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in IT leadership, a strong understanding of application lifecycle management, and excellent stakeholder engagement skills. This position offers an opportunity to lead transformative technology initiatives within a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in IT leadership roles, including application development and AI strategy.
• Deep technical proficiency in ML algorithms, data systems, and compute infrastructure.
• Proven track record in developing technology roadmaps and aligning IT with business strategy.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain business-aligned technology roadmaps for each business unit.
• Own and manage the enterprise application portfolio, ensuring reliability and scalability.
• Integrate emerging capabilities such as foundation models and generative AI.

Skills

Leadership

Application portfolio management

AI strategy

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field

Master’s or PhD preferred

Job description

Overview

The Vice President - IT Technology and Applications is a strategic executive role responsible for leading the development, management, and optimization of the enterprise application portfolio, while also driving the organization’s AI strategy and roadmap. This role serves as a critical bridge between business units, product owners, and IT—ensuring that technology platforms and applications are aligned with business goals, future-ready, and infused with AI capabilities where appropriate. The VP will champion innovation, minimize duplication across systems, and guide the enterprise toward intelligent, scalable, and secure technology solutions.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Roadmap Development: Develop and maintain business-aligned technology roadmaps for each business unit, integrating both traditional application platforms and emerging AI capabilities. Translate business strategies into actionable IT and AI plans that guide platform evolution and system ownership. Lead scenario planning and horizon scanning to anticipate shifts in the technology and AI landscape.
• Application Portfolio Management: Own and manage the enterprise application portfolio, ensuring reliability, scalability, and security. Identify and eliminate duplicative applications, streamlining the technology landscape. Design & implement governance frameworks for application lifecycle management and rationalization.
• AI Strategy & Platform Integration: Integrate emerging capabilities such as foundation models, autonomous agents, and generative AI into long-term planning. Champion a culture of experimentation and bold thinking, incubating AI-first products and services.
• Operational Excellence & BAU: Ensure seamless BAU operations for all supported applications and platforms. Establish and monitor KPIs for performance, support responsiveness, and user satisfaction. Lead incident response and root cause analysis for application and AI-related issues. Collaborate with stakeholders to ensure adherence to the demand management Technology/intake process for application and technology changes/enhancements.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration: Act as the primary liaison between IT, business units, and product owners, fostering alignment and transparency. Collaborate with internal stakeholders to identify high-impact opportunities for both applications and AI.
• Responsible AI & Risk Governance: Ensure adherence to robust governance frameworks in collaboration with AI council, GRC and Cyber teams.
• Talent Development & Leadership: Build and mentor high-performing teams across application development including AI disciplines. Foster an inclusive and collaborative culture grounded in curiosity, innovation, and shared purpose.
• Key Deliverables: Business-aligned technology roadmaps informing IT, business stakeholders and product owners on platform/application development; a rationalized and optimized application portfolio with reduced redundancy; scalable, secure, and intelligent applications and platforms; clear governance and ownership models for all enterprise applications and platforms; strategic input into IT transformation and platform modernization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field; Master’s or PhD preferred.
• 12+ years of experience in IT leadership roles, including application development and AI strategy.
• Deep technical proficiency in ML algorithms, data systems, and compute infrastructure.
• Proven track record in developing technology roadmaps and aligning IT with business strategy.
• Strong understanding of enterprise architecture, application lifecycle management, and agile methodologies.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and strategic planning skills.