SVP Chief Technology Officer

Charter Oak Federal Credit Union•Waterford, CT

About The Position

The Chief Technology Officer provides enterprise-wide leadership for technology strategy, infrastructure, core systems, data architecture, project governance, and innovation. The role ensures technology investments strengthen member experience, employee productivity, operational resilience, cybersecurity, and the credit union’s long-term strategic growth. Reporting to the CEO or designated executive leader, the CTO works with executive leadership, Risk Management, Information Security, Operations, Member Experience, Digital Banking, and business line leaders to align technology priorities with enterprise strategy, regulatory expectations, member needs, and organizational capacity. The CTO leads technology architecture and develops and executes a technology roadmap aligned with the strategic plan, organizational goals, risk appetite, member experience priorities, and operational efficiency objectives. The role manages technology operating and capital budgets, supports data-driven decision-making, and partners across the organization to improve service delivery and employee productivity. The position oversees secure, resilient technology infrastructure; internal technology support; cybersecurity improvements; disaster recovery and continuity readiness; vendor relationships; project governance and delivery; core applications and integrations; and the evaluation of emerging technologies. Success is measured by reliable and secure operations, effective roadmap execution, improved member and employee experience, disciplined project delivery, strong adoption, better data availability, effective vendor performance, and alignment of technology investments with enterprise strategy.

Requirements

Progressively responsible technology leadership experience, preferably in a financial institution or regulated environment.
Demonstrated success leading infrastructure, core systems, integrations, data, cybersecurity partnerships, and enterprise projects.
Strong vendor management and project governance experience.
Ability to translate business strategy into practical technology plans.
Excellent communication skills with executive, board, technical, and non-technical audiences.
Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Technology, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent.
At least 5 years of work experience in a financial institution.
At least 10 years of total IT-related experience.
Innovative, proactive leadership, with sound analytical and critical decision-making capabilities.
Well-developed interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with members, employees, and vendors.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a financial institution or regulated environment.
ISC2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).
ISACA Certified Information Security Manager (CISM).
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE).
Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP).

Responsibilities

Lead technology architecture across infrastructure, key applications, data, and project management to support strategic priorities, regulatory requirements, operational needs, and member experience goals.
Develop, maintain, execute, and adapt a comprehensive technology roadmap aligned with the Strategic Plan, organizational goals, annual metrics, risk appetite, member experience priorities, and operational efficiency objectives.
Develop and manage technology operating and capital budgets, prioritizing investments, allocating resources, optimizing costs, and measuring returns.
Partner with the Member Experience team to identify service delivery friction and drive automation, workflow improvement, efficiency, and faster service delivery.
Develop strategies for data-driven decision-making, including data architecture, reporting solutions, data governance, and business intelligence tools.
Design, maintain, secure, and continuously improve technology infrastructure to support business needs, operational resilience, security, reliable service delivery, and efficiency.
Maintain internal service support for technology needs and implement solutions and training to improve employee productivity and adoption.
Partner with Risk Management and Information Security to improve security posture, implement security solutions, strengthen controls, support regulatory readiness, and protect member and institutional data.
Oversee technology disaster recovery capabilities, resiliency planning, testing, and recovery readiness in support of business continuity objectives.
Oversee technology vendor relationships, contracts, service-level expectations, due diligence, implementation performance, and third-party risk considerations.
Ensure projects are strategically aligned, prudently scoped, properly approved, sufficiently resourced, and measured against clear outcomes.
Lead project resource capacity planning through the Project Management Office to support resource management and workforce planning.
Develop and document project management governance and methodologies.
Lead large, strategic, cross-functional projects and track return on investment and objective outcomes.
Oversee the management and maintenance of core business applications to maintain uptime and optimize efficiency.
Lead the design, execution, and modification of data flows between systems to support efficient workflows, data availability, staff efficiency, and member service.
Build and maintain secure, efficient system integrations aligned with immediate and long-term business objectives.
Monitor emerging technologies and evaluate, recommend, and prioritize practical solutions aligned with strategy, business needs, risk appetite, member expectations, and implementation capacity.
Cultivate technology partners to support strategic implementation and member outcomes.
Foster organizational innovation and continuous improvement in member and employee experience through process and technology improvements.