POSITION SUMMARY
Alcority, a cloud first company, is on a journey to enable its customers to reimagine their application estate by optimizing their modern solutions onto a combination of the “public cloud” and on premise platforms and infrastructure. The initial focus on this role would be on one of Alcority’s customers, a Europe-based company with a storied history and global brand company. The opportunity is to transform specifically from a legacy “on prem” application estate with over 1,600 applications to a simplified modern architecture in a cloud-native manner. Success will be measured on the level and quality of adoption - using some of the dimensions above, however the new leader will help define / develop these success metrics.
To deliver this ambitious goal, Alcority seeks to hire a dynamic individual to lead the Cloud Program, a newly formulated role tasked with driving the modernization of the Group’s approach to program and product management. As our customers embark on a transformative journey to migrate their engineering applications to the cloud, we are seeking a talented individual to lead this crucial initiative. This leader will be the “tip of the spear” of Alcority’s cloud strategy, overseeing the transition of our application estate from being primarily hosted "on-prem" (in the customer’s own data centers) to being largely hosted in the "public cloud" (through third-party cloud computing vendors – a combination of Microsoft's Azure and Amazon Web Services). As this transition to the cloud is dependent on a modernization of the application estate, the Head of Cloud Products will play a pivotal role in ensuring the successful migration of an ambitious on-premise application portfolio to the cloud. They will lead the program and product teams, driving strategic planning, execution, and delivery of cloud-based solutions across the Group. This role will need to collaborate with Infrastructure, Security and Software Engineering teams to deliver these modern solutions.
This leader will build a world-class program and product team to leverage the public cloud, using Alcority-enabled services, and ensuring cloud-native design thinking by those application teams. To do so, the Head of Cloud Products will partner with the customer companies to efficiently re-platform key applications that will improve and accelerate the companies' goals. This role will be responsible for overseeing the entire process, from assessing current systems to designing and implementing cloud-based solutions. They will partner with technology teams at the customer as well as other technical peers to deliver the fit for purpose outcome. This role requires a combination of technical expertise, customer relationship skills, and strategic vision. Alcority intends to invest in making this leader successful; they will have the budget to build a team and the necessary tools and capabilities.
As the new leader builds a team, program managers and product owners will focus on designing world-class platforms and managing customer expectations effectively. Following an agile methodology, they will rapidly deploy and enhance the application suite to meet the customers’ needs.
This position has both a broad strategic and a detailed program management remit. The role has substantial transformation requirements while providing "leverage" for the broader strategic remit focused on the growth of the portfolio of companies Alcority serves. The goal is increased bandwidth for innovation while meaningfully reducing speed to market. This leader will partner directly with colleagues in each business and technical team to drive and accelerate real and fundamental change to each's technology underpinnings and, therefore, operating model to enable delivery of the Group’s strategic investment in the cloud. This effort will pursue improved customer outcomes, as well as operating flexibility, resiliency, and security.
In addition to bringing the personal credibility of extensive leadership experience in world-class modern engineering environments, this leader will also be a world-class relationship-builder, communicator, and influencer; as focused on "winning hearts and minds" as the technical debate, as they know that sustainable change is only achievable when these are in harmony.
KEY RELATIONSHIPS
Reports to: Amy Evins, CITO
Direct reports: Technical Program Manager(s), Technical Product Owner(s), UI/UX Designers / Developers
Other key relationships: Platform Services; Infrastructure Services, Customer Success
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Partner with internal and external stakeholders to develop Alcority’s enterprise cloud transformation roadmap and milestones for key clients.
- Drive operational excellence with efficient cloud consumption management and high-quality reporting.
- Partner with Platform and Software Engineering team to design scalable, secure, and resilient cloud solutions.
- Coach and enable the team to accelerate cloud projects, providing guidance on design, technical recommendations, and resource planning.
- Ensure high-quality program management, maintaining timelines, budgets, and deliverables.
- Advocate for Alcority’s program and product teams, inspiring the shift from project to product mentality and promoting strategic development.
- Drive operational excellence, including timely and efficient cloud consumption management and high-quality reporting and insights.
Ideal candidates will have hybrid cloud experience (AWS & Azure) – sufficient breadth as well as depth of program management expertise to function as a trusted advisor with a variety of team. The candidate will function as the advocate for the primary “customers” of the cloud journey, Alcority’s engineering / application development teams. Aside from “hands-on” program development, the role requires advocacy – to develop into one of the Group’s primary (internal) cloud evangelists. The role is not just to ‘migrate apps to cloud’ – the Group’s leadership wants this new leader to inspire its software engineers to enhance the application suite as they migrate from on premise to the cloud. Additionally, this leader will drive agile methodology helping teams shift from a ‘project” to a “product’ mentality, to inspire them to create platforms versus stand-alone applications.
