Engineering Head of Strategy, Operations & Talent

This role ensures the CTO organization operates as a high-performing business function by providing leadership across: 

• Strategic planning and execution 

• Portfolio and program management 

• Financial management and budgeting 

• Governance, compliance, and risk coordination 

• Organizational communications 

• Talent management, vendor management and workforce planning 

• Employee engagement and culture 

• Executive reporting and business operations 

The role acts as the central coordination point across all Engineering functions, enabling leaders to focus on delivering technology outcomes while ensuring organizational alignment, accountability, and operational excellence. 

Core Responsibilities 

1. Engineering Strategy & Business Operations 

Lead the overall operating cadence for the Engineering organization. 

Responsibilities 

• Develop and maintain the Engineering strategic operating plan 

• Coordinate annual planning and organizational objectives 

• Facilitate quarterly business reviews (QBRs) 

• Manage CTO staff meetings and leadership operating rhythms 

• Develop executive dashboards and KPI reporting 

• Prepare presentations and materials for executive leadership and board discussions 

• Drive accountability against strategic objectives and commitments 

2. Portfolio, Program & Transformation Management 

Oversee execution of the organization's most important technology initiatives. 

Responsibilities 

• Ensure alignment between investments and business priorities 

• Track execution of strategic initiatives 

• Identify cross-functional dependencies and risks 

• Escalate issues requiring leadership intervention 

• Drive consistency in program reporting and delivery governance 

3. Financial Management & Budget Governance 

Own financial management processes for the Engineering organization. 

Responsibilities 

• Lead annual budget development 

• Manage forecasting and variance analysis 

• Monitor technology investments and operating expenses 

• Establish financial reporting and transparency 

• Drive cost optimization initiatives 

• Support vendor investment decisions and business cases 

• Track realization of expected benefits from technology investments 

4. Governance, Compliance & Risk Coordination 

Coordinate governance processes across the Engineering organization. 

Responsibilities 

• Manage enterprise technology risk reporting 

• Act as Engineering’s point of contact of audit activities and readiness efforts 

• Facilitate compliance programs and assessments 

• Maintain technology policy governance processes 

• Track remediation efforts and corrective actions 

• Support regulatory and control framework requirements 

• Coordinate AI governance and technology governance activities 

5. Talent Strategy & Workforce Planning 

Partner with CTO and Engineering leadership to build and maintain a high-performing organization. 

Responsibilities 

• Lead workforce planning processes 

• Identify critical skill gaps and staffing risks 

• Develop talent development strategies 

• Track organizational health and workforce metrics 

• Constantly revise and improve hiring processes and candidate experience 

• Monitor recruiting performance metrics 

• Ensure alignment between hiring decisions and organizational needs 

6. Performance Management & Organizational Effectiveness 

Establish and improve performance management practices across the Engineering organization. 

Responsibilities 

• Support calibration and talent review sessions 

• Develop performance improvement frameworks 

• Identify organizational performance trends 

• Drive accountability for employee development 

• Improve management effectiveness 

• Partner with HR on performance-related initiatives 

7. Employee Engagement, Culture & Communications 

Own organizational engagement and communication programs for the Engineering organization. 

Responsibilities 

• Develop and execute communication strategy 

• Coordinate department-wide communications 

• Plan and manage quarterly technology town halls 

• Lead annual Engineering kickoff event 

• Coordinate leadership offsites and organizational meetings 

• Support culture and engagement initiatives 

• Monitor employee engagement trends 

• Partner with HR on employee experience improvements 

8. Vendor Governance & Executive Relationships 

Provide oversight of strategic technology vendor relationships. 

Responsibilities 

• Coordinate executive business reviews with key vendors 

• Monitor strategic vendor performance 

• Track contract and renewal risks 

• Support sourcing and investment decisions 

• Ensure vendor performance aligns with organizational goals 

9. Executive Decision Support 

Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to the CTO. 

Responsibilities 

• Develop executive briefings and recommendations 

• Prepare business cases and investment proposals 

• Assess organizational opportunities and risks 

• Conduct analysis supporting key decisions 

• Drive special projects on behalf of the CTO 

• Support interactions with the CEO and executive team