VP, IT Strategy and Architecture

Bridge Specialty Group•Plano, TX

About The Position

Built on meritocracy, our unique company culture rewards self-starters and those who are committed to doing what is best for our customers. The VP IT Strategy & Architecture - Retail is a visionary technology executive responsible for shaping the long‑term technology direction of Retail Technology while ensuring the implementation of day-to-day architectural decisions in support of that long-term strategy delivery. This leader will define and ensure the execution of a Retail Technology strategy and supporting architecture that both enables the delivery of the Retail business objectives, while also advancing the Enterprise technology strategy. As a direct report to the Retail CIO and matrix report to the Enterprise IT Strategy & Innovation SVP this role influences the entire retail technology landscape and plays a critical part in enabling business growth through modern, scalable, and forward‑thinking solutions.

Requirements

15+ years of progressive leadership experience in technology strategy, enterprise architecture, innovation, or related domains.
Evidence of having delivered technology strategy at scale (10,000 people plus)
Track record of having implemented AI driven product engineering practices at scale (e.g. spec driven development)
Lead teams of 20+ architects.
Financial management of $100m + technology 3rd party spend.

Nice To Haves

5+ Financial Services / Insurance experience while not essential is preferred.
5+ FinTech / Start-up / private Equity experience preferable.
5+ years Consulting experience is preferable.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain a comprehensive, multi-year IT strategy that is tightly aligned with the company’s business vision, priorities, and growth objectives.
Ensuring technology strategy directly enables business outcomes, operational excellence, and competitive differentiation.
Lead the enterprise innovation agenda, with a strong focus on AI, automation, data driven capabilities, and next generation digital experiences.
Balance long term strategic planning with agile, iterative incubation efforts that accelerate value creation.
Oversee the Enterprise Architecture function, ensuring cohesive architectural standards, frameworks, and policies across the organization.
Establish and maintain architectural guidelines that promote interoperability, scalability, security, and modernization.
Partner with technology and business leaders to ensure architectural decisions support business outcomes and future state capabilities.
Own the long-term technology estate Total Cost of Ownership.
Identify, evaluate, and incubate emerging technologies, especially in AI, data platforms, and integration ecosystems—to drive competitive advantage. Eg Tech Radar.
Foster a culture of experimentation, continuous learning, and responsible innovation.
Lead, mentor, and inspire a diverse team of technologists, architects, and engineers across retail
Build organizational capability in architecture and modern technology practices.
Champion career development, technical excellence, and a culture of collaboration and empowerment.
Serve as a brilliant communicator who can translate complex technology concepts into clear, compelling narratives for all audiences—from engineers to executives.
Partner closely with business leaders to co-create technology enabled strategies that drive growth, efficiency, and transformation.
Represent IT Strategy & Innovation in executive forums, steering committees, and cross functional initiatives.