Technical Director

Valtech is a strategic partner for a top luxury client operating model, operating as a Business Unit (BU) across multiple divisions. Under the new factory-based model, Valtech is accountable for standardized, industrialized delivery across coherent application territories. As the partnership deepens, technology vision and architectural coherence across divisions become decisive. The BU CTO is the senior technical authority of the Business Unit: peer to the Head of Engineering & Delivery, the CTO owns the technology direction, the SME and architect community, and the relationship with technology partners, while delivery execution and run accountability sit with the Head of Engineering & Delivery. Role Purpose: Own the technology vision, target architecture, and technical credibility of the Valtech-client Business Unit across the full client tech stack.

Responsibilities

Define and own the multi-year technology vision and target architecture across the client BU stack (Front/Salesforce, Data & Integration, Back/SAP, POS/Cegid); Set architecture principles, reference patterns, and technology standards applied consistently across all factories; Arbitrate major technical and build-versus-reuse decisions; own the technology radar and lifecycle (adopt, trial, hold); Ensure security-by-design, scalability, and compliance are embedded in every architecture decision, in close coordination with the Head of Cybersecurity; Champion AI, GenAI, and agentic engineering as structural components of the BU architecture; Build and lead the cross-divisions community of SMEs, solution architects, and tech leads across all application territories; Define competency standards, certification paths, and a shared knowledge base for the technical community; Govern reusable assets, accelerators, and frameworks (including Valtech accelerators) shared across the BU; Act as the highest technical escalation point for complex design and solution questions; Attract, grow, and retain scarce technical talent in partnership with delivery leadership; Own the relationship with strategic technology partners and software editors (Salesforce, SAP, MuleSoft, Talend, Cegid) and with hyperscalers and cloud providers; Manage joint roadmaps, co-innovation initiatives, certifications, and partner-funded programs; Represent the BU in partner alliance, advisory, and early-access programs to keep the client ahead on the product roadmap; Leverage partner ecosystems to de-risk delivery, accelerate time-to-market, and optimize total cost of ownership; Integrate specialist architects from partners (including the cloud architect community) into the BU core technical team; Define the BU innovation agenda and pipeline, from technology watch to industrialized capability; Co-invest with the client and partners in innovation, proofs of concept, and emerging-technology evaluation; Provide thought leadership on technology trends relevant to luxury, retail, omnichannel, and data and AI; Connect innovation to measurable business value and feed it into the delivery roadmap with the Head of Engineering & Delivery; Represent Valtech technology in BU governance forums (BU Committee, Sounding Board, Extended Business Review, BU Alignment Committee); Act as senior technical counterpart to the client Tech COE, the CIO community, and Tech leadership; Align technology strategy with cross-divisions priorities and the broader client Tech operating model; Provide structured, conviction-led technology reporting and roadmaps to the client and Valtech leadership

Requirements

Proven experience as CTO, Chief Architect, or senior technology leader in a large, multi-domain or group-level environment; Deep architecture expertise across multiple technology domains (front and commerce, data and integration, back and ERP, cloud); Demonstrated ownership of strategic technology-partner and hyperscaler relationships, including joint roadmaps and alliances; Track record building and leading SME, architect, or technical-community organizations at scale; Strong command of AI / GenAI architecture and its industrialization at enterprise scale; Experience in e-commerce, retail, or omnichannel environments; Fully bilingual French/English (mandatory); +15 years of experience

Nice to have

Experienced in Agile methodologies and consulting (a plus); Luxury-sector exposure (a plus); Curious problem solver who challenges the status quo; Collaborator who values teamwork and knowledge-sharing; Excited by the intersection of technology, creativity and data

Benefits

Competitive compensation package; Flexibility, with remote and hybrid work options (3 days at the client's office); Career advancement, with international mobility and professional development programs; Learning and development, with access to cutting-edge tools, training and industry experts; Benefits tailored to each location