Director Applications Architecture

Verst Careers•Walton, KY

About The Position

POSITION SUMMARY: The Director of Applications is a hands-on position, responsible for the design, development, implementation, and support of Verst’s business application systems. Provides overall direction and guidance to the analysts, developers, outside vendors, and other team members in the development and support of those applications. Works closely with the business leaders to provide the required IT services and systems, in a manner that is service-oriented, standard and consistent, and maximizes value. He/She participates in the development, execution, and compliance enforcement of IT policy and practices. The person in this role works closely with the other business and IT leaders to maintain a reliable, secure, and stable computing environment and plays an active role in solutions design, integrations and business projects. Additionally, this role is responsible for the data architecture, data management & quality and applications portfolio management and associated capabilities. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Strategy & Governance · Serves as a member of the Information Technology Leadership Team. · Provide a consistent approach and collaborate with other members of IT management, such that decisions are made in line with both the IT and business strategies and objectives. · Participate in the development, communication, management, and maintenance of IT policies and procedures within the IT organization. · Participate in the development of the IT Strategic Plan and for managing the Application Portfolio, aligning with business strategy and objectives. · Maintain an industry awareness of information technology, IT best practices, and related technology trends, particularly as it relates to the 3PL industry. Identify innovation opportunities and working with the business leaders, plan how to leverage that technology or practice to the benefit of Verst. · Monitor regulatory guidelines and emerging industry standards to ascertain their impacts on the enterprise-wide systems and business processes. · Develop, implement, and maintain policies, procedures, and associated training plans for business application design, development, deployment, and support People & Resource Management · Guide and supervise technical staff in the day-to-day operations. · Train, mentor, and develop employees, improving individual skills and contribution to company performance. · Work directly with outside EDI, WMS and other business system vendors or partners in the support of Verst’s applications and in the generation of RFPs or proposals. Manage the relationships to ensure that the vendors meet the business needs/SLAs and that contracts are optimized for business value. · Manage IT applications-related financial activities. Provide transparency and accountability of the cost and business value of IT solutions and services. Applications & Service Management · Plan, coordinate, and supervise all activities related to the design, development, and implementation of the current application portfolio. enterprise-wide information systems and software applications. · Develop and maintain a Change Management Policy, to ensure system changes are made in a controlled and transparent manner. This is to include standard and emergency changes related to business processes and applications. · Enable reliable delivery of change to the business and mitigate the risk of negatively impacting the stability of the existing operations and back-office environments. · Provide a timely and effective response to user requests and resolution of incidents. Record and fulfill user requests as related to business applications. · Support the implementation of the new ERP and LIMS solutions with the agreed-on expectations and outcomes. Ensure that the implementation of new solutions and services has the necessary support, from planning to execution to post-implementation support and staff training. Security & Risk Management · Oversee and manage user access and authorizations, ensuring secure controls for authorization and proper delegation of authority. Participate in the development, management, and enforcement of a System Access Control Policy. · Ensure that IT processes are compliant with company policy, governmental laws, regulations, and contractual requirements. · Participate in the development and testing of the disaster recovery plan, ensuring business continuity as it relates to the business applications, processes, and data. Data & Business Intelligence · Develop a set of capabilities, including people, processes, and technology, to enable the transformation of raw data into meaningful and useful information for the purpose of business operations and analysis. · Develop capabilities for secure, easy, and intuitive user access to the information, enabling data mining and reporting capabilities for the business. · Management of organizational databases to ensure that the right users have access to the right data and applications at the right time for the right reasons.

