AVP - IT Chief Technology Officer

Church Mutual Insurance Company, S.I.•Merrill, WI

About The Position

The Assistant Vice President of IT & Chief Technology Officer (CTO) is a senior IT executive role responsible for enterprise application development, integration, and data platforms across Church Mutual’s Property & Casualty insurance technology ecosystem. This role leads a high‑performance technology delivery organization and partners closely with business leaders to translate strategy into scalable, secure, and reliable technology solutions. The CTO owns working with business unit leaders to translate business needs into technology strategy execution, application portfolio health, and delivery of strategic initiatives, ensuring alignment with business priorities, architectural standards, security requirements, and financial stewardship. The role is accountable for both run‑the‑business stability and transformational modernization initiatives.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Systems, or related field
10+ years of progressive IT leadership experience, including enterprise application development and integration.
Demonstrated leadership experience in P&C insurance or regulated financial services environments.
Experience with large scale delivery projects.
Deep experience with: Full‑stack development (Java‑based ecosystems) Enterprise integration and APIs Data platforms (Data Warehouse, modern data lakes) Agile and DevOps / CI‑CD practices Core Insurance applications (Policy, Claims, Billing) and platforms. Artificial Intelligence, robotic process automation (RPA) and workflow technologies.
Technical expertise: In-depth knowledge of enterprise application platforms, cloud computing and immersion technologies. Ability to use strategic planning to translate business goals into technology solutions.
Communication and collaboration: Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to collaborate with other executives, stakeholders and teams across the organization, and to influence people to achieve common goals.
Project management: Strong project management skills, including experience with agile methodologies and change management.
Analytical skills: Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities; proficiency in data analysis and performance metrics.
Financial acumen: Understanding of financial principles and ability to manage budgets and optimize costs.
Leadership and decision making: Readiness to lead, inspire and develop innovative teams. Ability to foster a culture of continuous improvement while demonstrating sound judgment and making timely, effective decisions.
Customer focus: Prioritization of the needs of our business and its customers. Ability to drive initiatives that enhance customer satisfaction and business value.
Integrity and trust: High ethical standards and trustworthiness. Ability to act consistently with transparency and accountability

Nice To Haves

Master’s preferred
Experience leading large‑scale modernization programs.
Strong executive communication and business partnership skills.
Proven ability to balance run stability with transformational change.

Responsibilities

Partner with business unit leaders to co‑develop and execute business‑aligned technology strategies and roadmaps.
Translate enterprise and line‑of‑business strategies into actionable technology delivery plans.
Serve as a key member of the IT executive leadership team, contributing to enterprise‑wide IT strategy, investment prioritization, and governance.
Department head for full‑stack application development across enterprise and customer‑facing platforms, with emphasis on Java‑based architectures.
Own data integration, API strategy, and system interoperability across core insurance platforms and vendor ecosystems.
Ensure development practices support scalability, reliability, and maintainability in a regulated P&C insurance environment.
Provide technology leadership for: Data acquisition and Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) OneLake / modern data platforms Data pipelines supporting reporting, analytics, and operational insights
Partner with analytics and business teams to ensure data platforms are trusted, secure, and fit for purpose.
Establish and mature Agile delivery practices across application teams.
Own CI/CD pipelines, DevOps tooling, and automation to accelerate delivery while maintaining quality and security.
Drive continuous improvement in delivery predictability, velocity, and quality.
Maintain accountability for application lifecycle management, including: Currency and technical debt management Rationalization and modernization planning Retirement of obsolete or redundant systems
Partner with Architecture, Security, and Portfolio Management to ensure investment discipline and sustainability.
Lead delivery of major strategic initiatives, including: Core system modernization Digital customer experience platforms Enterprise integration and data modernization efforts
Ensure initiatives are delivered with clear ownership, disciplined execution, and measurable outcomes.
Build, lead, and inspire a high‑performance technology organization.
Attract, develop, and retain top engineering and technology talent.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous learning, and operational excellence.