Principal/MD, Value Creation – Technology, Global Portfolio Solutions

1P284 THE CARLYLE GROUP EMPLOYEE CO., LLC; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 300,000 - 400,000; Full time

Job summary

The Carlyle Group is seeking an exceptional technology leader to join the Global Portfolio Solutions (GPS) team, serving as Carlyle’s primary technology value creation resource for the Americas and partnering with portfolio management, deal teams, and GPS peers to accelerate technology‑driven value creation across Carlyle’s U.S. Buyout portfolio.

This role translates investment theses into concrete technology roadmaps, develops scalable playbooks, and collaborates with portfolio‑company

Qualifications

• Deep expertise across technology value creation: product engineering, software architecture, and AI/ML.
• Experience leading large, complex transformation programs with multiple priorities.
• Proven ability to design and optimize technology operating models (onshore/offshore).
• Track record translating strategic tech investments into measurable business outcomes.
• Familiarity with private equity deal cycles, value creation planning, and PE stakeholder expectations.
• Experience addressing cybersecurity incidents and advising on response strategies.

Responsibilities

• Partner with portfolio teams to develop and execute technology value-creation roadmaps aligned to investment theses.
• Advise portfolio companies on large-scale transformation programs, including platform consolidation and cloud migration.
• Evaluate tech spend to identify opportunities for cost optimization and profitability gains.
• Guide on technology operating models, including onshore/offshore structures and build-vs-buy decisions.
• Build a network of technology leaders to fill permanent or temporary roles across portfolio companies.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to CIOs/CTOs/CPOs on prioritization, capacity, and vendor management.

Skills

Technology leadership

Transformation programs

Technology operating models

Portfolio management collaboration

Stakeholder engagement

CIO/CTO/CPO interfacing

Job description

We are seeking an exceptional technology leader to join the Global Portfolio Solutions (GPS) team, working directly with Richard Elder, Partner and Head of Global Portfolio Solutions. This individual will serve as Carlyle’s primary technology value creation resource for the Americas, partnering with portfolio management teams, deal teams, and GPS functional peers to accelerate technology‑driven value creation across Carlyle’s U.S. Buyout portfolio. The GPS Technology role will be the connective tissue between Carlyle’s investment professionals and the technology leadership at our portfolio companies—translating strategic investment theses into concrete technology execution roadmaps, and converting lessons learned across the portfolio into scalable playbooks, partnerships, and community. This person will be a member of a lean yet highly capable GPS team and will work collaboratively with other regional GPS functional leaders. Above all, this person will serve as a trusted, humble thought partner to deal teams and portfolio‑company technology leaders alike—leveraging deep technical and operational expertise, strong listening skills, and practitioner credibility to drive outsized technology value creation across the portfolio.

Value Creation & Portfolio Engagement

• Partner directly with portfolio management teams, deal teams, and GPS functional peers to develop and execute technology value creation roadmaps aligned to each company’s investment thesis and stage of ownership
• Advise portfolio companies on how to architect and execute large‑scale transformation programs, including carve‑outs, acquisitions, modernization, platform consolidation, and cloud migration initiatives
• Evaluate portfolio companies’ technology spend, identifying opportunities to optimize across labor, software, hardware, and services that can drive meaningful impact on profitability
• Advise portfolio companies on optimizing their technology operating models, including decisions around onshore/offshore organizational structures, build‑vs‑buy‑vs‑partner tradeoffs, and vendor management
• Build and maintain a network of high‑performing technology leaders that can fill permanent or temporary vacant roles at portfolio companies
• Serve as a thought partner to portfolio‑company CIOs, CTOs, and CPOs on strategic technology investment prioritization, product engineering capacity, and organizational design

Knowledge Creation & Dissemination

• Develop and curate technology‑focused case studies and playbooks that capture best practices in technology execution, transformation, and investment across the portfolio
• Maintain a living body of GPS technology knowledge, including frameworks, assessments, and reference architectures, made accessible to deal teams and portfolio companies through the GPS resource portal
• Partner with GPS peers across functional areas (commercial excellence, pricing, digital/AI, cost optimization) to integrate technology perspectives into cross‑functional value creation initiatives

