Head of IT Program Portfolio / CIO Office

We are looking specifically for a candidate with Insurance experience who has overseen a large Portfolio of projects/programs specifically within the IT space, Governance experience is also a must with a strong preference for DORA.

The CIO Office acts as the central steering entity for the businesses IT organization. It aligns strategy, governance, performance, and portfolio delivery to enable data-driven decision-making. The CIO office ensures transparency, control, and compliance while orchestrating IT efforts towards consistent, business-aligned value delivery.

The Head of CIO Office leads this function and acts as the operational right hand of the CIO – driving execution, governance, and cross-functional coordination across all IT domains.

Experience (mandatory):

• Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, or a related field
• Experience in Financial Services, ideally insurance (e.g. familiarity with DORA, Solvency II)
• 8+ years of experience in IT strategy, governance, and enterprise-wide transformation
• Proven track record in IT portfolio management, prioritization, and delivery steering
• Strong background in performance management, KPI frameworks, and data-driven reporting
• Experience in regulated environments and operationalizing governance frameworks (e.g. DORA, ISO)
• Demonstrated ability to operate in complex, multi-stakeholder organizations
• Experience interfacing with board-level stakeholders

Competencies:

• Strategic mindset: Translating business strategy into actionable IT direction and priorities
• Decision enablement: Synthesizing complex data into clear, executive-ready insights
• Governance leadership: Designing and enforcing governance structures, processes, and accountability
• Stakeholder management: Influencing and aligning senior stakeholders across IT, business, risk, and finance
• Navigating complexity: Managing ambiguity, conflicting priorities, and cross-functional dependencies

Skills:

• Executive communication & storytelling: Structuring complex topics into clear, decision-ready messages (incl. board-level)
• Data & reporting expertise: KPI frameworks, dashboarding, and performance transparency (e.g PowerBI, SQL)
• Governance & operating model design: Defining governance structures, policies, and decision processes
• Portfolio & delivery management tools: Experience with JIRA, LeanIX, and reporting platforms
• Process & change management: Design and optimization of cross-functional IT processes
• Cross-functional coordination: Orchestrating collaboration across IT, business, Risk, and Finance

Core Tasks & & Activities

Strategic Steering & Governance

• Define and evolve IT strategy, roadmap, and priorities
• Translate business strategy into governed IT execution (in collaboration with Enterprise Architecture Team)
• Establish and run governance structures, decision forums, and policies
• Ensure alignment across IT domains, business, and leadership

Risk, Control & & Compliance Oversight

• Maintain end-to-end IT risk & control framework
• Oversee control effectiveness, remediation, and audit readiness
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements (e.g. DORA)
• Act as interface to Risk, Compliance, and Audit (2nd/3rd line)

Performance Management & & Reporting

• Define and manage KPI framework (incl. DORA requirements)
• Deliver automated, reliable reporting and dashboards
• Provide consolidated insights on performance, risks, and progress
• Enable fact-based CIO and board-level decision-making

Portfolio & & Delivery Steering

• Steer IT portfolio, priorities, and delivery pipeline
• Ensure transparency on initiatives, resources, and capacity
• Define and run demand intake, change, and IT impact processes
• Enable structured portfolio governance (SteerCos, reporting, planning)