VP - IT and Digital Operations

BISSELL Homecare•Grand Rapids, MI

About The Position

The Vice President, IT & Digital Operations is accountable for converting BISSELL’s digital and technology strategy into scalable, secure, and high‑performing enterprise capabilities worldwide. This role leads enterprise platforms, digital delivery, and technology operations to enable superior consumer experiences, data‑driven decision making, and efficient global business processes. As a key enterprise leader, this executive partners with senior business, consumer experience, and digital leaders to ensure technology investments deliver measurable value, modernize core capabilities, and accelerate BISSELL’s growth and omnichannel ambitions. This leader will champion the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence across the enterprise and ensure the organization’s cybersecurity posture protects brand trust, customer data, and operational continuity.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or relevant field from an accredited 4-year college/university, coupled with an excellent academic background.
15+ years in progressive experience managing functions dealing with Information Technologies, cross-functional business processes, workflow, and systems. The ideal candidate would have substantial experience with digital solutions beyond traditional technologies and transformation of an organization.
Experience in developing, implementing, and maintaining IT application roadmaps focused on: ERP systems – finance, accounting, & supply chain E-commerce & Digital Marketing Solutions Productivity Enhancement – Automation, data & analytics, etc.
Excellent understanding of project management principles and track record of delivering projects on time and within budget.
Sound character, willing to “roll up their sleeves.”
Strong decision-making and analytical skills, as well as excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to exercise sound business judgment in complex situations.
Ability to work both independently and collaboratively across business segments with domestic and foreign entities and a variety of individuals.
A practical and proactive problem-solver. This person will possess a high degree of emotional intelligence and be able to interact at all levels within the Company.
A quick study with the ability to distill complex issues clearly and help devise solutions in a direct, no-nonsense manner. With a businessperson’s mindset, the successful candidate will have a natural tendency to make things happen and the ability to find creative solutions where none initially appeared to exist.
Strategic fluency in AI, cloud, cybersecurity, and data technologies – able to evaluate emerging capabilities and translate them into practical business advantage.
Strong executive presence with the ability to communicate technology strategy and cyber risk to the Board, C-suite, and non-technical stakeholders.
Proven ability to manage large IT budgets ($20M+), negotiate vendor contracts, and optimize total cost of ownership across a complex technology portfolio.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in business administration or information sciences.
Experience with a products industry,
Experience with a global organization with both manufacturing and sales operations throughout the world.
Direct experience deploying enterprise AI/ML solutions at scale (e.g., demand forecasting, computer vision, generative AI).
Experience leading cybersecurity programs and managing security operations (SOC) or working closely with a CISO function.
Experience with connected products / IoT platforms.
Knowledge of key cyber security frameworks (NIST, ISO 27000, CIS Controls)

Responsibilities

Own execution of enterprise digital platforms across ERP, eCommerce, data & analytics, and automation.
Translate digital strategy into prioritized, funded, and delivered initiatives with clear business outcomes. Input to strategic vision to drive value through innovation and digital capability enablement.
Applied use of cloud, AI/ML, data platforms, and automation to drive scale, efficiency, and insight. Define and execute the enterprise AI strategy, including governance frameworks, use-case prioritization, and responsible AI practices.
Rationalize global technology platforms by simplifying and consolidating complex applications portfolios, leveraging cloud strategies, and emerging technologies to improve system reliability and optimize support costs.
Maintain a long-term technology master plan aligned to business growth and omnichannel strategy and lead team to deliver on time, budget, and quality.
Build digital operating models and structure technology teams to successfully leverage digital capabilities and innovative solutions.
Serve as an enterprise change leader, driving adoption of new platforms and ways of working across the organization.
Build and evolve a global IT operating model that balances speed, reliability, cost, and innovation.
Lead with a mindset focused on practical application and execution.
Manage strategic vendor and partner relationships, including outsourcing governance, to optimize capability, cost, and innovation.
Champion a culture of ROI and digital adoption throughout the Company.
Foster rapid development with design flexibility and adaptability through cross functional collaboration to accelerate time-to-market and creative service offerings.
Utilize agile methodologies to achieve business outcomes i.e., speed, customer value.
Lead the development of differentiated capabilities utilizing secure, innovative technologies to improve service delivery at optimized cost.
Implement scalable, data-driven, predictable methods for program management (agile and/or waterfall).
Implement a DevOps culture and tools for delivering IT capabilities.
Drive adoption of observability, SRE practices, and cloud-native operations to ensure enterprise reliability at scale.
Accountable for availability, performance, security, and scalability of enterprise platforms.
Own the enterprise cybersecurity strategy, ensuring protection of consumer data, intellectual property, and operational systems across all geographies.
Establish and maintain cybersecurity governance aligned to frameworks (NIST CSF, ISO 27001, CIS Controls) with board-ready reporting on risk posture.
Oversee incident response planning, business continuity, and disaster recovery programs.
Ensure compliance with global data privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA) in partnership with Legal and Privacy teams.
Manage third-party and supply chain cyber risk through vendor security assessments and continuous monitoring.
Develop and execute an enterprise AI and automation roadmap that delivers measurable business value across operations, consumer experience, and decision-making.
Lead the evaluation, piloting, and scaling of generative AI, machine learning, and intelligent automation tools across business functions.
Establish AI governance frameworks including ethical AI guidelines, model risk management, and data quality standards.
Partner with business leaders to identify high-impact AI use cases (demand forecasting, consumer insights, content generation, customer service).
Build internal AI/ML talent and literacy programs to upskill the broader organization.