Community & Events

• Lead the design and execution of Carlyle’s annual technology leadership summits, convening C‑level technology, product, and engineering leaders from across the portfolio to share best practices, benchmark performance, and forge peer relationships
• Convene periodic community webinars and forums for portfolio‑company technology leaders to exchange insights on common challenges, emerging technologies, and vendor experiences
• Build and sustain a trusted peer‑to‑peer network among portfolio‑company technology executives, acting as a connector and convener across the community

Strategic Partnerships

• Identify, evaluate, and foster strategic partnerships with technology product and service providers—software vendors, systems integrators, cloud providers, and managed services firms—that can deliver value at scale across the portfolio
• Develop and manage a curated network of technology consultants, contractors, and implementation partners that GPS and portfolio companies can engage for high‑priority initiatives
• Evaluate and pilot emerging technology solutions, including AI/ML platforms, automation tooling, and data infrastructure, for applicability across the portfolio

Deal Support

• Partner with deal teams to provide technology expert opinion, diligence support, and risk assessment on prospective investments, with particular focus on technology architecture, product roadmap maturity, platform scalability, engineering team capability, and technical debt
• Contribute to investment committee materials and value creation planning for new platform and add‑on investments

Candidate Profile

• Deep expertise across the technology value creation landscape—product engineering, software architecture, infrastructure modernization, digital transformation, and AI/ML adoption
• Demonstrated ability to lead or oversee large, complex transformation programs in environments with competing priorities and significant organizational change
• Experience advising on or executing technology operating model design—onshore/offshore hybrid models, platform team structures, and vendor management frameworks
• A track record of translating strategic technology investments into measurable business outcomes—revenue growth, cost reduction, margin expansion, or enterprise value creation
• Familiarity with the private‑equity deal cycle, value creation planning, and the expectations of PE‑backed company management teams
• Experience with cyber breaches/incidents and how to advise crafting a response
• Ability to engage credibly and influence at the CTO, CIO, CPO, CFO, COO, and CEO level, as well as with PE investment professionals
• Experience building and leveraging ecosystems of technology partners, vendors, and advisors to accelerate execution
• A passion for knowledge sharing, community building, and developing others—not just solving problems individually
• Strong ability to help portfolio companies enhance performance through consultation and collaboration, rather than applying rigid, one‑size‑fits‑all prescriptions

Background Requirements (for everyone in GPS)

• A track record of outstanding achievement and increasing levels of responsibility
• Familiarity with private equity, the deal process, and the stakeholders within an alternative asset manager and a private‑equity business
• An entrepreneurial and creative approach to leverage new developments and innovative ideas to continuously improve the business operations of a portfolio operations business
• Ability to balance multiple stakeholders while working collaboratively—with discretion and without ego—to drive results
• Strong analytical capacity and intellectual horsepower to understand and use data and information
• Fluency in creating and optimizing lean, agile systems—including technology tools—to get things done; someone who brings others along in their adoption and utilization
• Self‑starter with tremendous amounts of individual initiative; a forward‑thinking, planful person who humbly brings the team along toward eventually generating operational excellence across the organization
• Exceptional ability to architect and influence portfolio management teams in the planning, managing, and delivering projects in a proactive fashion: intuitively introspective, picks up and owns challenges and opportunities across the business
• Strong self‑discipline to stay on task while navigating complex bureaucracies with cross‑cutting interests, coupled with extreme agility to re‑prioritize as needed and when unexpected situations arise
• The poise, aplomb, and discretion to interact, influence, and rapidly earn trust across both GPS and the firm—from top to bottom and across each organization
• Superior written and verbal communications skills
• Embodiment of Carlyle’s core values: a values‑driven leader of unquestioned integrity, a strong work ethic, a commitment to no‑ego teamwork, and a no‑excuses mindset around excellence

Benefits & Compensation

The compensation range for this role is specific to the United States and takes into account a wide range of factors including but not limited to required skill sets, prior experience, licenses, and certifications. The anticipated base salary range is $300,000 to $400,000. In addition to the base salary, the hired professional will enjoy a comprehensive benefits package spanning retirement benefits, health insurance, life insurance, disability, paid time off, paid holidays, family planning benefits, and various wellness programs. Additionally, the hired professional may be eligible to participate in an annual discretionary incentive program, the award of which will be dependent on business and individual performance.