Summary
As a Thriveon Fractional CIO, you are a driven self-starter who serves as a strategic advisor to mid-sized companies effectively aligning our IT strategy with the client's business goals. You'll persuasively guide executives on how to leverage technology for growth, security, scalability, and profitability while ensuring that IT initiatives are executed with excellence.
This is a client-facing leadership role where you'll drive measurable business outcomes by shaping IT roadmaps, leading strategic initiatives, and ensuring proactive IT performance across client environments.
This position is based in Minnesota and requires up to 50% onsite work at client locations.
Compensation and Benefits
- Salary $100,000- $150,000
- Latest technology tools: IT Management, Knowledgebase, Professional Service Automation, cellphone, laptop, and two screens
- Latest technical training: expert led events and on demand, certification reimbursement
- Medical & Dental Insurance 75% of family premium covered
- 401K w/ 4% match
- 3 weeks PTO plus Paid Holidays
Duties & Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Make and defend technology recommendations to CEOs, CFOs, and COOs - including investment decisions, system selections, and prioritization tradeoffs - connecting each to revenue, margin, scalability, and resilience.
- Independently develop and maintain IT roadmaps that align with client business strategy, growth targets, and operational needs.
- Quickly translate business objectives into actionable technology initiatives and measurable outcomes.
Cybersecurity & Risk Management
- Oversee cybersecurity posture, policies, and incident readiness.
- Partner with internal teams and third-party vendors to close security gaps and maintain compliance.
- Ensure cyber insurance, regulatory, and contractual requirements are met.
IT Governance & Portfolio Management
- Define standards for IT budgeting, vendor selection, and project prioritization.
- Optimize technology portfolios for cost efficiency, scalability, and performance.
- Evaluate and rationalize systems (ERP, CRM, project management, collaboration, etc.) to ensure 'best fit' adoption.
Execution Oversight
- Create execution blueprints for critical initiatives-ensuring projects are scoped correctly, budgeted properly, and delivered on time.
- Establish KPIs for IT effectiveness, reporting regularly to leadership.
- Provide leadership and mentorship to internal IT and vendor teams.
Financial Accountability
- Model ROI for IT investments, enabling business leaders to make fact-based funding decisions.
- Drive cost transparency and optimization across IT services and systems.
- Ensure technology spend directly supports business value creation.
- Maintain up-to-date Time Entries and Expenses for billing and accounting purposes.
- Participate in daily huddles and weekly meetings.
- Complete 1 hour of continuing education per week to improve job skills.
- Exemplifies Thriveon Core Values: Humble, Helpful, Ambitious, Coachable and Curious.
Qualifications
- 10+ Years of proven experience as CIO, VP of IT, or equivalent senior IT leadership role.
- Proven success managing multiple concurrent client or business-unit relationships - comfortable context-switching across distinct environments while maintaining depth in each.
- Strong track record of aligning IT strategy with business outcomes in mid-market $50-$900 million revenue construction, manufacturing and/ or legal firms.
- Expertise in cybersecurity leadership, IT governance, and risk management.
- Deep knowledge of business applications (ERP, CRM, project/service management, cloud platforms).
- Ability to communicate complex technical concepts in clear, executive-level business terms.
- Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and vendors without direct authority.
- Exceptional financial and analytical skills to justify IT spend.
- Authorized to work in the United States without current or future employer sponsorship.