Head of IT Program Portfolio Management / Head of CIO Office
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Job Type: Permanent
Location: Cologne (Hybrid 1 day per week onsite)
Salary: Open + strong bonus & overall benefits package
We are looking specifically for a candidate with Insurance experience who has overseen a large Portfolio of projects/programs specifically within the IT space, Governance experience is also a must with a strong preference for DORA.
The CIO Office acts as the central steering entity for the businesses IT organization. It aligns strategy, governance, performance, and portfolio delivery to enable data-driven decision-making. The CIO office ensures transparency, control, and compliance while orchestrating IT efforts towards consistent, business-aligned value delivery.
The Head of CIO Office leads this function and acts as the operational right hand of the CIO – driving execution, governance, and cross-functional coordination across all IT domains.
Experience (mandatory)
- Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, or a related field
- Experience in Financial Services, ideally insurance (e.g. familiarity with DORA, Solvency II)
- 8+ years of experience in IT strategy, governance, and enterprise-wide transformation
- Proven track record in IT portfolio management, prioritization, and delivery steering
- Strong background in performance management, KPI frameworks, and data-driven reporting
- Experience in regulated environments and operationalizing governance frameworks (e.g. DORA, ISO)
- Demonstrated ability to operate in complex, multi-stakeholder organizations
- Experience interfacing with board-level stakeholders
Competencies
- Strategic mindset: Translating business strategy into actionable IT direction and priorities
- Decision enablement: Synthesizing complex data into clear, executive-ready insights
- Governance leadership: Designing and enforcing governance structures, processes, and accountability
- Stakeholder management: Influencing and aligning senior stakeholders across IT, business, risk, and finance
- Navigating complexity: Managing ambiguity, conflicting priorities, and cross-functional dependencies
Skills
- Executive communication & storytelling: Structuring complex topics into clear, decision-ready messages (incl. xayajpt board-level)
- Data & reporting expertise: KPI frameworks, dashboarding, and performance transparency (e.g PowerBI, SQL)
- Governance & operating model design: Defining governance structures, policies, and decision processes
- Portfolio & delivery management tools: Experience with JIRA, LeanIX, and reporting platforms
- Process & change management: Design and optimization of cross-functional IT processes
- Cross-functional coordination: Orchestrating collaboration across IT, business, Risk, and Finance
Core Tasks & Activities
Strategic Steering & Governance
- Define and evolve IT strategy, roadmap, and priorities
- Translate business strategy into governed IT execution (in collaboration with Enterprise Architecture Team)
- Establish and run governance structures, decision forums, and policies
- Ensure alignment across IT domains, business, and leadership
Risk, Control & Compliance Oversight
- Maintain end-to-end IT risk & control framework
- Oversee control effectiveness, remediation, and audit readiness
- Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements (e.g. DORA)
- Act as interface to Risk, Compliance, and Audit (2nd/3rd line)
Performance Management & Reporting
- Define and manage KPI framework (incl. DORA requirements)
- Deliver automated, reliable reporting and dashboards
- Provide consolidated insights on performance, risks, and progress
- Enable fact-based CIO and board-level decision-making
Portfolio & Delivery Steering
- Steer IT portfolio, priorities, and delivery pipeline
- Ensure transparency on initiatives, resources, and capacity
- Define and run demand intake, change, and IT impact processes
- Enable structured portfolio governance (SteerCos, reporting, planning)