Requirements

Eight (8) to ten (10) years previous IT experience (including programming experience in database, integrations, and business intelligence); previous experience within a 3PL, Transportation, or product development environment strongly preferred.
Two or more years of IT management or supervisory responsibilities
Comprehensive knowledge of system development, implementations, project management, and support methodologies
Strong knowledge of ERP systems, EDI, business intelligence and analytics, process improvements, and data reporting. SaaS/Cloud Systems experience is highly preferred.
Solid understanding of data analysis, budgeting, and business operations
Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities
Proven ability to guide others, providing training, coaching, and development paths for team members
Ability to listen, build rapport, and credibility as a strategic partner within the business and IT
Ability to map joint company vision and long-term thinking, creativity, and idea generation
Motivated, self-directed, and energetic
Ability to be assertive, yet tactful, diplomatic, and flexible
Ability to know when to assert an agenda and when to let a situation develop, rest, or advance on its own
Highly developed communication and relationship skills
Business acumen in all functional areas. Ability and comfort with working at executive levels
Skilled and experienced at negotiating conflict and problem-solving to achieve positive outcomes
Ability to lead change using positive and collaborative methods
Demonstrated ability to lead by example, mentoring, and motivating others
Ability to set expectations with business partners and effectively leverage governance for a positive business partner experience
Developed ability to conduct business analysis, to include technology, business impact, risk, and financial analysis.
Ability to focus on business value results, rather than technology solutions
Technical aptitude, requirements management, and the ability to assess and articulate risk factors
Understanding of industry trends in technology
Strong communication skills in writing, speaking, and presenting
Solid understanding of IT, HR, Operational and financial assets and capabilities
Ability to identify and communicate gaps and areas that need improvement
Strong soft skills, including humility, listening, creativity, persuasion, and negotiation skills
Strong customer-service orientation
Ability to accept ownership

Nice To Haves

MBA preferred
Certification in one or more project management methodologies preferred (e.g., PMP, Agile, Scrum)

Responsibilities

Serves as a member of the Information Technology Leadership Team.
Provide a consistent approach and collaborate with other members of IT management, such that decisions are made in line with both the IT and business strategies and objectives.
Participate in the development, communication, management, and maintenance of IT policies and procedures within the IT organization.
Participate in the development of the IT Strategic Plan and for managing the Application Portfolio, aligning with business strategy and objectives.
Maintain an industry awareness of information technology, IT best practices, and related technology trends, particularly as it relates to the 3PL industry. Identify innovation opportunities and working with the business leaders, plan how to leverage that technology or practice to the benefit of Verst.
Monitor regulatory guidelines and emerging industry standards to ascertain their impacts on the enterprise-wide systems and business processes.
Develop, implement, and maintain policies, procedures, and associated training plans for business application design, development, deployment, and support
Guide and supervise technical staff in the day-to-day operations.
Train, mentor, and develop employees, improving individual skills and contribution to company performance.
Work directly with outside EDI, WMS and other business system vendors or partners in the support of Verst’s applications and in the generation of RFPs or proposals. Manage the relationships to ensure that the vendors meet the business needs/SLAs and that contracts are optimized for business value.
Manage IT applications-related financial activities. Provide transparency and accountability of the cost and business value of IT solutions and services.
Plan, coordinate, and supervise all activities related to the design, development, and implementation of the current application portfolio. enterprise-wide information systems and software applications.
Develop and maintain a Change Management Policy, to ensure system changes are made in a controlled and transparent manner. This is to include standard and emergency changes related to business processes and applications.
Enable reliable delivery of change to the business and mitigate the risk of negatively impacting the stability of the existing operations and back-office environments.
Provide a timely and effective response to user requests and resolution of incidents. Record and fulfill user requests as related to business applications.
Support the implementation of the new ERP and LIMS solutions with the agreed-on expectations and outcomes. Ensure that the implementation of new solutions and services has the necessary support, from planning to execution to post-implementation support and staff training.
Oversee and manage user access and authorizations, ensuring secure controls for authorization and proper delegation of authority. Participate in the development, management, and enforcement of a System Access Control Policy.
Ensure that IT processes are compliant with company policy, governmental laws, regulations, and contractual requirements.
Participate in the development and testing of the disaster recovery plan, ensuring business continuity as it relates to the business applications, processes, and data.
Develop a set of capabilities, including people, processes, and technology, to enable the transformation of raw data into meaningful and useful information for the purpose of business operations and analysis.
Develop capabilities for secure, easy, and intuitive user access to the information, enabling data mining and reporting capabilities for the business.
Management of organizational databases to ensure that the right users have access to the right data and applications at the right time for the right reasons.