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SummaryVP Technology, Innovation & StrategyCompany OverviewThe Company is one of North America’s leading sales and marketing agencies specializing in outsourced sales, merchandising, category management and marketing services to manufacturers, suppliers and producers of food products and consumer packaged goods. The Company services a variety of trade channels including grocery, mass merchandise, specialty, convenience, drug, dollar, club, hardware, consumer electronics and home centers. We bridge the gap between manufacturers and retailers, providing consumers access to the best products available in the marketplace today.Job OverviewAdvantage is seeking a proven leader to drive the collaboration and integration for technology strategy and innovation. As a member of the CTO organization, this leader will partner with peers to guide engagement with businesses stakeholders and executives, identify opportunities for digitalization, and deliver exploratory validation of the opportunities and strategy. Will support ADV sales and marketing teams in ensuring our technology strategy differentiates our marketing offer and market positioning. Will participate and lead strategic partnership exploration with technology, services, and digital organizations.Qualifications
The ideal candidate is a business + technology visionary and strategist with proven experience bridging the gap between technology and business
Candidates for this position must have a strong background in technology, development, business growth, and cross-functional leadership
This includes the ability to partner technical teams effectively
15+ Years of Consulting, IT and/or Product Experience: Candidates should have at least 10years of experience in consulting, product leadership roles, with a demonstrated history of leading progressive technology initiatives and shaping strategic technology direction across an organization
We are seeking a strategic leader who possesses experience as a cross-functional leader and has a deep understanding of connecting business and technologies for continuous development and innovation
Proven Cross-functional Collaboration: The ideal candidate will possess a diverse background and a track record of successful collaboration across various departments
Technical Project Leadership: Demonstrated experience in leading technical projects from inception, showcasing capabilities and leadership potential
Inter-department Partnership Building: A track record of establishing strong partnerships within previous organizations, particularly with marketing, sales, and executive leadership teams
Strategic Technological Vision: Previous experience in developing a strategic technological vision for a company, working closely with marketing and technology departments to align technology initiatives with business objectives
Candidates should have a proven track record of spearheading significant digital transformations within top-tier organizations
Excellent written/verbal communication and interpersonal skills
Responsibilities
Develop proactive strategies to drive our technology & product initiatives that enable our company transformation and digitalization
Play a pivotal role in our leadership team, facilitating communication and collaboration between technology and other departments
Demonstrate a track record of successfully incorporating AI and modern technology solutions across business functions
Utilize AI to improve customer service, team and consumer experiences
Exhibit the ability to articulate, pitch, and implement innovative technology ideas, ensuring AI is a driving force within the organization
Collaborate with teams to incorporate cutting-edge data technologies and tools into their roadmaps
Proficiency in supporting other business functions including sales, marketing, retention, and surveys
Bring new approaches to cross-functional collaboration like Design Thinking, Service Design, etc.
Partner with members of the CTO organization to create a wholistic technology strategy connected to EA and technology delivery functions
Additional Information Regarding The Company Job Duties and Job DescriptionsJob duties include additional responsibilities as assigned by one’s supervisor or other manager related to the position/department. This job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position. The Company reserves the right at any time with or without notice to alter or change job responsibilities, reassign or transfer job position or assign additional job responsibilities, subject to applicable law. The Company shall provide reasonable accommodations of known disabilities to enable a qualified applicant or employee to apply for employment, perform the essential functions of the job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment as required by the law.ResponsibilitiesThe Company is one of North America’s leading sales and marketing agencies specializing in outsourced sales, merchandising, category management and marketing services to manufacturers, suppliers and producers of food products and consumer packaged goods. The Company services a variety of trade channels including grocery, mass merchandise, specialty, convenience, drug, dollar, club, hardware, consumer electronics and home centers. We bridge the gap between manufacturers and retailers, providing consumers access to the best products available in the marketplace today.Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities:Managerial - Leadership
Deep understanding of the Company, business offerings and services
Ability to understand how to translate business requirements and industry drivers into actionable project work and product roadmap
Own the day-to-day direction of team activities and project milestones
Provide mentoring and guidance to existing staff and career development
Ability to work autonomously with little oversight or supervision
Own a structured vendor management approach for working with key partners
Ability to lead vendor negotiations for pricing and contract discussions
Provide oversight to projects and related tasks that meet cost, schedule and resource constraints
Comfort level with direct interaction with ELT team members and able to present to group when needed
Active in Mergers & Acquisition activity, including company diligence and proposed integration strategies
Strategic Direction
Ability to drive 50-65% of team effort toward Foundational work, Foundational is defined as exploiting and expanding existing assets (systems, applications, infrastructure, etc.) for incremental value add
Ability to drive 20-30% of team effort toward Incremental work, Incremental is defined as net new IT enablement through the implementation of additional systems, applications, infrastructure, etc.
