AVP - IT Chief Technology Officer

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

60d

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 (Master’s preferred).
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, and Artificial Intelligence, robotic process automation (RPA) and workflow technologies.

Nice To Haves

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, and 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, and 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, and 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.