The ideal candidate will also be innovative, intellectually curious, able to "connect the dots" to conceptualize new solutions for the business, and possess a skill set that blends the core attributes of business technology leadership with technical / engineering leadership. Although this individual will possess a high-degree of creativity, their ability to deliver outcomes and results in a fast-paced, large-scale environment is critical to success in this role. The successful candidate will demonstrate a high intellect and a robust EQ, with strong experience engaging with key stakeholders to solicit input and achieve consensus. The individual will have the executive presence and communication skills to lead teams, partner with other technology leaders, and present key topics to senior management in business terms. Alcority’s corporate culture places a strong emphasis on relationship building, humility and collaboration in the pursuit of results.
IDEAL EXPERIENCE
- Leadership Experience: Has built and led program management teams for world-class companies that have made meaningful progress transitioning to the public cloud.
- Agile Methodology: Expert in agile methodology and rapid development transformation.
- Product Management: Ideally has led product teams and can influence change where needed.
- Consumer Technology Experience: Extensive experience with consumer-facing technology.
- Innovation: Ideally gained experience at a company known for innovation, evidencing a true partnership with customers.
- Regulatory Knowledge: Knowledgeable of the security and regulatory requirements pertaining to information and technology risk is a plus.
- Experience: 10+ years of experience in program management, product development, or delivery required.
- Public Cloud: Experience developing and delivering programs on the public cloud protecting highly sensitive or regulated data (AWS / Azure ideally) required, including defining key requirements, goals, and success criteria for cloud migration.
- Technology Background: A deep and broad technology background from a top-tier technology company.
- Team Leadership: Experience leading and growing outstanding program and product teams within mission-driven cultures.
- Program Development: Ability to develop scalable, resilient, and cost-effective programs that meet performance and security requirements.
- Strategic Alignment: Ability to ensure that programs align with the strategic goals and objectives of the organization.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless integration and execution of programs.
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, engineering, or a related field required; master’s preferred.
CRITICAL LEADERSHIP CAPABILITIES
Collaborating and Influencing
- Thought leader with executive presence and the ability to interact across all levels, including the ability to hold “CxO” level discussions.
- Spends time identifying all stakeholders necessary and meets or connects with all of them, neglecting no one to shape a collective consensus.
- Identifies opportunities to build relationships that will help others achieve their objectives and reaches out to those people or new people.
- Must possess exceptional cross-team collaboration and communication skills.
- Ability to generate trust, build alliances, and orchestrate interdisciplinary teams to the benefit of customers.
Managing Customers
- Offers new ideas to customers, beyond expectations and normal practice, in the interest of an improved relationship; anticipates the needs of the customer’s business.
- Identifies offerings that fit with customer needs even if not identified by customer and offers them proactively.
- Ability to act on customer escalation needs, unblock the customer through orchestration of “right resources at the right time”.
- Proven ability to map the customer’s needs to technical solutions.
Leading Change
- Creates change leaders; involves key influencers in the design and implementation of the change initiative.
- Identifies changes consistent with the strategy but radical in implementation and gains buy-in with individual, customized influence efforts.
- Adapts change plans/influence strategies to the political realities and constraints of the organization, targeting the most influential people regardless of formal role, and engaging people in a reasoned way.
- Establishes processes or practices to encourage and reinforce innovation and change thinking.
Building People Capability
- Spends time and probes to develop a clear perception of employees’ behaviors and how this impact performance.
- Gives critical feedback in behavioral terms and discusses suggestions for improvement.
- Uses existing institutional programs to support employees’ career growth in individual ways.
- Uses a regular assessment and feedback process to focus the development effort.
- Demonstrated technical leadership through prior technical coaching/leadership roles.
It is impossible to list every requirement for, or responsibility of, any position. Similarly, we cannot identify all the skills a position may require since job responsibilities and the Company’s needs may change over time. Therefore, the above job description is not comprehensive or exhaustive.
The Company reserves the right to adjust, add to or eliminate any aspect of the above description. The Company also retains the right to require all employees to undertake additional or different job responsibilities when necessary to meet business needs.
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future.
Benefits & Perks:
- Time Off: 25 days of PTO for full-time employees and 12 company holidays.
- Company Paid Benefits: Life insurance, Short-term disability, Long-term disability, Paid parental leave, Employee Assistance Program, and medical insurance in our high deductible health plan.
- Optional Employee Paid Benefits: Medical insurance in our EPO plan, Dental benefits, and Vision benefits. We also offer Health Savings Accounts, Flexible Spending Accounts, Supplemental Life insurance, and more.
- 401(k): Eligible after 60 days. Discretionary company match of 50% up to the first 6% of contributions.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
ALCORITY IS AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. THE COMPANY'S POLICY IS NOT TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST ANY APPLICANT OR EMPLOYEE BASED ON RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, NATIONAL ORIGIN, GENDER, AGE, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY OR EXPRESSION, MARITAL STATUS, MENTAL OR PHYSICAL DISABILITY, AND GENETIC INFORMATION, OR ANY OTHER BASIS PROTECTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. THE FIRM ALSO PROHIBITS HARASSMENT OF APPLICANTS OR EMPLOYEES BASED ON ANY OF THESE PROTECTED CATEGORIES.
