Platform Engineering & Delivery Vice President

IAT Insurance Group is seeking a Vice President of Platform Engineering and Delivery to develop and execute the company's Infrastructure Vision. This leadership role involves ensuring a secure and resilient infrastructure, establishing and maintaining the infrastructure strategy roadmap, and overseeing the planning and implementation of both business-led and infrastructure strategy projects. The VP will also align the Engineering and Delivery teams to drive successful implementation of the strategic vision.  Additionally, the VP is responsible for ensuring that the Infrastructure Organization has strong financial management practices in place including forecasting, expense management and financial analysis.   This leadership role oversees the Architecture and Delivery teams, driving the planning and delivery of essential infrastructure technologies.  These include cloud services, compute and backup services, desktop technologies, network services, unified communications, infrastructure monitoring, disaster recovery, and cyber resiliency.

This role works a hybrid schedule from IAT locations in Chicago, IL or Raleigh, NC. Other locations will be considered for highly qualified candidates. IAT's hybrid schedule reflects our values (thinking and acting like an owner, collaboration, and teamwork) as it requires working from the office with colleagues and other disciplines Monday through Wednesday, with the option of working remotely Thursday and Friday. 

Platform Engineering Responsibilities

• Strategic Infrastructure Leadership:

• • Develop and support the infrastructure strategy and roadmap to ensure IAT’s systems are highly available, manageable, and secure.
  • Guide the organization and delivery team in executing the strategy effectively.

• Technology Oversight and Innovation

• • Oversee the evaluation, selection, and implementation of infrastructure technologies that ensure the organization can effectively support and manage new technologies at a cost-effective scale.
  • Manage the evaluation and adoption of emerging technologies to identify and implement solutions that drive significant business impact and value.

• Security and Compliance:

• • Collaborate with the security team to ensure infrastructure architectures follow security policies, including Zero Trust.
  • Regularly perform joint security architecture reviews with the security team to identify and resolve current infrastructure security risks.

• Team/Organizational Leadership:

• • A focus on Organizational Development through enhancing the organization's effectiveness through the continuous refinement of its strategies, structures, and operational processes.
  • Provides leadership through organizational change management, staff development, team building, and fostering a motivated and engaged workforce
  • Building and leading a high-performing, diverse engineering team comprising of internal and external expertise.
  • Foster a customer-centric mindset, prioritizing customer needs and building long-term, trust-based relationships.

Platform Delivery Responsibilities:

• Project Execution & Delivery:

• • Ensure technology designs are well understood by the infrastructure team and implemented as architected. 
  • Ensure the project deliverables are on time, within budget and meet quality standards.
  • Oversee all aspects of infrastructure projects, including gathering requirements, infrastructure build, deployment, transition to support, documentation, and communication.

• Project Portfolio Management:

• • Manage the portfolio of infrastructure projects including project financials, resource capacity and project status reporting.
  • Proactively monitor progress, identifying and managing risks, and adjusting project priorities as needed.

• Team & Resource Management:

• • Build and lead a high-performing Infrastructure Project Management team that delivers efficient and effective solutions.
  • Work with the Infrastructure Leadership team to ensure projects are appropriately staffed with the necessary skillsets to meet current and future demand.

• Stakeholder & Project Collaboration:

• • Collaborating with business leaders, stakeholders, project teams, and vendors to deliver project scope, timeline, and design.
  • Ensure stakeholders are kept apprised of program status.

  Qualifications:
Must Have:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, business or a related field
• Minimum 15 years of IT Infrastructure and/or Security Operations leadership experience.
• A strong technical foundation gained through experience in IT architecture, development, or infrastructure/security operations, coupled with a passion for infrastructure engineering.
• A proven track record in developing and executing infrastructure strategies.
• Remains calm and focused in high-pressure environments, effectively prioritizing and executing tasks with composure and efficiency.
• Understands business risk, risk assessment and risk-based decision making.
• Excellent communicator with the ability to explain infrastructure engineering concepts to any audience, from technical experts to the board of directors.
• Demonstrate leadership and vision in communicating the infrastructure strategy, ensuring its integration into business continuity planning and execution
• Possesses a comprehensive understanding of cloud computing models, including IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS architectures, and their implications for infrastructure design and management.
• A track record of working collaboratively and productively with business partners.
• Absolute trustworthiness with high standards of personal integrity (demonstrated by an unblemished career history, complete lack of criminal convictions etc.), and willing to undergo vetting and/or personality assessments to verify this if necessary
• Proven experience in financial planning and analysis, including budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, interpersonal and collaborative skills.
• Experience with contract and vendor negotiations.
• Possess a holistic understanding of modern IT infrastructure, encompassing systems, cloud, networking, desktop technologies, virtualization, disaster recovery, business continuity, unified communications, and monitoring.
• To qualify, all applicants must be authorized to work in the United States and must not require, now or in the future, VISA sponsorship for employment purposes

Preferred to have:

• Industry experience preferred.

Our Culture
IAT is the largest private, family-owned property and casualty insurer in the U.S. Insurance Answers Together® is how we define IAT, in letter and in spirit. We work together to provide solutions for people and businesses. We collaborate internally and with our partners to provide the best possible insurance and surety options for our customers. At IAT, we’re committed to driving and building an open and supportive culture for all. Our employees propel IAT forward – driving innovation, stable partnerships and growth. That’s why we continue to build an engaging workplace culture to attract and retain the best talent.
We offer comprehensive benefits like:

• 26 PTO Days (Entry Level) + 12 Company Holidays = 38 Paid Days Off
• 7% 401(k) Company Match and additional Profit Sharing
• Hybrid work environment
• Numerous training and development opportunities to assist you in furthering your career
• Healthcare and Wellness Programs
• Opportunity to earn performance-based bonuses
• College Loan Assistance Support Plan
• Educational Assistance Program
• Mentorship Program
• Dress for Your Day Policy

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.  We maintain a drug-free workplace and participate in E-Verify.  

Compensation:
Please note, that the annual gross salary range associated with this posting is $144,100 - $228,000.  This range represents the anticipated low and high end of the base salary for this position.  Actual salaries will vary based on factors such as a candidate's qualifications, skills, competencies, and geographical location related to this specific role.  The total compensation will include a base salary, performance-based bonus opportunities, 401(K) match, profit-sharing opportunities, and more. 

IAT Recruiter:
Steve Morley | Senior Recruiter
steve.morley@iatinsurance.com
www.linkedin.com/in/stevemorley916  Apply