VP, Business Systems & Application Support (CIO)

Veolia Environnement SA•Paramus, NJ

15d•$225,000 - $255,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Vice President serves as a visionary leader, providing strategic leadership across business functions, running the current application with zero business disruption, defining and delivering digital transformation roadmaps and driving innovation to build future state capabilities. As a key member of the leadership team, the CIO is responsible for the strategic direction, implementation, and management of all information and operational technology initiatives. The successful candidate will collaborate with business leaders to adopt the digital transformation to enhance operational efficiency, ensure data security, and deliver measurable business value at scale and speed. This role requires a balance of high-level strategic planning and hands-on oversight of complex infrastructure in a highly regulated utility environment. The Business Division CIO for Regulated Utilities at Veolia North America is a hybrid leadership role: part utility-domain IT leader, part digital transformation owner, and part business partner to the regulated leadership team. The role sits within Veolia’s broader DB&T (Digital, Business & Technology) function but is dedicated to the Regulated business line, aligning technology strategy, investments, and operations to that division’s P&L, customers, and regulatory obligations. The CIO’s primary mandate is to ensure that the Regulated Utility division’s technology portfolio directly supports: Safe, compliant, and reliable water operations (treatment, distribution, wastewater). Customer experience and billing for customers. Financial and HR applications. Cost efficiency and margin improvement through automation and standardization. Risk management, cybersecurity, and regulatory reporting for water utilities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering or related field required.
At least 15 years of experience in the administration and leadership of information systems and technology, with an increasing level of responsibility throughout.
At least 5 years of senior management experience.
Experience in a regulated utility, water utility or similar operationally intensive industry strongly preferred.
Proven leadership in partnering with Technology partners to co-create and drive synergies at scale and speed.
Driving Hackathons to create ideas and skill building within teams and partners.
Responsible for managing a multi-tiered, managerial and professional staff of many, including Director and Manager levels, who in turn, will manage a professional staff of their own.
Budget Accountabilities: Multi-million dollar budget responsibility.
Performing in a large and matrixed organization.
Business Centric and AI in all we do mindset and skills.
Be a Data Driven Leader in driving trust and transparency.
Deep understanding of enterprise systems such as ERP, CRM, HR, web-based platforms, operational and finance systems, Data and AI Platforms.
Strong business acumen and the ability to translate technical strategies into operational improvements.
Demonstrated success in leading complex projects, cross-functional teams and vendor partnerships.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
Knowledge of data security, IT compliance and regulatory frameworks in a utility or critical infrastructure setting.
Strong managerial and leadership skills.
Thorough knowledge of Project Management methodologies (Agile and Waterfall) and differing variations.
Knowledge of DevSecOps as part of the SDLC.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Proficient in Google Workplace or related software.
Excellent ability to conceptualize long-term business goals and develop orderly processes to accomplish those goals.
Thorough understanding of information technology and information technology systems.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred.
Certifications Design Thinking, PMP, SAFe, Lean methodology certifications, Awareness of Cyber Security standards, Business Continuity Approaches, OCM Methodologies are a major plus

Responsibilities

Own the division-specific IT/digital strategy and roadmap, aligned with Veolia North America’s global DB&T strategy and the Regulated business plan.
Translate business priorities (e.g., regulatory mandates, capex delivery) into technology initiatives and investment cases.
Define the target operating model for IT within the division (roles, governance, decision rights, ways of working with central IT and shared services).
Oversee enterprise applications critical to regulated operations, customer and finance, typically including ERP, field service/maintenance systems, billing/CRM, and asset management.
Drive standardization and de‑customization of systems across utilities to reduce cost and complexity while meeting local regulatory requirements.
Ensure application performance, availability, and lifecycle management (upgrades, patches, sunset decisions) for systems used by plant operators, field crews, customer service, and finance.
Lead digital CX strategy for regulated customers, including self‑service portals, mobile apps, outage/quality notifications, and digital engagement tools.
Map customer journeys (residential, commercial, and other stakeholders) and prioritize digital enhancements that improve satisfaction, reduce call volume, and support performance metrics.
Work closely with Operations, Engineering, and Safety to integrate IT and OT (SCADA, PLCs, telemetry, sensors) in a secure, governed manner.
Prioritize use cases such as predictive maintenance, leak detection, energy optimization at treatment plants, and real‑time water quality monitoring enabled by data platforms and analytics.
Ensure change management, vendor management, and cybersecurity controls for environments align with corporate policies and water-sector regulations.
Own the division’s IT risk profile and ensure implementation of cybersecurity standards, incident response, and resilience plans specific to water utilities.
Ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards (e.g., state/federal water regulations, cybersecurity frameworks, data privacy requirements) as they intersect with IT and data systems.
Coordinate with corporate security, legal, and risk functions on audits, assessments, and remediation plans for water and wastewater systems.
Oversee the division’s data strategy, including data governance, master data, and integration across operational, customer, and financial systems.
Enable advanced analytics and AI use cases: demand forecasting, non‑revenue water reduction, energy optimization, asset health scoring, and customer segmentation.
Partner with central data/AI teams to industrialize models and embed them into daily operations and decision-making.
Manage the division’s IT budget, including run/grow/transform spend, business cases, and ROI tracking for technology initiatives.
Lead vendor strategy and contract management for key suppliers (enterprise software, telecom, cloud, system integrators).
Govern the project and program portfolio: prioritize initiatives, allocate resources, track delivery, benefits realization, and escalation of risks/issues.
Lead a cross‑functional IT/digital team supporting the division (application managers, solution architects, project managers, business analysts, possibly embedded IT in regions).
Participate in Veolia North America’s executive and DB&T governance forums, representing Regulated Utility needs and ensuring alignment with group strategy.
Drive enterprise change management: training, communications, adoption plans for new systems and digital ways of working across operations, customer service, and finance.
Oversee enterprise architecture, application development/implementation, and technical operations ensuring alignment with corporate standards and security policies.
Establish governance framework for project portfolio management, performance metrics, and risk/compliance requirements.