Full Job Description
The Senior Director, IT Strategy & Operations is a senior leadership role responsible for driving the strategic direction, operational discipline, and organizational maturity of Patrick Industries' IT function. This is a critical role in landing new enterprise ways of working and accelerating the maturation of internal IT operating practices, including portfolio governance, mergers and acquisitions integration, vendor and third-party management, and organizational change management.
Responsibilities & Duties:
IT Strategy & Ways of Working
• Lead the design, rollout, and continuous maturation of IT ways of working, operating rhythms, and governance frameworks across the enterprise
• Translate the four IT strategic pillars - Innovative Advantage, Value Optimization, Agility & Efficiency, and Resilient Operations - into practical operating models and team-level behaviors
• Serve as the primary steward for embedding strategic pillar alignment into planning, prioritization, and decision-making processes
• Partner with IT leadership to identify maturity gaps and drive structured improvement roadmaps
• Establish metrics and maturity models to track progress in IT ways-of-working adoption over time
Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) IT Leadership
• Lead end-to-end IT strategy for mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, including pre-deal due diligence, Day 1 readiness, and post-close integration
• Own the Patrick IT M&A playbook, integration methodology, and standard toolkits used consistently across all transactions
• Direct IT due diligence activities, assessing target company technology stacks, contracts, licensing, cybersecurity posture, data practices, and organizational readiness
• Develop and manage integration workstreams spanning infrastructure, applications, data, cybersecurity, vendor contracts, and organizational alignment
• Define and drive Day 1, Day 100, and long-term integration milestones, ensuring business continuity and minimal disruption to acquired entities
• Drive synergy identification and capture through system consolidation, license rationalization, and vendor contract harmonization
• Partner with Corporate Development, Legal, Finance, Cybersecurity, and business unit leaders to align integration plans with deal thesis and value creation targets
• Lead carve-out and divestiture planning where applicable, ensuring clean separation of systems, data, and services
• Build repeatable, scalable integration processes and governance to support a high-frequency, recurring acquisition pipeline
• Report integration progress, risks, dependencies, and synergy realization to executive leadership and deal governance forums
Vendor Management Office (VMO) Leadership
• Design and stand up Patrick Industries' enterprise Vendor Management Office, including charter, operating model, governance structure, and staffing plan
• Establish enterprise vendor management policies, standards, and lifecycle processes covering sourcing, contracting, onboarding, performance management, and offboarding
• Build a centralized vendor inventory and segmentation model (strategic, tactical, transactional) to prioritize oversight and engagement effort
• Define and implement vendor performance scorecards, SLAs, and cadence of business reviews for critical and strategic suppliers
• Lead vendor negotiations and contract structuring in partnership with Legal and Procurement, ensuring favorable commercial terms and risk mitigation
• Establish vendor risk management processes, including financial health monitoring, cybersecurity risk assessment, and business continuity planning
• Drive vendor consolidation and rationalization initiatives to reduce cost, complexity, and redundant capability
• Serve as the executive escalation point for critical vendor relationships, performance issues, and contract disputes
• Partner with Finance to track and report vendor spend, savings, and contract compliance across the enterprise
• Integrate VMO practices into the M&A playbook to streamline harmonization of acquired vendor contracts
Portfolio Management & Governance
• Own Patrick IT portfolio management, including intake, prioritization, sequencing, and governance of programs and projects
• Establish portfolio governance forums, decision rights, and stage-gate processes to ensure disciplined investment decisions
• Ensure portfolio composition reflects and advances the four IT strategic pillars
• Implement benefit realization tracking, ensuring initiatives deliver measurable business value
• Provide transparent, real-time visibility into portfolio health, risk, dependencies, and resourcing
• Partner with business and IT leaders to resolve portfolio conflicts and resourcing constraints
Financial Management
• Own IT financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting for the strategy and operations function, including M&A integration and vendor management costs
• Drive cost transparency, chargeback/showback models, and financial accountability across the IT organization
• Identify and execute cost optimization opportunities across vendor contracts, licensing, and portfolio investments
• Partner with Finance to track ROI, synergy capture, and total cost of ownership across IT initiatives
• Ensure accurate financial reporting and forecasting to support enterprise planning cycles
• Implement and drive adoption of a total cost of ownership (TCO) model across Patrick IT
Organizational Change Management & Communication
• Lead organizational change management strategy for major IT transformation initiatives, ways-of-working rollouts, and M&A integrations
• Develop and execute enterprise communication plans that build awareness, understanding, and adoption of new operating models
• Design and deliver training, enablement, and readiness programs to support adoption of new processes and tools
• Establish change impact assessments, stakeholder analysis, and readiness metrics for major initiatives
• Serve as a trusted change advisor to IT and business leadership, helping navigate resistance and build momentum for transformation
• Build a sustainable change management capability and community of practice within IT
Leadership & Organizational Development
• Build and lead a high-performing team across portfolio management, vendor management, M&A integration, and change management disciplines
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement
• Develop talent, succession plans, and career pathways aligned with enterprise needs
Alignment to IT Strategic Pillars
Innovative Advantage
• Ensure the IT portfolio and vendor ecosystem enable adoption of emerging technologies and innovative solutions
• Structure M&A integration approaches that preserve and scale innovative capabilities from acquired entities
Value Optimization
• Drive disciplined portfolio governance, vendor rationalization, and benefit realization to maximize ROI
• Capture M&A synergies through consolidation, standardization, and cost optimization
Agility & Efficiency
• Streamline ways of working, governance processes, and vendor engagement models for speed and flexibility
• Build repeatable M&A integration playbooks that accelerate onboarding of acquired entities
Resilient Operations
• Ensure vendor risk management, contract governance, and change management practices support stable, secure operations
• Embed organizational change management to ensure new ways of working are sustainably adopted
Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in IT, Business, or related field (Master's preferred)
• 12+ years of relevant IT experience
• 8+ years of leadership experience in IT strategy, portfolio management, M&A integration, or vendor management
• Demonstrated experience standing up or leading a Vendor Management OfficeProven track record leading IT due diligence and integration for mergers and acquisitions
• Experience in decentralized, multi-site, or acquisition-driven environments preferred
• Manufacturing or industrial sector experience is a plus
Location: