Lead IT Strategy, Planning & Vendor Management

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

The Lead, IT Strategy, Planning & Vendor Management role is a senior individual contributor and people leader within the Office of the CIO (OCIO) who owns three of the most strategically important capabilities in the IT organization: long-range IT strategic planning, IT budget and financial governance, and strategic vendor relationship management.

This role sits at the intersection of business and technology — translating the CIO's vision into an actionable IT strategy, ensuring that every dollar invested in technology is governed with discipline, and building the supplier relationships that give Jacobs a competitive edge. You will work directly with the VP of OCIO and serve as a trusted partner to the CIO, CFO function, and key technology suppliers.

This is a new function within the OCIO, created as Jacobs accelerates its IT modernization and operating model maturity. The person in this role will build the practice from the ground up — establishing processes, governance frameworks, and team capabilities that will scale with the organization

Location: Remote in the United States. Can also be hybrid or onsite if you live close to a Jacobs office.

IT Strategy & Planning

• Lead the development, maintenance, and communication of the annual and multi-year IT Strategic Plan in alignment with Jacobs' enterprise business strategy and CIO priorities.
• Facilitate the IT investment prioritization process, ensuring technology initiatives are ranked, resourced, and governed against clear strategic criteria.
• Maintain and continuously improve the strategic roadmap, coordinating input across all IT towers to ensure a coherent, integrated technology direction.
• Produce the IT operating model documentation — defining how the it works, makes decisions, and governs its portfolio.
• Track and report on IT strategic plan execution, providing leadership with clear visibility into progress, risks, and adjustments needed.

IT Budget & Financial Management

• Own the OCIO operating and capital budget planning process — from initial submission through final approval and ongoing management.
• Develop and maintain IT cost transparency reporting, including cost-per-service, total cost of ownership (TCO), and unit economics across IT.
• Partner with Finance, Procurement, and IT leaders to ensure spend is aligned with approved strategy and governance thresholds.
• Design and maintain an IT benefits tracking framework to measure and report ROI on technology investments.
• Produce monthly and quarterly financial dashboards for the IT Leadership team and the CIO, highlighting variances, risks, and savings opportunities.
• Support business case development for major technology investments, ensuring financial models are rigorous and aligned with enterprise standards.

Strategic Vendor Management

• Build and manage strategic relationships with Jacobs' most critical technology suppliers.
• Develop and maintain a vendor strategy and ecosystem framework that distinguishes between strategic partners, preferred vendors, and transactional suppliers.
• Oversee major contract governance above the transactional level, ensuring supplier performance is measured against SLAs, strategic commitments, and value delivery expectations.
• Anticipate future technology procurement needs and lead proactive market engagement, RFI/RFP strategy, and supplier evaluation processes.
• Collaborate with Legal, Procurement, and ITAM on contract terms, renewal strategy, and license optimization.
• Represent Jacobs in strategic business reviews (QBRs/EBRs) with top-tier technology suppliers and ensure supplier roadmaps are incorporated into the IT strategic plan.

Leadership & Team Development

• Build and lead a small, high-impact team of analysts supporting strategy, planning, budget, and vendor management functions.
• Establish clear performance expectations, development plans, and career paths for direct reports.
• Serve as a thought leader and change agent within IT, role-modeling disciplined, data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Represent IT within senior leadership forums, presenting strategy, financials, and vendor performance with confidence and clarity.

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Business Administration, Finance, or related field.
• 10+ years of progressive IT experience, with at least 5 years in roles focused on IT strategy, portfolio management, IT financial management, or strategic sourcing/vendor management.
• Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining IT strategic plans at an enterprise level.
• Strong financial acumen — experience owning IT budgets of $50M+ and producing executive-ready cost transparency and ROI reporting.
• Proven track record managing strategic vendor relationships with major technology suppliers (ERP, cloud, managed services, or staffing).
• Experience in a large, matrixed, global organization with complex IT environments.
Exceptional executive communication skills and able to distill complex technology topics into clear, concise narratives for senior audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or Master's degree in a relevant field.
• Experience with IT governance frameworks (COBIT, ITIL, or equivalent).
• Familiarity with ServiceNow for ITSM, portfolio, or financial management modules.
• Background working with IT financial management or enterprise architecture tooling.
• Experience in engineering, professional services, or government-adjacent industries.
• Experience standing up a new IT capability or function from scratch.

Our health and welfare benefits are designed to invest in you, and in the things you care about. Your health. Your well-being. Your security. Your future. Employees have access to medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance, a 401(k) plan, and the ability to purchase company stock at a discount. Eligible employees may also enroll in a deferred compensation plan or the Executive Deferral Plan. Jacobs has an unlimited U.S. Personalized Paid Time Off (PPTO) policy for full-time salaried/exempt employees, seven paid holidays, and caregiver leave. And certain roles may be eligible for additional rewards, including merit increases, performance discretionary bonus, and stock.

The base salary range for this position is $160,000.00 to $190,000.00. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. Job posted on May 18, 2026. This position will be open for at least 3 days.

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