Manager of Strategic Innovation & Delivery - Portfolio Management

Citizens•Chicago, IL

2d•$144,000 - $175,000

About The Position

We are seeking a proven technology leader to set and execute the end‑to‑end strategy for Underwriting & Portfolio Management (U&PM) technology. This role serves as the experience co-owner for U&PM platforms and data, driving modernization, innovation, and measurable efficiency through disciplined investment management and responsible AI deployment. You will partner across product, risk, finance, and enterprise technology to translate business ambition into a cohesive roadmap, then deliver results that improve decision quality, speed, and cost.

Requirements

7+ years of progressive technology leadership in financial services or adjacent regulated industries, including 5+ years leading complex, cross‑functional programs. Or 7+ years of progressive underwriting and portfolio management leadership with demonstrable success with special projects including new process and technology improvements and driving adoption.
Proven ownership of platform portfolios and modernization initiatives (cloud migration, microservices/API enablement, observability, reliability engineering).
Proven critical thinking and interpersonal skills focused on collaboration, influencing, problem resolution, consensus building, concise and clear communication, cross-functional team management, thrives in matrixed organizations and effective use of humor in the professional environment.
Demonstrated success deploying AI/automation in production with governance (guardrails, security/PII controls, model evaluation, cost/consumption management).
Investment management expertise (CapEx/OpEx planning, vendor evaluation, benefits tracking, and portfolio prioritization across a multi‑year roadmap).
Strong command of design thinking and data strategy (domain‑driven data products, data quality, lineage, and analytics enablement for both BI and operational use cases).
Ability to translate business goals into technology outcomes, with executive‑level communication and stakeholder management.
Experience leading change and adoption (operating model design, KPIs, training, and culture of continuous improvement).
Prior experience working in an agile/pod environment.

Nice To Haves

Graduate degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data/Analytics, or MBA.
Certifications such as PMP/SAFe, Cloud (Azure/AWS), or Data Governance/Privacy.
Familiarity with Microsoft ecosystem, SQL, object oriented programming concepts, Salesforce and AI governance in enterprise settings.
Experience in Underwriting & Portfolio Management domains or similar credit lifecycle functions (policy, risk, data, and workflow design). (Context drawn from internal collaboration around U&PM roles).

Responsibilities

Develop and continuously refine the U&PM technology strategy and multi‑year roadmap aligned to business outcomes, risk controls, and regulatory expectations.
Identify, evaluate, and launch new ventures/solutions (build/partner/buy) that extend U&PM capabilities and accelerate time‑to‑value; lead pilots through scaled adoption. Summarizing business use cases and implement design thinking methodology for driving new process and technology solutions.
Own execution of strategic initiatives from business case through delivery, ensuring scope, schedule, benefits realization, and stakeholder alignment.
Serve as Experience Owner (EO) for U&PM technology, governing platform standards, reliability, security, and lifecycle management across the application portfolio. Responsible for providing business requirements in coordination with U&PM, credit, Capital Markets, and RM subject matter experts, development and system testing, and product development roadmaps.
Drive innovation and AI enablement—select, govern, and deploy AI and automation tools responsibly; establish guardrails, consumption visibility, and cost controls.
Hold accountability for execution and efficiency tooling, instituting operating mechanisms and KPIs for adoption, productivity, and unit‑cost improvements.
Manage CapEx and OpEx for U&PM technology, including budgeting, prioritization, vendor spend, and investment flight‑planning to optimize total cost of ownership.
Own IT platform management for U&PM (availability, performance, observability, release/change management, incident/problem processes) in partnership with Enterprise Technology. Serve as a BSA (business systems analyst) to help write development stories.
Set the vision for U&PM operations, embedding best‑practice workflows, role clarity, and controls into platforms to streamline underwriting and portfolio management. Coordinate with U&PM manual, Sharepoint, training and development.
Enable trusted data and insights—define data product roadmaps, quality standards, lineage, and access; ensure curated data serves analytics and operational use cases. Responsible for updating trackers for initiatives and presentations to multiple internal and external stakeholders.
Training and development, program management for training and developing U&PM colleagues on technology and process solutions. Partner with human resources and development colleagues to develop training and adoption strategies, and execute on training programs to enhance solutions literacy, usage and adoption. Partner with third party vendor resources for training and colleague development.