Objective:
Cantiro is an award winning, integrated real estate company, with operating entities in land development, home building, commercial property development, and residential rental projects. We currently have over 50 active companies involved in various stages of development across Alberta, BC, and Ontario.
Cantiro has moved beyond the initial phase of its digital transformation, with core enterprise platforms including Sage Intacct, Hyphen HomeFront, BuildPro, HomeFront Sales, and Salesforce now in place.
Reporting to the Executive Vice President, Finance, the Director, Information Technology is the senior most technology leader at Cantiro and is accountable for the strategy, security, performance, and continued evolution of the systems the business operates on. This role will lead a team of four and oversee Cantiro's relationship with its Managed Service Provider.
The Director, Information Technology will lead the next stage of Cantiro's digital transformation by focusing on integrating systems, strengthening governance, improving data and reporting, automating manual processes, and responsibly introducing artificial intelligence into the way Cantiro estimates, schedules, sells, reports, and serves its homeowners.
This is a business leadership role that happens to sit within technology. The successful candidate will work closely with Executive leadership and teams across the organization to ensure technology investments support business objectives, improve efficiency, protect the organization from risk, and generate measurable value.
Role and Responsibilities
IT Strategy and Digital Transformation
- Develop and continuously refresh Cantiro's IT strategy and technology roadmap in alignment with the Company's growth plan, development pipeline, and business objectives.
- Identify and prioritize opportunities to digitize, automate, or eliminate manual processes across departments and develop business cases for technology investments.
- Lead technology change management, including stakeholder engagement, process redesign, training, adoption tracking, and benefits realization.
- Maintain an enterprise application portfolio and identify opportunities to rationalize overlapping or underused technology.
- Monitor construction technology, proptech, and emerging technology developments and provide recommendations to Executive leadership.
Enterprise Systems and ERP Ownership
- Serve as the accountable owner for Cantiro's enterprise platform ecosystem and oversee the integration architecture between core platforms.
- Establish and enforce master data governance and ensure clear ownership and sources of truth across business areas.
- Govern system configuration, release management, testing, and user access across enterprise platforms.
- Ensure system changes are appropriately documented, tested, and approved before being implemented.
- Manage relationships, contracts, service levels, renewals, and value for spend reviews with software providers.
- Lead the selection, implementation, and maintenance lifecycle for new enterprise software from requirements gathering through post implementation review.
Artificial Intelligence and Data
- Develop and own Cantiro's AI strategy and use case pipeline, identifying, assessing, prioritizing, and piloting opportunities that provide measurable business value.
- Identify practical, high return applications of AI and automation relevant to the residential development and home building industry.
- Establish and maintain an AI governance framework covering acceptable use, data classification, privacy, human oversight, vendor and model due diligence, and AI tools used throughout the organization.
- Ensure AI and automation practices comply with applicable regulatory requirements and organizational guidelines.
- Lead the development of organizational AI literacy through training, practical guidance, and support for internal AI champions.
Cybersecurity, Risk and Business Continuity
- Work with Cantiro's Managed Service Provider to oversee cybersecurity posture and program, including policies, controls, monitoring, patching, identity and access management, and multi factor authentication.
- Ensure disaster recovery and business continuity plans are maintained for critical business platforms.
- Maintain the technology cyber risk register and coordinate periodic third party assessments and penetration testing.
- Support cyber insurance applications and renewals as required.
- Report technology risks and recommendations to Executive leadership in clear business language.
Managed Service Provider and Vendor Management
- Act as the primary point of accountability for the Managed Service Provider relationship.
- Define service scope, service levels, escalation paths, and the responsibilities of the Managed Service Provider and internal IT team.
- Monitor Managed Service Provider performance against agreed metrics and service levels.
- Conduct regular service reviews and escalate issues as required.
- Periodically assess the Managed Service Provider arrangement against the market and provide recommendations regarding continuation, renegotiation, or replacement.
- Negotiate contracts, statements of work, and major technology purchases while monitoring delivery against schedule and budget.
Team Leadership
- Lead, coach, and develop the IT team by establishing clear objectives, providing regular feedback, and completing formal performance reviews.
- Structure the IT team to balance day to day support with project delivery while protecting capacity for strategic initiatives.
- Build depth and cross coverage across core platforms to reduce reliance on individual team members.
- Create individual development plans, including certification and training pathways, and support career progression.
- Foster a service oriented culture that is responsive to the business and focused on delivering against the Company's technology roadmap.
Financial and Project Stewardship
- Prepare, manage, and oversee the annual IT operating and capital budgets in partnership with Finance.
- Report on budget variances and technology spending.
- Provide performance reporting on technology projects, including cost forecasts, schedule updates, and return on investment.
- Ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, and within budget, with clearly defined business sponsors and success criteria.
