Sr. Solution Engineer

Associated Wholesale Grocers•Kansas City, KS

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a highly analytical and detail-oriented Configuration Engineer to support strategic, enterprise-wide financial planning and business transformation initiatives across our IT service landscape. This role plays a critical part in advancing our cloud-first strategy, serving as the primary IT owner, data modeler, and platform administrator for our Vena Budgeting and Planning platform, with secondary support across our core HRIS and administrative application ecosystem. As a customer-facing Application Engineer, you will bridge the gap between business needs and technical system capabilities. You will serve as a trusted advisor and subject-matter expert, guiding internal Finance and HR teams from concept through implementation, workflow design, and post-deployment support. Success in this role requires a passion for complex data modeling, advanced enterprise Excel logic, and workflow automation without the need for traditional software programming. This role primarily supports the Vena budgeting and planning application as well as other business enterprise systems across Human Resources, Legal, Risk, Compliance, and Business Administration.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in computer information systems, Finance/Accounting with a systems focus, Data Analytics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
Minimum of 5–8 years of hands-on application administration, configuration, data modeling, or systems analysis experience within an enterprise environment.
Experience within Retail, Wholesale, or Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industries is highly preferred.
Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel (INDEX/MATCH, XLOOKUP, dynamic arrays, complex logical structures, and data tables). Must be comfortable treating Excel as a development environment.
Solid understanding of data relationships, relational database concepts, and how data moves seamlessly between distinct enterprise business systems (ERP to CPM/EPM).
Solid functional understanding of financial concepts (budgets, forecasts, cost centers, balance sheets) so technical translation layers aren't required when sitting with Finance stakeholders.
Proven ability to work across multiple SaaS technologies with a track record of rapid learning and adopting new systems.
Strong analytical skills with the ability to evaluate complex business planning requirements and develop effective, scalable data models.
Ability to translate technical constraints and system logic into clear, actionable guidance for non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary administrator for the Vena platform; design, configure, and optimize data models, dimensions, attributes, intersections, and user security permissions.
Design, build, and maintain Vena Excel-based input templates and reporting dashboards, utilizing advanced Excel logic (dynamic arrays, complex logical structures) to handle enterprise-level financial data.
Configure and monitor business workflows, task assignments, and audit trails within Vena to support annual budgeting and forecasting cycles.
Provide configuration changes, process streamlining, and user management for core HRIS, payroll, and general business tools (e.g., Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM, ADP) as bandwidth permits.
Monitor, test, and troubleshoot data loads and integrations between core business systems (ERP/GL, HRIS) and Vena to ensure data integrity.
Act as the technical lead in diagnosing and resolving system defects, configuration errors, and performance bottlenecks for assigned applications.
Track vendor software release notes, coordinate system updates, and test new features before they go live to ensure zero disruption to business operations.
Collaborate closely with Finance Managers, HR Directors, and stakeholders to understand their business problems and translate financial or operational concepts into scalable software solutions.
Analyze existing manual processes and design automated, systematic workflows that improve cross-departmental efficiency.
Build clear system documentation, data dictionaries, and training materials to enable end-users across departments to maximize their utilization of these tools.
Work closely with cross-functional team members to troubleshoot system dependencies and deliver cohesive solutions.
Maintain a continuous improvement mentality, proactively identifying data architecture optimizations.
Openly receive and give constructive feedback to elevate the team's delivery capabilities.