Chief Information Officer

Position Summary

The Chief Information Officer will define and execute Ketjen’s global IT strategy while building the IT organization, operating model, partner ecosystem, and governance required for a standalone company. The role includes strategic and execution responsibilities: leading the separation from the former parent company, managing TSA exit and transition risk, evaluating managed service providers, strengthening cybersecurity, establishing scalable enterprise systems and IT operations.

The CIO will serve as a strategic partner to the executive leadership team and ownership group translating business priorities into technology, data, digital, analytics, and AI capabilities that improve operational performance, decision quality, productivity, and long‑term competitiveness.

• Lead IT separation from its former parent company, including TSA governance, dependency mapping, data migration, application and infrastructure disentanglement, security transition planning, and Day1/Day2 readiness.
• Design and build Ketjen’s standalone IT operating model, including retained organization structure, role clarity, service delivery model, global/regional support, and governance cadence.
• Evaluate current and future MSP relationships, including RFPs or market benchmarking, SLA design, vendor accountability, and insource/outsource decisions.
• Create an analytics and AI strategy with prioritized business use cases, data governance, responsible AI controls, adoption model, and measurable value creation targets.
• Support digital transformation across manufacturing, supply chain, finance, commercial, R&D, EHS, quality, and enterprise functions.
• Establish a cost‑effective, cyber‑resilient, and scalable technology platform capable of supporting a global chemicals and catalyst manufacturing business.

IT Strategy, Business Alignment & Value Creation

• Develop and execute a global IT strategy aligned with Ketjen’s business objectives, separation plan, operating model, and value creation priorities.
• Partner with the CEO, CFO, executive leadership team, functional leaders, plant leaders, and ownership representatives to identify technology‑enabled opportunities to improve performance.
• Translate business needs into scalable technology, digital, data, and process solutions across global functions and sites.
• Establish IT investment governance, prioritization mechanisms, KPIs, and executive reporting that link technology spend to business outcomes.

Separation, TSA Exit & Standalone Readiness

• Lead the IT workstream for Ketjen’s separation from its former parent company, including planning, execution, risk management, and stakeholder alignment.
• Manage TSA scope, cost, service levels, exit milestones, and dependency resolution across applications, infrastructure, identity, network, data, cyber, and end‑user services.
• Oversee enterprise data migration, data ownership, historical data access, reporting continuity, and cutover readiness.
• Ensure the standalone technology environment is secure, stable, compliant, and able to support business continuity at global operating sites.

IT Organization, MSP Strategy & Vendor Management

• Assess the current IT organization and design the future‑state retained team, leadership structure, capability model, and talent roadmap.
• Evaluate MSPs and strategic partners for infrastructure, service desk, applications, cybersecurity, data, ERP support, and project delivery.
• Lead vendor selection, contract negotiation support, SLA definition, service governance, performance management, and cost benchmarking.
• Build a culture of accountability, collaboration, customer service, continuous improvement, and disciplined execution within IT.

Enterprise Applications, Infrastructure & Digital Transformation

• Oversee enterprise systems, infrastructure, applications, cloud services, collaboration tools, and end‑user technology across all regions.
• Develop and execute the roadmap for ERP, manufacturing systems, supply chain planning, finance systems, commercial platforms, EHS, quality, R&D/lab systems, and reporting tools.
• Drive modernization of legacy systems and enable automation, workflow…