Executive Director, IT Applications

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, IT APPLICATIONS & DATA

Information Technology

Victoria or Vancouver Lower Mainland

BC Ferries is embarking on a bold, multi-year transformation of our technology and the way we work. This evolution is focused on strengthening the experience for both our customers and employees; while ensuring we continue to deliver safe, reliable, and affordable service—now and into the future.

As our vessels and terminals become increasingly connected, and we adopt modern platforms powered by advanced analytics and artificial intelligence, we're looking for forward-thinking leaders who are excited by what's possible. Leaders who not only embrace innovation, but who also know how to build, inspire, and empower teams to turn vision into reality.

If you thrive in complex, large-scale environments, enjoy driving enterprise-wide transformation, and are comfortable operating at the intersection of business strategy and technology delivery, this could be the opportunity you've been waiting for. Join us and play a meaningful role in shaping the future of coastal transportation—where the challenge is significant and the impact is lasting.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an exceptional senior technology leader to join us as Executive Director, IT Applications & Data. This is a high-impact role responsible for shaping and modernizing our enterprise applications while ensuring operational excellence across a diverse and mission-critical portfolio.

This is more than a systems leadership role. It is an opportunity to transform how technology delivers value across the organization. The Executive Director is accountable for a broad and complex portfolio including:

• Customer-facing websites and booking platforms
• Oracle ERP (HR & Finance)
• IBM Maximo CMMS
• Custom-built enterprise applications

 In this role, you will lead through a period of modernization — balancing stability and knowledge retention across legacy platforms with the strategic adoption of SaaS and cloud technologies and taking advantage of AI capabilities that can help accelerate work and improve overall quality.

This role requires a leader who can elevate engineering discipline, streamline delivery, optimize vendor partnerships, and strengthen organizational capability — all while keeping mission-critical systems running reliably.

We are looking for a leader who will champion software engineering discipline, improve delivery efficiency, cultivate strong vendor partnerships, and grow organizational capability while keeping mission-critical systems resilient and dependable.

At the heart of all this we want a leader who supports the team on upskilling through formal training and on the job learning, working to develop career pathways and foster a culture of collaboration and innovation.  

The Role

Reporting to the Vice President & Chief Information Officer, this role is integral to the achievement of company objectives, and you contribute value through key areas of oversight such as:

• Leading the enterprise applications and data portfolio, overseeing ERP, CMMS (IBM Maximo), web and booking platforms, custom-built solutions, and data/BI systems, ensuring security, stability, business alignment, and a clear roadmap toward modernization;
• Maturing foundational software engineering disciplines, including environment management, source/code control, testing and automation, and release/change management, while driving scaled agile adoption, metrics-driven delivery, and continuous process improvement;
• Advancing DevOps and automation practices by strengthening CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, monitoring, and incident response, and standardizing ways of working across applications and data teams to enable speed, stability, and efficiency;
• Balancing legacy stability and modernization by sustaining ERP, Maximo, custom-built applications, and legacy BI platforms, managing technical debt, guiding SaaS and cloud adoption, and implementing transition strategies that enable teams to support both legacy and modern environments;
• Building and executing SaaS, cloud, and data modernization roadmaps, overseeing governance, integration, and security of third-party solutions, and evolving traditional BI capabilities into scalable data engineering platforms;
• Assessing and optimizing the IT organizational structure, delivery model, and operating processes, implementing changes that streamline operations, strengthen accountability, and align people, processes, and tools with future-state objectives;
• Partnering with the Vendor Management Office to shaping vendor strategy, managing contracts and performance frameworks, optimizing commercial outcomes, and introducing governance models that drive accountability and service excellence across third-party providers;
• Strengthening workforce engagement and cross-training by building resilience across legacy and modern platforms, preserving institutional knowledge, developing new SaaS, cloud, and data engineering capabilities, and fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous learning;
• Serving as a trusted business partner, co-creating solutions aligned to organizational priorities, shifting IT toward business-driven outcomes, and partnering with Finance, HR, Operations, and Asset Management to deliver integrated enterprise value;
• Providing disciplined financial stewardship by managing a $15M+ annual budget, driving efficiency through process improvement and vendor optimization, and balancing legacy sustainment with strategic modernization investments;

What you bring to the team

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field. Master's degree preferred
• 12+ years of progressive IT leadership across enterprise applications, ERP, CMMS, and data/analytics

Join us

If this sounds like your next great career move, please submit your resume and cover letter online.

This posting will remain open until the position is filled. We anticipate conducting interviews in early April.

Additional Information

The target salary range: $203,500 - $254,400 per annum. The starting salary is determined based on the successful candidate's knowledge and experience, and on internal equity.

"We connect communities and customers to people and places important in their lives."

At BC Ferries, our employees are our most important assets in delivering our commitment to customer safety, service, and satisfaction. We support employment equity and diversity in the workplace, and we encourage applications from all qualified individuals including women, visible minorities, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, persons of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity or expression (LGBTQ2S+), and others who reflect our ever-changing workplace.

We appreciate the interest of all applicants; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.