- Maintain and report key project indicators to Executive leadership.
- Manage software licensing and subscription spend and identify opportunities to eliminate unused or unnecessary entitlements.
Business Partnership
- Act as the primary technology liaison between Executive leadership and the business.
- Build strong working relationships across departments and develop an understanding of business processes sufficient to identify and challenge opportunities for improvement.
- Translate operational needs into technology solutions and communicate technology constraints and considerations in clear business language.
- Establish service standards for internal technology support and measure satisfaction against those standards.
Qualifications and Education Requirements/preferred skills/experience
- Degree or diploma in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Management Information Systems, Business Administration, or a related field. Equivalent experience will be considered.
- 10 or more years of progressive experience in Information Technology, including 5 or more years leading teams in a management or Director level role.
- Demonstrated experience owning and managing an enterprise application portfolio, including at least one full ERP or major system implementation from selection through stabilization.
- Experience in real estate development, homebuilding, construction, or another project and asset based industry is strongly preferred.
- Direct experience with Sage Intacct, Hyphen Solutions products including HomeFront, BuildPro, and HomeFront Sales, or Salesforce is considered a significant asset.
- Experience integrating a finance ERP with an operational system of record is essential.
- Demonstrated experience managing an outsourced Managed Service Provider or comparable third party IT service arrangement.
- Practical, hands on experience deploying AI or advanced automation in a business environment, together with an understanding of associated governance, privacy, and risk considerations.
- Experience managing an IT budget, including vendor negotiation and contract management.
- Relevant certifications such as PMP or a recognized AI governance credential are considered an asset.
- Strategic thinking paired with a willingness to remain close to the detail. This is a working leadership role within an organization of Cantiro's size.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present credibly to Executive leadership and explain technical trade offs without unnecessary jargon.
- Strong analytical and problem solving skills, including the ability to interrogate data and challenge assumptions.
- Sound judgment across varying levels of complexity, ambiguity, and risk, with the confidence to make decisions using available information.
- Proven ability to identify, assess, and manage risk while continuing to meet objectives.
- Strong conflict management and resolution skills, including the ability to work effectively with vendors and across business units.
- Strong vendor negotiation and relationship management skills.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft 365, Azure identity and security tooling, and modern reporting and integration platforms.
- High attention to detail, strong organizational discipline, and demonstrated follow through on commitments.
- Genuine curiosity about emerging technology, balanced by the ability to distinguish durable technology capabilities from industry hype.
Please note, as this is a senior leadership role with access to confidential company information and systems, successful candidates will be required to undergo a background check.
Our office is located on 124 Street and 102 Avenue; there are numerous public parking options within close proximity to our office. Cantiro will assist the successful candidate with a list of available lots in the area.
Core Competencies
- Leadership and Accountability: Takes ownership of assigned projects, and provides clear leadership to consultants, service providers, and internal teams. Sets expectations, follows up on commitments, and holds parties accountable in a professional and constructive manner
- Communication: Communicates clearly and professionally with internal and external stakeholders. Provides concise written and verbal updates, identifies issues early, and brings forward clear recommendations.
- Problem Resolution: Identifies issues, evaluates options, and resolves conflicts in a timely manner while balancing cost, schedule, quality, safety, customer experience, and business objectives.
- Teamwork and Collaboration: Works effectively across departments and supports a positive team culture. Contributes to shared organizational success and helps create alignment between development, construction, sales, marketing, finance, warranty, and operations.
- Safety and Security: Observes and reinforces safety and security procedures. Reports unsafe conditions and contributes to a safe work environment on sites and in offices.
- Dependability: Follows through on commitments, meets deadlines, responds to direction, manages priorities, and ensures responsibilities are covered when absent.
- Adaptability: Operates effectively in a growing organization where priorities, project conditions, business requirements, and technology needs may change.
Language and Communication Skills: Able to read, write, and understand instructions, correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, vendor documentation, technical documentation, policies, and business requirements. Able to present information effectively in one on one, small group, consultant, vendor, and Executive leadership settings.
Physical Requirements and Working Conditions
- This position requires a minimum of 40 hours per week and may require additional hours, including evenings or weekends, as needed during system implementations, upgrades, and incident response.
- This position operates primarily in a professional office environment and may require occasional visits to active construction and development sites.
- This position requires the ability to work in a busy environment, manage multiple priorities, and maintain concentration while responding to changing business and technology requirements.
We sincerely thank all applicants for their interest in Cantiro, however only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company events
- Dental care
- Paid time off
- RRSP match
- Vision care
- Wellness program
Application question(s):
- Are you legally authorized to work in Canada?
- The successful candidate must undergo a background check, including a criminal record check. Do you consent to this requirement?
Experience:
- IT: 10 years (required)
- IT Management/Director: 5 years (required)
Work Location: In person
