Vice President of IT

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

Larson is seeking a Vice President of Information Technology to lead technology strategy and execution across the organization and its affiliates. This role serves as a technology advisor to the Executive Leadership Team — providing research, recommendations, and strategic input — while directly facilitating execution through the Director of IT, Business Relationship Managers, and broader IT organization.

We're looking for a visionary executor: a leader who has set technology strategy at a senior level, can set direction for a multi-affiliate technology function, and reads the moment when personal execution is needed — testing a new tool, digging into a hard problem alongside the team, or stepping in when speed matters more than delegation. Experience leading technology through M&A integration is a strong plus. Financial services or RIA experience preferred given the regulatory environment.

Responsibilities:

Strategy & Advisory

• Develop the enterprise technology roadmap across Larson.
• Provide research, recommendations, and technology guidance to the Executive Leadership Team.
• Evaluate emerging technologies (AI, automation, analytics) and personally test or pilot platforms before recommending broader adoption.
• Facilitate AI infrastructure and governance strategy across the organization, partnering with the AI Engineer and business units to ensure tools are adopted securely and consistently.

Affiliate & Organizational Leadership

• Lead technology strategy and standards across all affiliates, working through the Director of IT and affiliate-aligned Business Relationship Managers.
• Meet regularly with the presidents of each affiliate to understand their technology needs, audit progress against the roadmap, and confirm priorities are still aligned.
• Evaluate technology decisions across affiliates holistically — ensuring a solution adopted by one business unit is considered in the context of the others.
• Ensure consistent infrastructure, security, and systems standards across the affiliate structure.
• Directly manage the Director of IT and maintain visibility into each affiliate's technology needs and performance.

M&A Technology Leadership

• Facilitate technology due diligence, planning, and integration for all mergers and acquisitions.
• Lead the technical assessment of prospective acquisitions and build integration plans that minimize disruption to employees and clients.
• Standardize systems and security controls as new offices and affiliates come online.

Security & Compliance

• Facilitate the firm's cybersecurity program — monitoring, incident response, disaster recovery, and employee awareness — through the IT Ops & Security team.
• Ensure compliance with SEC, FINRA, and applicable privacy and cybersecurity frameworks (NIST, CIS Controls).
• Partner with compliance and legal on audits and regulatory exams.

Hands-On Execution

• Personally lead or contribute to key technical projects — system implementations, integrations, and troubleshooting as needed.
• Stay closely involved with core enterprise platforms (CRM, financial planning, portfolio management, document management) alongside the team.
• Step in as an individual contributor on high-priority or high-complexity issues.
• Partner closely with the AI, Data and CRM functions to ensure tools are adopted effectively and securely.

Team & Vendor Management

• Develop and manage the IT budget and capital planning.
• Facilitate strategic vendor relationships and contract negotiations.
• Support the development of the Director of IT and the broader technology team.

Additional Responsibilities

• Technology needs at a growing, multi-affiliate organization don't always fit neatly into a job description. This role is expected to flex as those needs evolve — taking on other duties as assigned to ensure the organization's technology goals are met.

• 10+ years of progressive IT leadership experience, including 5+ years in a senior leadership role with executive level visibility.
• Proven experience developing and executing enterprise technology strategy across multiple business units or affiliated organizations.
• Demonstrated success leading technology due diligence, integration, and transformation through mergers, acquisitions, or organizational change.
• Strong background in cybersecurity, IT infrastructure, cloud technologies, and enterprise applications.
• Experience operating within regulated industries; financial services, wealth management, or RIA experience preferred.
• Track record of managing IT budgets, vendor relationships, and technology investments.
• Ability to communicate effectively with executive leadership and influence business strategy.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field required; Master's degree preferred.