Chief Technology Officer

*Onsite Position - Operations Center - Horsham, PA*

Provide strategic and operational leadership across Firstrust Bank's technology delivery and digital transformation functions. This role has broad and intentional scope, encompassing four distinct functional pillars: a newly established Project Management & Governance (PMO) function, Digital Experience (data & integrations, platform development, and online banking), Network Operations & Reporting, and Systems Support. As a direct report to the Chief Operating Officer and a member of senior leadership, the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) is accountable for both keeping Firstrust's technology infrastructure reliable, current and secure, and for driving the digital transformation agenda.

This is a role with two distinct and equally important dimensions: the operational - ensuring day-to-day technology delivery across an established, functioning team - and the transformational - building new organizational capabilities, the ongoing work of simplifying and improving the Bank's technology solutions, and providing executive-level accountability for platform programs. Central to both dimensions is building the institutional infrastructure for responsible AI adoption: starting with readiness - the data foundation, vendor governance, and evaluation discipline required to assess AI tools and AI agents responsibly - and extending over time to the deliberate, business-value-driven use of AI at scale, always within the constraints appropriate to a regulated financial institution.

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Project Management & Governance

• Establish, staff, and lead the Bank's new Project Management Office - a function that does not currently exist at this scale. An initial team of project managers and business analysts will be recruited as part of this build; the CTO will define the team's structure, hiring profile, and operating model in partnership with the COO.
• Design and implement a governance model that produces agreed, aligned project prioritization across business units and technology teams - transparent, dynamic, and directly tied to objectives. This includes defining intake processes, prioritization criteria, escalation paths, and executive reporting cadence.
• Oversee the end-to-end project lifecycle for all technology initiatives: planning, execution, risk and dependency management, scope control, budget tracking, and delivery. Establish consistent standards, tools, and reporting frameworks across the portfolio.
• Develop and maintain portfolio-level reporting for the COO and executive leadership, providing timely visibility into project status, resource constraints, budget performance, and strategic alignment.
• Evaluate and develop a roadmap for the long-term scope of the PMO - including whether enterprise-wide (non-technology) project governance is within its eventual mandate - in partnership with the COO and executive leadership.

Digital Experience & Platform Strategy

The Digital Experience team is an existing, functioning organization encompassing three sub-domains. The CTO's mandate is to provide executive-level oversight, elevate strategic alignment, and ensure delivery discipline and outcomes - particularly for the Bank's most consequential platform programs.

• Provide executive oversight of the Digital Experience function and its three domains: Data & Integrations, Platform Development/Salesforce, and Online Banking. Ensure the team is appropriately resourced, well-led, and delivering against both operational commitments and strategic transformation objectives.
• Drive value realization from the Bank's most significant platform investments - particularly FirstCLASS (Salesforce) and the Commercial Loan Transformation - ensuring adoption, cross-system integration, and measurable improvements in efficiency, effectiveness, and customer experience are achieved and sustained.
• Oversee the maturation of the Bank's data and integrations capabilities, ensuring data infrastructure is structured, governed, and current enough to serve as a reliable foundation for analytics, reporting, and AI evaluation and use.
• Oversee effective digital transformation and process automation initiatives across customer-facing and operational workflows, with explicit focus on embracing the future of financial services through platform experiences, data, and integrations.
• Identify, evaluate, and manage strategic FinTech partnerships that extend the Bank's capabilities in areas including AI, payments, analytics, and platform experiences. This could be in collaboration with our Hatch subsidiary or with Verde Technology Ventures.
• Ensure online banking platforms remain competitive, stable, and compliant, and that digital channel investments are aligned with customer expectations and the Bank's strategic direction.

AI Readiness & Business Value

Firstrust's AI strategy is one of intentional, business-value-driven adoption - not experimentation for its own sake. The CTO is the organizational owner of this agenda: building the infrastructure, governance, and evaluation discipline that allows the Bank to move deliberately as AI tools - including agents - mature, and over time using AI to deliver measurable business value in areas such as efficiency, risk reduction, and customer experience. The immediate work is foundational; the mandate extends to realized value as that foundation matures.

• Develop and maintain the Bank's AI readiness framework: the data quality standards, vendor evaluation criteria, risk governance processes, and organizational capabilities required to assess AI tools and AI agents at scale before adoption decisions are made.
• Ensure the Bank's data infrastructure - particularly within the Data & Integrations domain - meets the structural and governance requirements that responsible AI evaluation and use demand: clean, connected, well-governed data is the prerequisite for any value realized downstream.
• Evaluate AI capabilities emerging from the Bank's existing strategic vendor relationships - including Microsoft, Salesforce, Vikar, and Q2 - with a disciplined lens on regulatory compliance, data privacy, auditability, and demonstrable business value; maintain a clear log of what has been evaluated, on what criteria, and with what conclusion.
• As readiness infrastructure matures, identify and prioritize specific use cases where AI can deliver measurable business value - efficiency gains, risk reduction, improved customer experience, or operational cost savings - and oversee responsible deployment, with clear success metrics and post-deployment review.
• Establish and maintain the regulatory and risk governance framework within which AI evaluation, adoption, and ongoing use occurs - including model risk considerations, third-party AI vendor oversight, and alignment with FDIC and applicable interagency guidance as it evolves.
• Act as the executive point of accountability for the Bank's AI posture - able to represent to the COO, Board, and examiners what the Bank is doing with AI, what value has been realized or is being pursued, what has been assessed and declined, and why.
• Monitor the AI and emerging technology landscape on behalf of the Bank; maintain a current, unbiased view of what is genuinely production-ready versus early-stage, and advise executive leadership accordingly. Separate signal from noise.

