Sr Director - Head of Planning and Execution

Synopsis of the Role

As the Head of Planning and Execution (P&E) in the Technology team, you will report directly to the Canada CTO. You will lead the P&E function, responsible for establishing and executing the governance and control framework across the technology portfolio for the Canadian Technology team as part of the wider Equifax global organization. You will serve as a strategic partner to Technology leadership, driving financial discipline, operational transparency, and delivery excellence across the function.

What You’ll Do

1. Drive Agile Practices & Team Productivity

• Identify, define, and track metrics to measure team productivity, leading regular reviews with Technology leadership to enhance overall output and time-to-market.

• Champion Agile practices to drive productivity across several tech teams, working collaboratively with application leaders to ensure continuous improvement.

• Monitor productivity trends to identify leading indicators and proactively alert leadership to potential bottlenecks or challenges to delivery.

• Manage workforce planning by analyzing and optimizing capacity, matching demand with resource availability across teams and geographies to support operational goals.

2. Drive Strategic Execution & Alignment

• Drive the execution of strategic tech initiatives by proactively uncovering and removing roadblocks on delivery.

• Ensure seamless alignment across critical intersections:

  • Product = Tech: Partner with leadership on scope and roadmap to execute strategic cross-functional initiatives.

  • Local = Global: Collaborate with global counterparts to adopt best practices, promoting knowledge sharing and alignment with the wider global organization.

  • EFX = Vendor: Drive alignment between Equifax strategic goals and vendor capabilities.

• Work closely with teams spanning architecture, engineering, security, audit, and compliance to deliver complex transformation initiatives.

3. Financial Acumen & Cost Optimization

• Utilize strong financial acumen to uncover opportunities to optimize our cost structure, specifically regarding people costs in Tech (e.g., FTE-to-contractor and onshore/offshore ratios).

• Partner with Corporate functions (Finance, HR, Procurement) and vendors to drive cost efficiencies and resolve complex challenges regarding workforce and supplier management.

• Build business cases to secure funding and acquire the right resources in a timely fashion to execute strategic initiatives.

• Lead efficiency initiatives, vendor consolidation, and contract management to find and deliver cost savings.

• Oversee technology budget planning and forecasting, tracking "run vs. change" spend and capital vs. operating allocations.

4. Team Leadership & Talent Management

• Drive and manage the performance of the team, providing coaching, recognizing individual strengths, and arranging assignments to address development needs.

• Understand talent requirements by working with Technology leadership to proactively identify talent internally (onshore and offshore) and externally.

What Experience You Need

• 8–10 years of business experience with a proven track record in Technology Business Management, Workforce Planning, or IT Finance.

• Strong financial background with the ability to build business cases, manage budgets, and optimize cost structures regarding people and vendor costs.

• Experience driving execution on tech initiatives and removing roadblocks across complex, cross-functional environments.

• Expertise in leading efficiency initiatives, vendor consolidation, and contract negotiations.

• Experience partnering with Corporate functions (Finance/Procurement) and Application Leaders to drive alignment.

What could set you apart​

• A background in Finance or Accounting is highly desirable to drive the required cost optimization.

• Agile or Scrum certification is strongly preferred to drive the productivity mandates of this role.

• Cloud Certification and bilingualism (English and French) are considered assets.

The ability to demonstrate our Success Profile Key Skills as follows:

• Analytical Thinking - Has an inquisitive mindset and continually looks for opportunities to ensure best in class solutions in the marketplace; Plans and optimizes resources within teams in order to maximize results and achieve desired performance; Leverage analytical thinking skills to solve complex problems within processes and help their teams minimize risks.

• Business Partnership and Consulting - Cross functional collaboration and negotiation; Ability to demonstrate value; Mentor, coach and build relationships; Serving as a liaison between product management, development and operations teams; Demonstrated ability to handle conflict management and resolution.

• Execution - Drive adherence to agile best practices and enforce the use of planning and delivery tools and artifacts that sustain and excel delivery accuracy and velocity; Demonstrates the discipline of planning, organizing and managing resources and activities to achieve specified outcomes within a clearly defined timeframe and standards; Ability to manage geographically distributed and culturally diverse work-groups with strong team management, leadership and coaching skills; Facilitates segment level processes and execution, drives continuous development, manages risks and escalates.

• Strategic Planning - Oversee the fulfillment of larger organizational goals and ensures the delivery plans of your team are aligned to Equifax's strategic goals; Drives delivery plans within the Tribe or Segment ensuring that plans identify risks and outline mitigation plans, and handling budget strategies; Facilitate cross alliance, tribe, squad, and/or team risk and issue management

• Technical Communication / Presentation - Articulates complex messages and the impacts to stakeholders to build support and agreement; Demonstrates strong written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to tailor to specific audiences;  Work with others to achieve results and proactively address sources of conflict and emotion with focus on the best solution for Equifax.

This is a newly created position

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