Head of IT Program Portfolio / CIO Office - #2631199

Head of IT Program Portfolio Management / Head of CIO Office

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. 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)