Director, IT Governance & PMO

Hayward Holdings, Inc.•Charlotte, NC

About The Position

The Director, IT Governance & PMO serves as a strategic and operational partner to Hayward’s Chief Digital & Information Officer, driving IT governance, enterprise technology planning, portfolio management, and execution excellence. The role ensures IT investments align with business priorities and deliver measurable value through disciplined planning, prioritization, financial stewardship, and organizational governance. The Director leads the technology PMO, IT budget management, demand intake, investment prioritization, technology value realization, strategic initiatives, technology-related M&A activities, strategic vendor governance, IT competencies and talent strategy, executive performance reporting, and operating reviews and KPIs. The position translates business strategy into actionable technology roadmaps and supports successful execution across the IT organization.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Business, or a related field.
12+ years of progressive experience in technology strategy, PMO leadership, product or portfolio management, IT governance, and technology transformation.
Experience leading a portfolio in a complex or global organization.
Experience partnering with executive leaders and translating business priorities into technology plans.
Experience managing technology budgets, investment portfolios, business cases, and performance reporting.
Experience supporting mergers, acquisitions, integrations, divestitures, or enterprise transformation initiatives.
Working knowledge of enterprise applications, infrastructure, cybersecurity, data and analytics, cloud, and digital transformation.
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence outcomes without direct authority.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Technology, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
Project Management Professional (PMP) or equivalent portfolio management credential.
ITIL, Agile, Scrum, Lean Six Sigma, or Prosci Change Management certification.
Relevant financial management, strategy, or technology governance credentials.

Responsibilities

Partner with the Chief Digital & Information Officer to develop and execute the enterprise technology strategy.
Facilitate annual and multi-year strategic planning across the IT organization and business functions.
Develop technology roadmaps aligned with business objectives, transformation priorities, and growth plans.
Monitor industry trends, competitive insights, and emerging technologies to inform strategic planning.
Support executive communications, leadership presentations, and performance reporting.
Lead enterprise IT demand intake, evaluation, prioritization, and governance processes.
Partner with business leaders to assess, prioritize, and sequence technology investments.
Establish portfolio management disciplines that balance strategic initiatives, operational requirements, technical debt, risk, and resource constraints.
Provide visibility into project health, risks, dependencies, capacity, and investment outcomes.
Ensure technology initiatives adhere to enterprise architecture, security, and privacy standards and policies.
Lead the technology Project Management Office and establish clear accountability for portfolio execution.
Define project and program management methodologies, stage gates, governance, and reporting.
Develop executive dashboards and performance metrics for technology programs and portfolios.
Drive consistency across project delivery, resource planning, budgeting, risk management, and program oversight.
Monitor strategic initiative performance and partner with leaders to resolve execution barriers.
Lead IT budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning in partnership with Finance.
Monitor operating and capital expenditures for alignment with approved budgets and priorities.
Partner with Finance and business leaders to develop business cases and funding recommendations.
Track technology spending, vendor investments, financial risks, and cost optimization opportunities.
Establish financial governance and reporting processes across the IT organization.
Lead technology due diligence for mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and strategic partnerships.
Coordinate integration planning and execution across applications, infrastructure, cybersecurity, data, and end-user technology.
Assess technology risks, costs, dependencies, contracts, and resource requirements associated with transactions.
Develop post-transaction technology integration roadmaps, governance, and value capture plans.
Partner with business and functional leaders to support effective technology transitions and integrations.
Support strategic vendor evaluations, negotiations, and governance in partnership with Procurement.
Monitor key technology partnerships, service performance, financial commitments, and contractual outcomes.
Identify opportunities to improve vendor effectiveness, service quality, risk management, and cost efficiency.
Lead and develop project and product management professionals.
Identify future technology capabilities and workforce needs and support plans to build or acquire those capabilities.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, customer focus, continuous improvement, and excellence.
Mentor team members and strengthen succession and development pipelines.
Establish enterprise technology governance frameworks, decision rights, and escalation processes.
Facilitate steering committees, governance councils, operating reviews, and executive decision forums.
Define and monitor KPIs measuring technology performance, delivery, adoption, and business value.
Ensure benefits realization is defined, tracked, and reported for major technology initiatives.