Chief Technology Officer

Chief Technology Officer

The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) provides enterprise-wide technology leadership for the State of Montana, setting strategic direction for enterprise architecture and application development in alignment with statewide IT transformation goals.

The CTO owns the "how" of technology delivery for the enterprise, including architectural patterns, technical standards, development methodologies, platform selections, integration models, and quality and security requirements that govern how solutions are designed and built across state government.

• Lead an AI‑forward technology organization, personally using AI to accelerate architectural analysis, technology evaluation, code and design review, and managerial decision making.
• Drive the adoption of AI‑enabled architecture, development, and testing tooling across the Office of Technology Development and ensure alignment with statewide AI governance, security, and policy standards.
• Partner with the Deputy CIO, State CIO, agency CIOs, and the Integration Transition Team to ensure Montana's technology investments are sound, sustainable, and mission aligned.
• Collaborate closely with the Chief Product Officer to translate strategy into executable, architecturally coherent solutions.
• Collaborate with the Chief Enterprise Service Delivery Officer to ensure operational supportability of technological decisions.
• Lead and develop functional team leaders, hold them accountable for outcomes, and remove barriers to execution.

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Business, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Seven years of progressively responsible experience in enterprise technology leadership, including at least three years in an executive or senior leadership role overseeing technology teams and functions.
• Proven ability to lead leaders, set direction, delegate effectively, and hold team managers accountable for outcomes.
• Experience building and sustaining high‑performing teams through clear expectations, coaching, and a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Ability to translate enterprise strategy into practical implementation and measurable outcomes across multiple functional teams.
• Experience aligning diverse stakeholders—across agencies, executive leadership, and technical teams—around shared technology goals.
• Ability to engage, challenge, and advise senior leaders on complex technology decisions with significant organizational impact.
• Preferred:
  Master’s degree in a related field; experience in state or local government IT or product leadership; experience leading large‑scale transformation in a complex, multi‑stakeholder environment.

• Work/life balance
• Health coverage
• Paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness may be available
• Telework eligibility (full‑time telework is not available; telework schedule must be supervisor approved)
• Health insurance, paid leave & holidays, retirement plan

The State of Montana does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, childbirth or medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, creed, political beliefs or affiliation, veteran status, military service, retaliation, or any other factor not related to merit and qualifications of an employee or applicant.