Applications Management Director

J.E. Dunn Construction Group Inc P•Kansas City, MO

About The Position

The Vice President, Applications is the enterprise leader accountable for ensuring the company’s application portfolio meets current and future business needs. The role leads the applications management team and establishes a consistent, business-centered operating model for application strategy, adoption, lifecycle management, and value realization. It connects business strategy, user experience, process discipline, technology roadmaps, vendors, data, integration, security, support, and measurable outcomes. Success requires strong relationships and clear accountability: listening to qualified business users, translating feedback into priorities, and driving consistent use of company standards so the enterprise can realize the intended efficiency and value of its application investments. All activities are performed in support of JE Dunn’s strategy, vision, and values. The role owns enterprise application strategy and portfolio operating practices, leads multi-year roadmaps and lifecycle decisions, oversees Tier 1 application governance and value measurement, and builds relationships across business and IT. It leads governance and portfolio financial management, including vendor relationships, budgets, contracts, licensing, and return on investment. It also prepares the organization for platform changes and evaluates emerging technologies, including AI and automation, in relation to business processes, user experience, data, controls, workforce needs, and application strategy. The position operates within defined limits of authority and consults its supervisor on other decisions. The work is performed in a normal office environment, may involve overnight travel, and may require non-traditional hours to meet business needs. A valid and unrestricted driver’s license is required, and the role must be able to lift up to 10 pounds.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Business, Construction Management, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered in lieu of the stated requirements.
12 or more years of progressive experience in enterprise applications, IT leadership, business transformation, product or platform leadership, or a related discipline.
Demonstrated ownership of enterprise application strategy, major platform evaluations, multi-year roadmaps, governance, adoption, and measurable value realization.
Experience partnering with senior business leaders to standardize processes, improve adoption, resolve barriers, and deliver enterprise outcomes.
Experience evaluating strategic vendors, competitive alternatives, AI-enabled capabilities, contracts, licensing, total cost of ownership, and replacement options.
Advanced verbal and written communication skills and advanced presentation skills.
Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Office.
Thorough knowledge of project processes and how each supports successful project completion.
Knowledge of application usage, process compliance, and application lifecycles, including improvement, replacement, and retirement planning.
Expertise in enterprise application portfolio strategy, governance, roadmap planning, lifecycle management, adoption, and value realization.
Strong business acumen and ability to translate operating needs into practical technology strategy and measurable outcomes.
Executive communication, facilitation, influence, negotiation, conflict resolution, and stakeholder management skills.
Ability to lead senior leaders, including coaching, setting performance expectations, organizational development, succession planning, and change leadership.
Ability to use quantitative and qualitative evidence, including telemetry, usage, support trends, sentiment, financial analysis, and business metrics, to make decisions.
Understanding of product operating models, enterprise architecture, integration, data and analytics, cybersecurity, AI, vendor management, and large-scale transformation.
Ability to balance user advocacy with enterprise standardization and hold leaders accountable while preserving trust.
Ability to simplify complex portfolios, navigate competing priorities, make sound decisions with incomplete information, and collaborate with internal and external teams.
Valid and unrestricted driver’s license.
Ability to lift up to 10 pounds.
Must be willing to work non-traditional hours to meet business needs.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree.
Five or more years leading leaders, including director-level talent, major portfolios, cross-functional programs, or enterprise-critical capabilities.
Experience in construction, engineering, manufacturing, logistics, or another asset- and operations-intensive industry.

Responsibilities

Own the enterprise application strategy and operating model, aligning portfolio direction with business priorities, enterprise architecture, data strategy, cybersecurity, financial plans, and measurable outcomes.
Lead and mentor the applications management team, setting expectations for business partnership, portfolio ownership, communication, execution, accountability, talent development, and succession planning.
Guide multi-year platform roadmaps covering business needs, process improvement, lifecycle health, technical debt, integrations, vendors, emerging technology, risk, and investment requirements.
Evaluate portfolio health and lead decisions to invest in, simplify, standardize, modernize, consolidate, replace, or retire applications; limit unnecessary customization and duplicate capabilities.
Ensure every Tier 1 application has business ownership, governance, success criteria, lifecycle and support plans, adoption expectations, and measurable value objectives.
Build relationships with business leaders, application owners, domain experts, users, support teams, and IT partners; translate feedback and operational evidence into priorities, standards, and roadmap actions.
Establish repeatable feedback mechanisms using stakeholder discussions, user communities, surveys, sentiment, support trends, telemetry, adoption data, training feedback, and leadership input.
Identify and resolve legitimate adoption barriers involving process, training, usability, integration, reliability, or support; reinforce approved standards and address nonstandard solutions through documented exceptions, remediation, and escalation.
Define and maintain a common Tier 1 application scorecard covering usage, feature adoption, process compliance, training effectiveness, reliability, integration quality, support trends, user sentiment, business outcomes, total cost, risk, and realized value.
Partner with business owners on target user populations, adoption and communication plans, operational readiness, sustained behavior change, and post-implementation measurement for application changes and transitions.
Provide executive reporting on portfolio performance, realized value, risks, gaps, required decisions, and corrective actions, including improvement, replacement, or retirement plans for underperforming platforms.
Assess strategic vendors and market alternatives, including roadmaps, AI and automation capabilities, licensing and support models, financial stability, competitive position, and alignment with company needs; maintain credible secondary options where practical.
Prepare the organization for major releases, upgrades, vendor-driven changes, and platform transitions; evaluate the effects of AI, agents, predictive analytics, and emerging technology on processes, user experience, data, controls, workforce needs, and application strategy.
Facilitate cross-functional governance to prioritize demand, resolve conflicts, manage dependencies, and align investments with enterprise standards for architecture, integration, data governance, cybersecurity, access, compliance, resilience, and supportability.
Own executive vendor relationships and portfolio financial management, including performance reviews, escalations, budgets, forecasts, contracts, renewals, licensing optimization, total cost of ownership, and return on investment.
Coordinate with Finance, Procurement, Legal, Security, Architecture, Data, delivery teams, and business leadership.
Ensure business owners and domain experts are identified and engaged for Tier 1 applications.
Work accurately, completely, and in a timely manner; communicate, present, collaborate, and apply knowledge of project processes, application usage, process compliance, and application lifecycles.