Ability to drive 5-10% of team effort toward Innovative work, Innovative is defined as R&D type projects focused on leveraging progressive technologies for business benefit
Ability to work with business stakeholders to develop ROI for initiatives and prove value of investment
Owns an active role in helping meet objectives around department annual efficiency and cost savings initiative
Ownership of department’s 18-month rolling Technology Roadmap
Ownership of department’s 3 year strategic plan
Stakeholder Relationships
Can independently manage expectations with stakeholders and drive prioritization efforts based on user request and available resources and budget
Own a defined communication plan for stakeholders that include specific deliverables on a set frequency (e.g.: daily calls, weekly or monthly status reports, quarterly roadmaps, etc.)
Develop relationships with stakeholders so that the VP position becomes the trusted single point of contact for stakeholders for all initiative communications
Foster, develop and maintain relationships with key Company executives through project efforts
Demonstrate ability to handle challenges tied to team dynamics or team conflicts independently
General Administration
Ownership of all department and project budgets from a Capital and Operating expense perspective
Provide a monthly status report update to CIO for company communication
Take accountability for individual and team annual goal setting exercises
Take accountability for completion of annual performance reviews for all team members
Innovation - Contribution
Contribution of time toward innovative initiatives. Lead effort(s) around industry specific research / skunk-works projects to explore business efficiencies, revenue generation or data collection and insight.
Looks for areas in IT or the business to contribute outside of their immediate role
Keeps abreast of new hardware and software development trends
Additional responsibilities as assigned by one’s supervisor or other manager related to the position/departmentSupervisory ResponsibilitiesDirect Reports
Hires, retains, trains, coaches, guides, directs, and develops direct reports using company-wide processes, tools and resources
Indirect Reports
May delegate work of others and provide guidance, direction and mentoring to indirect reports
Travel and/or Driving Requirements
Travel and Driving are essential duties and function of this job
Travel up to %
Minimum QualificationsThe following are the minimum job-related qualifications which an individual needs in order to successfully perform the essential duties and responsibilities of the jobEducation Level: (Required) Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experienceField of Study/Area of Experience: Business, Management Information Systems, Computer Science or related field
15+ years of experience in information technology with cross-functional experience across major IT competencies—application development, infrastructure, mobile, etc.
8+ years managing both department level resources and large project teams
Experience developing best practices in project management methodologies and guiding others to successfully execute project management of a full project lifecycle
Experience developing useful project metrics and applying those metrics
Experience managing multiple complex projects concurrently. Complex projects could be defined by the following factors
Size and duration of project
Multiple stakeholders
External data/system dependencies
Build and develop a high functioning team
Ability to successfully delegate responsibilities and tasks to others
Skills, Knowledge and Abilities
Well-organized, detail-oriented, and able to handle a fast-paced work environment
Strong written communication and verbal communication skills
Good interpersonal skills
Proficient in Project Management tools (i.e., MS Project) or similar project tool (s)
Skill in supervising to include delegating responsibility, training and evaluating performance
Excellent customer service orientation
Environmental & Physical RequirementsOffice / Sedentary RequirementsIncumbent must be able to perform the essential functions of the job. Work is performed primarily in an office environment. Typically requires the ability to sit for extended periods of time (66%+ each day), ability to hear the telephone, ability to enter data on a computer and may also require the ability to lift up to 10 pounds.Additional Information Regarding The Company Job Duties and Job DescriptionsJob duties include additional responsibilities as assigned by one’s supervisor or other manager related to the position/department. This job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position. The Company reserves the right at any time with or without notice to alter or change job responsibilities, reassign or transfer job position or assign additional job responsibilities, subject to applicable law. The Company shall provide reasonable accommodations of known disabilities to enable a qualified applicant or employee to apply for employment, perform the essential functions of the job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment as required by the law.Important InformationThe above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of associates so classified.The Company is committed to providing equal opportunity in all employment practices without regard to age, race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, physical or mental disability, or any other category protected by law. As part of this commitment, the Company shall provide reasonable accommodations of known disabilities to enable an applicant or employee to apply for employment, perform the essential functions of the job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment as required by the law.Job Locations US-IL-ChicagoPrimary Posting Location : City ChicagoPrimary Posting Location : State/Province ILPrimary Posting Location : Postal Code 60601Primary Posting Location : Country USRequisition ID 2024-431640Position Type Full TimeCategory Marketing (Corporate): Integrated Marketing, Experiential MarketingMinimum USD $170,000.00/Yr.Maximum USD $220,000.00/Yr.
Vacancy expired!