VP, Technology Strategy & Innovation Initiatives

The VP of Technology Strategy & Innovation Initiatives at Royal Caribbean Group will play a crucial role in defining and driving the future technology vision and the creation of a repeatable innovation ecosystem that can foster ongoing thought leadership. This role is a member of the technology leadership team and reports directly to the Chief Information Officer. This position requires close collaboration across the technology organization as well as with various teams across the enterprise to develop a companywide view on technology strategy and the implications of how emerging technologies such as GenAI, Quantum computing, and biometric security protocols should be used to enable RCG’s business objectives.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the annual technology strategy development collaborating across the Technology and Business teams that produces a rolling 5-year strategic plan aligned to the business strategies.
• Maintain a pulse on business capability maturity to prioritize areas of opportunity for technology investment.
• Research and monitor external industry and technology trends.  Identify and evaluate emerging technologies that could impact the company’s products, services, and/or operations.
• Foster a culture of innovation across the technology organization by exploring new ideas, technologies, and processes to improve products, services, and operations.
• Lead and manage the innovation process by creating multiple avenues to surface and fund solutions that in addition to internal resources could include academic or 3rd party partnerships. 
• Work closely with stakeholders to evaluate and monitor the performance of strategic initiatives and innovation projects thru their lifecycle and incorporate lessons learned.
• Provide strategic guidance and support to senior leadership in decision-making processes.

Attributes for Success:

• Bachelor's degree in technology field with 15+ years of experience in technology leadership roles that included strategic planning, innovation management, and/or large technology transformation execution.
• Proven track record of successfully leading strategic initiatives and innovation projects.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Strategic thinking and the ability to translate ideas into actionable plans.

Technology Depth

• History of delivering successful world-class, large-scale, performance critical software projects on time, on budget and with quality.
• Demonstrated track record of developing and implementing best practices in a connected service, SaaS and/or on-premise environment.
• Strong pulse of the technology marketplace and emerging trends with experience on leading innovation projects.

Setting Strategy

• Ability to grasp complexities of the business and to develop strategies to address these opportunities perhaps not identified by others.
• Experience in developing strategies for global technology, especially applications/products that have a direct effect on the end user.
• Experience in guiding a company in articulating future state requirements and understanding the interactions between business areas.

Executing for Results

• Possesses an extensive and positive track record, particularly with transformation and the improvement of the alignment between business and technology.
• Sets and achieves ambitious targets for her/his area of responsibility.
• Able to translate strategy into practical action.
• Works well under pressure and manages multiple initiatives simultaneously.

Leading Teams

• • A self-starter with demonstrated success operating in a matrixed and fast-paced environment.
  • Proven ability to mold the product development organization into a seamless team, with common goals and vision while winning the hearts and minds of the employees.
  • Proven ability to build a high-performance culture with diverse, technical talent.
  • Strength in delegating significant responsibilities to team members and subsequently holding them accountable.

Building Relationships and Using Influence

• • Exhibits strong communication skills accompanied by the ability to influence both directly and indirectly and build consensus throughout the business.
  • Builds strong rapport and credibility with business leaders; does not rely on jargon and can translate the technical into layman’s terms.
  • Affects change in different organizational and national cultures with poise and pragmatism.
  • Demonstrates professionalism and ability to work with senior leaders across the organization.

Minimum Experience:   

15+ years of experience in a variety of technology disciplines, with a minimum of 5 years of experience in architecting and designing technology solutions; experience leading technology teams at scale