Technology Delivery - Network Operations, Reporting & Systems Support

The Network Operations & Reporting and Systems Support/Tech Support teams are established, functioning organizations. The CTO provides executive oversight, ensures continued operational reliability, and identifies opportunities for improvement - while enabling these leaders to manage day-to-day operations with appropriate autonomy.

• Maintain and strengthen the Bank's technology infrastructure - including network operations, systems reliability, reporting infrastructure, and end-user technical support - ensuring performance, availability, and security standards are consistently met across all Bank locations and platforms.
• Ensure technology operations are aligned with the Bank's risk management expectations, including appropriate controls, redundancy, change management discipline, and incident response protocols.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and service quality within operational technology through automation, tooling upgrades, and process improvement; balance optimization of existing capabilities with thoughtful evaluation of net-new investment.
• Establish and maintain operational technology KPIs and management reporting that provide the COO and senior leadership with clear, actionable visibility into infrastructure health, service levels, and operational risk posture.

Strategic Leadership

• Serve as the Bank's senior technology executive and a primary member of the leadership team, accountable for partnering with the COO and executive peers to develop, maintain, and communicate the Bank's technology roadmap. Ensure the roadmap reflects both operational imperatives and strategic transformation priorities and can be explained clearly to non-technical stakeholders, including Board members.

• Build and sustain a culture within the technology function that values delivery accountability, innovation, continuous improvement, and collaboration with the business lines the function serves.

Team Leadership & Organizational Development

• Recruit, develop, and retain leadership across four functional teams; ensure direct reports have clearly defined accountabilities, sufficient authority, and the professional support they need to lead and grow.
• Build organizational capacity within the PMO from the ground up: hire and develop an initial team of project managers and business analysts, establish operating norms, and create a function that earns enterprise-wide trust through consistent delivery and clear communication.
• Develop a workforce strategy for the technology function that anticipates future skill needs in areas including AI and data engineering, data access and governance, digital platform architecture, and project governance and delivery.
• Develop and execute departmental strategic plans and goals in alignment with the Bank's overall strategic direction; report progress regularly to the COO.

Stakeholder Engagement & Governance

• Ensure technology investment decisions are clearly understood, actively governed, and aligned with business priorities.
• Engage with vendors, technology partners, and FinTech organizations to evaluate and negotiate strategic relationships; maintain a current market perspective on technology trends relevant to community and regional banking.
• Collaborate with Operational Risk, Compliance, Legal, and Finance functions to ensure technology delivery practices meet regulatory expectations, internal risk standards, and budgetary disciplines.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement across technology and business functions; serve as a constructive bridge between technical teams and business leadership.

OTHER JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assists in the development of new business for Firstrust. Is alert to expressed customer/prospect needs to suggest appropriate services. Directs customers to appropriate person to establish business relationships.

• Other duties as assigned.

PHYSICAL AND SENSORY REQUIREMENTS:

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Regularly required to drive a motor vehicle, occasional air travel, attending meetings at various venues, including but not limited to customers' offices and/or properties, restaurants and other meeting locations, and ascend/descend stairs and or ladders occasionally to perform inspections.
• The employee may be required to lift files/materials up to 20 pounds to take to various locations.
• The incumbent will be expected to operate a computer terminal.
• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer

POTENITAL ON-THE-JOB-RISKS:

• None identified.

EDUCATION, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business, or a related field; advanced degree (MBA or equivalent) preferred.
• Minimum 15 years of progressive experience in technology leadership, with at least 8 years in a senior role with direct accountability for technology strategy, delivery, and operational infrastructure in a regulated industry (financial services, healthcare, insurance, utilities, or similar environment subject to material regulatory oversight and examination).
• Demonstrated track record of leading digital transformation programs in a regulated environment - including platform implementations, process automation, and data/analytics initiatives - with measurable, documented outcomes.
• Direct experience establishing, scaling, or leading a project governance or PMO function; demonstrated ability to design and operate portfolio-level delivery disciplines that earn cross-functional trust and produce real prioritization clarity.
• Working familiarity with major CRM, ERP, or industry-specific platform ecosystems; ability to hold vendors and implementation partners accountable to outcomes, not just activity. Salesforce experience is a significant advantage given the Bank's FirstCLASS program.
• Demonstrated, practical engagement with AI and emerging technology - including experience building or participating in AI evaluation governance, vendor AI capability assessment, or responsible AI adoption and value realization in a regulated context. Candidates should be able to articulate a specific and grounded view of what AI readiness and AI value mean in practice, not just a general familiarity with the technology landscape.
• Proven ability to lead and develop large, multi-disciplinary technology teams spanning operational infrastructure (network, systems, support) and strategic program delivery in a relationship-driven, mission-driven environment.
• Strong executive communication skills; demonstrated ability to translate complex technology topics for senior leadership, Board members, and non-technical business stakeholders.

Preferred

• Experience in banking or financial services technology specifically, with familiarity with FDIC regulatory expectations for technology risk management, third-party oversight, and technology-related examination requirements.
• Experience evaluating, procuring, or managing FinTech partnerships in a banking or financial services context.
• Exposure to enterprise risk frameworks including technology risk, vendor/third-party risk, and cybersecurity coordination in a regulated environment.
• Experience leading technology organizations through significant change - including post-acquisition integration, core system migration, or organizational restructuring.

WORK SCHEDULE:

• In office 4 days per week and as needed