Head of Digital CoE

Location: Porto

Our Ambition

At Körber, our ambition is to become the global leader in smart manufacturing and logistics solutions by delivering cutting-edge hardware, software, and digital solutions that empower our customers' most critical processes. This aspiration drives the development of Körber's AIR Technologies—Automated, Intelligent, and Regenerative innovation—to unlock the full potential of our solutions across industries. As part of Körber’s newly established Group Function Innovation & Technology, the Digital Center of Excellence plays a central role in driving enterprise-wide digital transformation.

About the Role

We are seeking an innovative, technical, and results-driven leader to head our Digital Center of Excellence (CoE) within the Group Function Innovation & Technology at Körber. This pivotal role will shape and accelerate Körber’s digital transformation by building technical foundational capabilities, frameworks, and best practices that support innovation at scale across all Business Areas and regions.

The Digital CoE is envisioned as a global enabler—extending beyond its current European footprint to strengthen Körber’s digital capabilities across the Americas and Asia. The Head of Digital CoE will play a critical role in expanding this reach and building a globally connected organization.

Working in close collaboration with Körber’s Business Areas, the role will ensure alignment of CoE initiatives with functional and commercial priorities, co-developing roadmaps that lead to tangible, measurable outcomes. Integration across hardware, software, AI, and digital capabilities will be essential, as we aim to unlock the full potential of our technology portfolio across the value chain.

This is a strategic, enterprise-level function that balances long-term vision with executional excellence—designed to empower Business Units with the tools, platforms, and capabilities they need to accelerate innovation. The role reports directly to the Chief Technologist and will be instrumental in shaping the company’s digital backbone to support scalable, sustainable growth.

You will be the person that...

• Expands and strengthens the global footprint of the Digital CoE, enabling greater reach and feasibility of digital capabilities—particularly across the Americas and Asia, in addition to Europe.
• Collaborates closely with Business Areas (BAs) to co-develop digital roadmaps, ensuring alignment with their strategic objectives and delivering measurable financial outcomes.
• Enables seamless integration across hardware, software, AI, and digital capabilities, reflecting the increasing importance of convergence across these domains.
• Shapes the Digital Center of Excellence—by reinforcing its purpose and guiding its evolution—ensuring it remains relevant, business-driven, and a catalyst for long-term value.
• Defines and drives the digital strategy, aligning CoE efforts with business transformation goals, for both near-term outcomes and long-term impact.
• Empowers Business Areas by deeply understanding their functional needs and delivering digital enablers that drive operational and commercial success.
• Scales innovation and impact across the organization by steering boutique powerhouse teams of Software, Data, Design, and Generative AI experts toward tangible, cross-functional outcomes.
• Manages cross-functional coordination across Engineering, Commercial, and Ops, integrating digital building blocks that support scalable growth.
• Stays ahead of industry trends, constantly bringing in the outside world to evolve what’s possible inside Körber.
• Owns and manages the CoE budget, ensuring effective resource allocation and financial accountability while maximizing return on investment.
• Owns the metrics—defines KPIs and success metrics to track the impact of the Digital CoE—continuously optimizing to maximize business enablement and operational efficiency.
• Leads, mentors, and grows a multidisciplinary team of subject matter experts, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning.
• Bridges corporate structure and startup mentality, combining agility and scale to deliver practical, high-impact results.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in driving enterprise-wide digital transformation, with a strong track record of building and being a leader of leaders—someone who can guide and empower heads of functional teams.
• Experience in positioning Digital Centers of Excellence that bridge strategy and execution across complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
• Demonstrated ability to lead high-performing, cross-functional teams and deliver foundational digital platforms, tools, and services.
• A growth-oriented leader who can thrive in ambiguity, embraces experimentation, and is passionate about building systems that foster long-term innovation.
• Strong hands-on experience in software development, data science, data engineering, or similar roles—combined with a strong grasp of business needs and the technical solutions required to meet them.
• Experience working in manufacturing and industrial environments is highly desirable.
• Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to coordinate across multiple stakeholders, including BUs, engineering, and commercial teams, to ensure successful outcomes.
• Strong communication skills and experience working with Executives and C-level.

Personal Attributes

• Inspiring leader and mentor, committed to developing talent, building high-performing teams, and fostering a culture of innovation, inclusion, and continuous learning.
• Strategic and forward-thinking, with the ability to see the bigger picture while managing detailed execution across complex initiatives.
• Collaborative by nature, fostering strong partnerships across business units, functions, and geographies to drive alignment and shared success.
• Outcome-oriented and pragmatic, with a strong focus on delivering measurable business value through scalable and sustainable digital solutions.
• Change leader, comfortable driving transformation and influencing organizational mindset in evolving and sometimes ambiguous environments.