Director - Technology Strategy, Planning & Support

Liberty Mutual Insurance•Boston, MA

About The Position

Overview: Liberty Mutual Technology is in search of a Director of Strategy, Planning & Support to join our U.S. Retail Markets Technology Strategy & Planning team. This pivotal role involves steering our organization towards achieving its strategic objectives by optimizing portfolio management practices and ensuring effective governance of our technology initiatives. They will manage a team of talented individuals responsible for aligning technology efforts with business goals, driving continuous improvement, and enabling effective, efficient and consistent set of practices across the organization. This role provides a unique opportunity to lead and influence Liberty Mutual’s technology strategy within U.S. Retail Markets Technology (USRM Tech), ensuring alignment with business objectives while enhancing organizational efficiency. As a key leader, you will play a critical role in shaping a future-ready technology strategy that positions Liberty Mutual for sustained success.

Requirements

Extensive Portfolio Management Experience: 15+ years of total experience, ten (10) of which includes strong project portfolio management, financial management, program management, or enterprise-level governance roles.
Strategic and Analytical Acumen: Demonstrated strategic thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with a proven track record of driving business growth through effective portfolio management.
Communication Excellence: Strong verbal and written communication skills for effective interaction with senior cross-functional stakeholders.
Proficiency in SPM Tools: Experience with Strategic Portfolio Management tools like Shibumi, Planview, and ServiceNow, with the ability to leverage these tools for delivering actionable insights.
Thorough understanding of technological concepts, company practices and technology global operations
Project management skills and the ability to handle multiple competing priorities
Competencies typically acquired through a Bachelor`s or advance degree, or equivalent experience

Nice To Haves

Certification: PMP certification and/or other industry-recognized project management certifications, such as PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP), or similar credentials highly preferred.

Responsibilities

Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) and Planning
Alignment and Execution: Lead the USRM Tech quarterly and annual strategic planning and rebalancing processes to ensure technology initiatives are prioritized based on strategic alignment to organizational goals
Resource Planning and Investment Prioritization: Oversee team responsible for engineer resource forecasting and capacity planning to ensure teams are optimally aligned; partner with technology leaders to identify resource gaps and to ensure focus of delivery on the highest priority work.
Strategic Roadmap and Planning: Lead process to develop and maintain comprehensive strategic roadmaps that align with company goals, market trends, and stakeholder priorities. Facilitate cross-functional collaboration to ensure roadmaps are actionable and measurable.
Executive Reporting: Insightful Dashboards and Reporting:?Partner with Strategy & Planning Analytics team to prepare executive-level dashboards that provide a comprehensive view of portfolio performance and operational health metrics.
Actionable Insights: Analyze data to generate actionable insights and strategic recommendations for stakeholders.
Stakeholder Review: Lead consistent and effective communication with stakeholders to support informed strategic discussions and generate data-driven decisions.
Team and Workforce Management: Talent Strategy and Development:?Partner with our talent organization to develop and execute on team level and talent management practices inclusive of capacity planning, workforce development, etc. in support of our multi-year business and technology roadmaps.
Performance and Vendor Management: Oversee opportunities to optimize relationship with suppliers to ensure an optimal balance in controlling cost, mitigating risks, and ensuring quality delivery.
Culture and Engagement:?Lead a team of strategic portfolio managers creating a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the team.
Process Improvement and Collaboration: Continuous Improvement: Continuously refine and lean out portfolio management processes, tools, and methodologies to increase efficiency, transparency, and responsiveness to changing business needs
Feedback and Adaptation: Conduct retrospectives to gather feedback and adapt governance processes, ensuring agility and responsiveness.
Intake and Triage of Requests to Departments: Efficient Request Management:?Manage the intake and triage of regular and ad-hoc requests to our technology teams engaging with requestors and relevant experts to minimize disruption to our teams while ensuring timely and accurate execution.
Streamlined Execution: Develop streamlined processes for handling requests, enhancing organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
Lead USRM Technology Strategic Portfolio Management team
People Leader: Lead a team of Strategic Portfolio Managers aligned to our technology domains; Monitor team effectiveness and addresses issues affecting team productivity; support team members in addressing or escalating issues to make the overall team more efficient.
Practice Discipline: Work across Liberty Mutual Tech to develop a Community of Practice (CoP) among Strategic Portfolio Managers to share best practices and foster a culture of learning.
Change Management
Change Strategy Development: Design and implement change management strategies to ensure smooth transitions and successful adoption of new processes or initiatives in the Domains.
Stakeholder Engagement: Work closely with stakeholders to understand their needs, address concerns, and ensure alignment with change initiatives.
Performance Measurement and Metrics
Define Success Metrics: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success and impact of portfolio management activities.
Regular Performance Reviews: Conduct regular reviews of portfolio performance against KPIs, adjusting strategies as needed to achieve desired outcomes.
Technology Innovation: Emerging Technologies:?Stay abreast of emerging technologies and industry trends to identify opportunities for innovation and competitive advantage.
Technology Advocacy:?Advocate for the adoption of new technologies or tools that can enhance portfolio management practices and outcomes.