Chief Technology Officer

Chief Technology Officer at Claire's Chief Technology Officer at Claire's in Des Plaines, Illinois Posted in about 24 hours ago.

Type:

full-time

Job Description:

Position Overview The Chief of Technology (CTO) is responsible for setting and executing the company's technology vision in support of business growth, operational excellence, and customer experience across all retail channels. This role leads enterprise technology strategy, modernizes platforms, ensures system reliability and security, and drives innovation across e-commerce, stores, supply chain, merchandising, data, and corporate systems. The CTO partners closely with executive leadership to translate business strategy into scalable, secure, and cost-effective technology solutions that enhance customer engagement, speed to market, and profitability. Key Responsibilities Technology Strategy & Leadership Define and execute a long-term technology strategy aligned with the company's retail and omnichannel business objectives. Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO and executive team on technology trends, risks, and opportunities. Build and lead high-performing global technology teams with a strong culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement. Establish governance, standards, and best practices across software development, infrastructure, data, and security. Retail & Omnichannel Enablement Oversee technology platforms supporting: In-store systems (POS, mobile devices, store networks) E-commerce and digital commerce platforms Order Management Systems (OMS) and inventory visibility Customer experience and loyalty platforms Ensure seamless customer experiences across physical and digital touchpoints. Digital Transformation & Innovation Lead modernization initiatives, including cloud migration, microservices, API strategies, and legacy system transformation. Identify and implement emerging technologies (e.g., AI/ML, personalization, automation, IoT, computer vision) to drive competitive advantage. Drive agile and product-based delivery models to accelerate innovation and reduce time to market. Data, Analytics & Insights Partner with business leaders to advance data and analytics capabilities that improve demand planning, merchandising, pricing, and customer insights. Ensure data architecture, governance, and quality standards enable trusted enterprise-wide decision-making. Cybersecurity, Risk & Reliability Ensure the security, availability, and resilience of all technology systems. Establish strong cybersecurity, privacy, and compliance programs (e.g., PCI, SOC, data protection regulations). Oversee disaster recovery, incident management, and business continuity planning. Financial & Vendor Management Own technology budgeting, forecasting, and cost optimization. Manage strategic vendor and partner relationships, including SaaS, cloud, systems integrators, and hardware providers. Ensure ROI on technology investments through clear metrics and performance tracking. Required Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (Master's degree preferred). 15+ years of progressive technology leadership experience, including senior executive roles. Proven experience leading technology in a retail, e-commerce, consumer, or omnichannel organization, manufacturing industry. Strong knowledge of retail systems or manufacturing industry experience. Demonstrated success delivering large-scale digital and technology transformations. Experience leading distributed teams and managing multi-million-dollar technology budgets.