Head of IT Transformation and Portfolio Management

Do You want to Build a Career with Responsible Impact?

Do you want to shape the digital future of a global industry leader? Are you ready to take on a high-impact leadership role that drives transformation at scale?

At Hempel, we are on an ambitious growth journey—leveraging automation, digitalisation, and sustainability to revolutionise how we operate and serve our customers worldwide. With strong backing from a leading private equity investor, we are investing heavily in our digital capabilities, and we need a strategic leader to guide this transformation.

As our Head of Digital Transformation & Portfolio Management, you will play a pivotal role in defining and executing our digital strategy. Reporting directly to the EVP of Digital, Strategy & Transformation, you will drive strategic initiatives, oversee digital governance, and ensure that our digital transformation delivers tangible business impact. This is a senior leadership role requiring both strategic foresight and hands-on execution, working closely with stakeholders across the organisation to embed digital excellence at the core of our business.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Shape and drive Hempel’s global Digital & IT strategy, ensuring alignment with overall business priorities and long-term growth objectives.

• Lead and govern the Digital & IT project portfolio, ensuring strategic prioritisation, visibility, and measurable value creation.

• Steer large-scale digital transformation programmes, fostering innovation and operational excellence within the Digital function.

• Oversee IT governance, risk management, and compliance, ensuring adherence to evolving regulations and internal policies.

• Embed an outcome-driven culture, holding teams accountable for impact rather than just activity.

• Develop and optimise the digital operating model, ensuring alignment between digital initiatives and business strategy.

• Drive stakeholder engagement and leadership alignment, ensuring transparency, collaboration, and shared accountability for transformation success.

• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, championing digital adoption, process excellence, and cross-functional collaboration.

• Lead financial planning for digital transformation, ensuring cost efficiency and strategic investment in technology.

What We’re Looking For

As a key member of our Digital leadership team, you will bring a strategic mindset and the ability to drive complex transformation at scale. You will work across business units, influence senior stakeholders, and create alignment in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

• Proven leadership experience in digital transformation, IT strategy, or portfolio management, ideally within a PE-backed or transformation-intensive environment.

• Ability to lead through change, navigating ambiguity and driving execution with confidence.

• Strong business acumen, with the ability to translate digital initiatives into tangible business outcomes.

• Deep expertise in digital technologies, IT governance, and regulatory landscapes.

• Exceptional influencing and communication skills, with experience engaging at C-level and across global teams.

• A decisive, outcome-oriented leader, who takes ownership and drives accountability at all levels.

• Fluency in English, with the ability to communicate complex digital concepts to non-technical audiences.

Does this sound like a match? Welcome to apply! Click the ‘Apply for position’ button in the top-right corner and submit your application letter with a CV in English via our recruitment system. Final deadline for applications is 20 April 2025. For further information about the job, please contact Abbie Zhou – abz@hempel.com

Global career possibilities

At Hempel, we offer a variety of global career possibilities and many cross-functional and cross-cultural working relationships. We strive to create the right conditions for personal and professional development.

Join a global company where employees are truly passionate about delivering the best in everything they do. With business in mind and people at heart, we always work together to influence our road ahead. We want you to be part of our growth journey and of a great global family.