Head of IT Business Applications

Role Overview

The Head of Information Technology & Business Applications leads the technology, systems, data, and digital infrastructure that support Twelve's global operations. This role ensures employees across the US and EMEA have secure, reliable, and scalable tools that enable efficient execution, strong client service, and continued business growth.This leader owns the technology strategy and roadmap, enterprise applications, IT service delivery, cybersecurity, systems integration, data governance, business continuity, and technology vendor management. The role partners with functional leaders to translate business requirements into practical solutions, strengthen controls and system adoption, and ensure technology investments deliver measurable operational and commercial value.

This is a hands-on leadership role requiring both strategic judgment and disciplined execution. Success depends on establishing clear priorities, improving how work moves across functions, and building an accountable technology operating model that can scale with the business.

Technology Strategy and Governance

• Develop and execute global technology and business systems roadmap aligned with the Company's growth priorities, operating model, client requirements, and risk profile.
• Establish governance for technology intake, prioritization, investment decisions, system ownership, architecture standards, and roadmap accountability.
• Advise executive leadership on technology priorities, dependencies, operating risks, investment tradeoffs, and emerging capabilities relevant to the business.

Business Applications and Systems Architecture

• Own the lifecycle, performance, and integration of core platforms, including ERP, CRM, finance, project and workflow management, product lifecycle, HR, collaboration, reporting, and related systems.
• Define the target application architecture, system-of-record model, integration standards, data flows, and ownership across platforms.
• Partner with functional leaders to identify capability gaps, define requirements, and make clear build, buy, integrate, optimize, or retire decisions.

IT Infrastructure and Service Delivery

• Oversee end-user technology, connectivity, identity and access, device lifecycle management, collaboration tools, software provisioning, and employee technology support with third-party resource.
• Establish service standards for requests, incidents, escalations, root-cause resolution, documentation, release management, and user communication.

Cybersecurity Privacy and Business Continuity

• Own the cybersecurity program, including policies, controls, monitoring, incident response, vulnerability management, security awareness, and remediation planning.
• Partner with Legal, Compliance, People Operations, and Finance to embed privacy, audit, segregation-of-duties, data-retention, and regulatory requirements into system and vendor decisions.
• Maintain tested backup, recovery, disaster response, and business continuity capabilities for critical technology services.
• Support client security reviews, audit requests, cyber-insurance requirements, and evidence readiness.

Data Governance Reporting and AI

• Establish data ownership, master-data standards, quality controls, retention requirements, and access rules across business systems.
• Partner with Finance and functional leaders to improve reporting integrity, system-of-record discipline, and access to timely, decision-ready information.
• Build a practical roadmap for AI and automation that reduces manual work, improves accuracy and cycle time, and addresses priority business needs.
• Establish responsible AI standards covering approved tools, confidentiality, data use, accuracy, human oversight, security, and ongoing risk review.

Process Improvement and Automation

• Map current workflows with business teams, identify root causes and control gaps, and redesign processes before introducing new technology.
• Reduce fragmented tools and manual handoffs by implementing reliable integrations, APIs, workflows, and automation across the end-to-end business process.
• Define baseline measures and track adoption, cycle time, data quality, service improvement, control effectiveness, and financial return.

Program Delivery and Change Adoption

• Lead technology implementations, upgrades, migrations, and integrations from discovery and business case through design, testing, training, launch, and stabilization.
• Set clear scope, milestones, decision rights, dependencies, risks, and success measures for each initiative.
• Create effective communication, training, and adoption plans and hold business owners accountable for decisions, testing, readiness, and sustained use.

Vendor Budget and Team Leadership

• Manage the technology budget, licensing strategy, vendor portfolio, implementation partners, contracts, renewals, service levels, and performance reviews.
• Protect value through license optimization, clear statements of work, milestone controls, benefit tracking, and vendor accountability.
• Build the internal and external resources required to deliver reliable support and execute the technology roadmap.

Leadership Expectations

• Operate as a strategic business partner who connects technology decisions to commercial, operational, and client outcomes.
• Translate complex technology issues into clear business implications, options, and recommendations.
• Balance urgent business needs with security, usability, cost, technical quality, and long-term maintainability.
• Drive adoption and accountability after launch, not only technical implementation.
• Provide transparent reporting on roadmap progress, system performance, adoption, incidents, risk, spend, vendor health, and realized business outcomes.
• Maintain a hands-on approach and step into operational detail when service delivery or business continuity requires it.

Qualifications and Experience

• Experience 10 or more years of progressive experience across enterprise technology, business applications, IT operations, technology consulting, or digital transformation, including significant leadership accountability.
• Enterprise Systems Demonstrated ownership of business-critical platforms such as ERP (NetSuite), CRM (Monday), finance, project or workflow management (Monday, Notion), product lifecycle, integration, data, and reporting systems.
• IT Operations Working knowledge of end-user computing, SaaS administration, identity and access management, device lifecycle, service management, infrastructure, backup, recovery, and business continuity.
• Cybersecurity and Privacy Strong understanding of security controls, incident response, vendor risk, privacy requirements, audit support, and access governance.
• Architecture and Data Strong understanding of SaaS architecture, APIs, integrations, master data, reporting, data governance, and application lifecycle management.
• AI and Automation Demonstrated ability to assess and implement practical AI or automation use cases with appropriate governance, security, measurement, and human oversight.
• Program Leadership Proven success delivering multi-system implementations, migrations, and process transformations with disciplined governance, testing, change management, and measurable adoption.
• Business Partnership Ability to translate business problems into practical technology and process solutions, challenge unclear requirements, and influence decisions across functions and seniority levels.
• Commercial Management Experience managing technology budgets, software licensing, implementation partners, contracts, and vendor performance with close attention to cost and value.
• Leadership Style Hands-on, pragmatic, service-oriented, and solutions-driven, with the judgment to balance speed, usability, risk, cost, and long-term scalability.