Chief Technology Officer

Ellsworth Adhesives•Germantown, WI

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Ellsworth Corporation, a global, industry-leading distributor of specialty chemicals and equipment and adhesive manufacturer, is seeking a Chief Technology Officer (CTO). This role reports into the corporate headquarters in Germantown, WI, and is an on-site/hybrid position. The CTO will provide strategic enterprise technology and transformation leadership, partnering closely with the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and the VP IT. The primary goal is to modernize, secure, scale, and elevate the company’s business technology capabilities to unlock value. This position is at the intersection of enterprise architecture, digital transformation, cybersecurity, data, and operational enablement. The CTO will act as a trusted advisor and hands-on leader, defining and guiding technology strategy aligned with business priorities, ownership values, and long-term growth, while ensuring disciplined execution through internal teams and partners. Ellsworth Corporation is a family-run company with over 50 years of continuous growth, serving industries such as cell phone, medical device, space/aerospace, and electric vehicles.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive technology leadership experience, including 5+ years in senior or executive roles
Bachelor’s degree in Business or a related field
Demonstrated success serving as a CTO, CIO, or senior technology advisor, including or interim leadership models
Experience supporting B2B distribution, industrial, manufacturing, or complex operational environments
Proven ability to modernize legacy environments while maintaining business continuity
Experience operating within family-owned, privately held, or founder-led organizations, balancing agility with stewardship
Track record of guiding organizations through digital transformation, system implementations, cybersecurity maturation, or M&A integration
Business-first mindset with strong technical depth
Clear, pragmatic communicator who builds credibility with executives and leaders
Comfortable influencing without direct authority
Disciplined, outcomes-oriented, and risk-aware
Trusted advisor who brings perspective, calm, and clarity during change

Nice To Haves

Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) or other advanced degree preferred

Responsibilities

Define and maintain a clear, multi-year enterprise technology strategy and roadmap aligned to business growth, operational efficiency, and ownership priorities.
Balance near-term delivery (stability, performance, security) with long-term modernization and scalability.
Provide executive-level guidance on technology investments, sequencing, and trade-offs.
Establish enterprise technology governance and prioritization frameworks, partnering with executive leadership to align investments, sequencing, and capacity with business strategy and organizational readiness.
Identify and unlock new revenue growth opportunities by leveraging technology, digital capabilities, and emerging market trends across products, services, and customer engagement models.
Partner with commercial and product leaders to develop and scale technology-enabled offerings, including digital services, data-driven insights, and customer/partner platforms that enhance value proposition and differentiation.
Drive innovation by evaluating and advancing new technologies, business models, and digital solutions that contribute to both top-line growth and margin expansion.
Collaborate cross-functionally to identify opportunities for process re-engineering and automation, improving operational efficiency, cost structure, and throughput.
Translate business strategy into technology-enabled capability roadmaps that accelerate growth, improve customer experience, and support scalable expansion across regions and markets.
Partner with business leaders to enable digital capabilities across commercial, supply chain, and operations.
Guide modernization of core platforms (ERP, CRM, data, ecommerce, integrations).
Ensure technology solutions are practical, adopted, and deliver measurable business value.
Establish mechanisms to pilot, test, and scale new digital initiatives, ensuring disciplined experimentation while maintaining alignment with enterprise priorities and risk tolerance.
Oversee and govern enterprise architecture principles, integration standards, and data flows.
Reduce complexity, redundancy, and technical debt across the application landscape.
Lead the strategy to ensure scalable, secure integration between internal systems, suppliers, customers, and partners.
Provide executive oversight of cybersecurity posture, risk management, and resilience planning.
Ensure appropriate policies, controls, and vendor practices are in place to protect the enterprise.
Partner with Legal, Finance, HR and Operations on compliance, audit readiness, and incident response.
Strengthen data governance, quality, and accessibility across the enterprise.
Enable analytics and reporting that support executive decision-making, operational insights, and performance management.
Guide prioritization of data and analytics investments to maximize ROI.
Partner with functional leaders to define and operationalize enterprise data ownership, governance, and strategy ensuring aligned metrics, trusted reporting, and improved decision-making.
Collaborate across the organization to identify and apply AI, automation, and analytics to enhance decision-making, operational efficiency, customer/partner experience, and scalability.
Provide strategic oversight to internal IT leadership and external partners.
Ensure disciplined vendor selection, contract management, and performance accountability.
Serve as an escalation point for complex or high-impact technology decisions.
Evolve operational KPIs, performance metrics, and vendor reviews to strengthen transparency, accountability, service delivery, and business alignment.
Support major initiatives such as system implementations, integrations, acquisitions, AI, and organizational change.
Translate technical concepts into clear, business-relevant guidance for executives and board members.
Build trust and alignment in a matrixed, relationship-driven environment.
Provide education to executive leadership on emerging technologies, cybersecurity, data/analytics, AI, and digital capabilities to strengthen enterprise-wide technology acumen.
Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to executive leadership shaping technology-enabled business strategy, operational scalability, investment prioritization, and enterprise transformation decisions.
Serve as a strategic partner to executive leadership in shaping long-term business strategy, enterprise scalability, operational capability evolution, and technology-enabled growth initiatives.
Performs full range of people-management responsibilities, including interviewing, hiring, disciplinary actions, performance management, compensation decisions, coaching and development.