Director, Strategic Partner Solutions

Category/Area of Expertise: IT & Technology
Job Requisition: 479552
Address: USA-NC-Salisbury-2085 Harrison Road
Store Code: IT Executive Administration (2760754)
Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of global food retailer Ahold Delhaize, is part of the U.S. family of brands, which includes five leading omnichannel grocery brands - Food Lion, Giant Food, The GIANT Company, Hannaford and Stop & Shop. Our associates support the brands with a wide range of services, including Finance, Legal, Sustainability, Commercial, Digital and E-commerce, Technology and more.
Primary Purpose
This position is a primary strategic driver, advisor on Ahold Delhaize's technology agenda on a small number of high‑value innovative bets and converting into measurable business outcomes across ADUSA. This role aligns strategy, platforms, partners, and funding so that innovation in AI, data, automation, and collaboration directly impacts growth, margin expansion, shrink reduction, and better customer and associate experiences.
Our flexible/ hybrid work schedule includes 3 in-person days in our Chicago office and 2 remote days.
Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.
Duties & Responsibilities

• Acts as principal advisor to translate technology vision into a clear, executable portfolio of initiatives, Partners with technology leadership team on the Future Technology & Platforms Agenda (3-5 big bets) that underpins omnichannel growth, real‑time store and supply‑chain operations, and deeply personalized customer engagement. Immediate focus on:
  • Omnichannel and loyalty (e.g., 360° customer insight, marketing effectiveness and LTV, loyalty‑driven personalization).
  • Store and operations (e.g., real‑time store dashboards, sensor‑driven in‑store optimization, contactless checkout, inventory reliability).
• Shape and steward a focused set of enterprise platforms (AI & data, M365 collaboration, smart store and supply‑chain automation) as shared assets, not siloed tools.
• Ensure the data and AI foundation supports key grocery scenarios: real‑time store operations monitoring, supply‑chain and inventory sensing, 360° customer view and personalization, fraud and loss prevention, and smart connected store/IoT.
• Drive pilot completion by enforcing timely decisions to scale, pivot, or stop, with explicit value tracking in areas like sales uplift, margin, shrink, and NPS.
• Design and run quarterly technology strategy reviews and joint forums with Finance, Supply Chain, Digital, and Store Operations to prioritize the highest‑value scenarios (e.g., click & collect/BOPIS, online basket with offline fulfillment, MFC‑enabled delivery).
• Act as executive partner for key platform ecosystems (e.g., Microsoft and core cloud/AI partners), ensuring contracts, co‑innovation, and roadmaps reinforce Ahold Delhaize's long‑term leverage in data, security, and omnichannel capabilities.
• Curate a focused partner and startup ecosystem around priority grocery scenarios (e.g., fraud and loss anomaly detection, path‑to‑purchase attribution, post‑purchase engagement), with clear value, integration, and exit criteria.
• Champion secure, governed use of large‑scale data platforms by driving standards for data governance, RBAC, labeling, and auditability across POS, IoT, and loyalty data.
• Partner with security, risk, and compliance teams to address top challenges: secure hybrid connectivity between stores and cloud, PCI segmentation, real‑time data pipelines for operations and shrink, and safe integration of legacy retail applications.
• Craft and socialize a compelling narrative for how Ahold Delhaize's data and platforms enable omnichannel journeys end‑to‑end: discovery, path‑to‑purchase, click & collect, in‑store digital experience, delivery, and post‑purchase engagement.
• Convert contracts into outcomes: Tie Microsoft, cloud, data, and SaaS investments to a small set of P&L‑relevant scenarios (growth, margin, shrink, labor, working capital), each with clear value owners and KPIs.
• Prioritize adoption and reuse of already‑owned capabilities (M365, data, AI, security, automation) before approving new spending, increasing value per dollar and reducing duplicate point solutions across ADUSA.
• Engineer commercial leverage with vendors: Align roadmaps, co‑innovation, and funding with Ahold Delhaize's highest‑value use cases (omnichannel fulfillment, inventory reliability, personalization, loss prevention), rather than generic feature delivery.
• Instrument value realization end-to-end: Track license utilization, feature adoption, and business impact in the same operating rhythm as financial reviews - ensuring technology spend is continuously optimized, not renegotiated once every few years.Redirect savings from under‑utilized licenses and redundant tools into high-return bets in AI, automation, and data platforms that directly improve customer experience and operating efficiency.
• Develop and communicate IT strategies aligned with corporate vision.
• Manage large contracts, budgets, capital investments, and vendor relationships at a strategic level.

Qualifications

• Enterprise‑minded technology leader with credibility at CEO/CFO/CIO level and depth in AI, data platforms, security, and digital grocery retail.
• Proven ability to align diverse stakeholders, negotiate with major technology vendors, and turn grocery‑specific scenarios (omnichannel, smart store, inventory, fraud/loss, and personalization) into visible, P&L‑relevant wins in a complex, multi‑company organization
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft suite of platforms and leveraging them to drive enterprise-wide innovative solutions and use of artificial intelligence
• Familiarity with responsible AI principles, bias mitigation, and governance frameworks.
• 12+ years of progressive Tech leadership experience
• 5+ years of progressive leadership experience leading diverse teams
• Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or related field and/or equivalent experience
• Demonstrated success in strategic planning and execution.
• Strong financial acumen, managing large budgets, problem solving, and decision-making skills.
• Excellent persuasion, negotiation, presentation, written and verbal communication skills
• Strong leadership, collaboration, and team-building capabilities.
• Strong communication and executive presence with the ability to align senior stakeholders and translate business goals into technology outcomes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in IT, Business Administration, or related field preferred.
• Executive certifications such as CISM, CISSP, or MBA.
• Proven track record in digital innovation and enterprise architecture.

At Ahold Delhaize USA, we provide services to one of the largest portfolios of grocery companies in the nation, and we're actively seeking top talent.
Our team shares a common motivation to drive change, take ownership and enable our brands to better care for their customers. We thrive on supporting great local grocery brands and their strategies.
Our associates are the heartbeat of our organization. We are committed to offering a welcoming work environment where all associates can succeed and thrive. Guided by our values of courage, care, teamwork, integrity (and even a little humor), we are dedicated to being a great place to work.
We believe in collaboration, curiosity, and continuous learning in all that we think, create and do. While building a culture where personal and professional growth are just as important as business growth, we invest in our people, empowering them to learn, grow and deliver at all levels of the business.