Sr. Director - IT Application Management

Job Description

The IT Application Management Lead is responsible for overseeing IT application support services with an annual budget of over $25 million. This role is crucial in optimizing the application portfolio for cost efficiency and ensuring strong financial oversight. Additionally, the role is critical in implementing the transition strategy supporting the company's transformation initiatives by managing the current application landscape and reallocating critical internal resources to strategic projects.

Job Duties

• Leadership and Management:
  • Lead and manage the IT application support team, ensuring high performance and alignment with organizational goals.
  • Oversee the delivery of support services, ensuring they meet or exceed service level agreements (SLAs) and customer expectations.
  • Develop and implement strategies to optimize the application support function, driving continuous improvement and operational excellence. 
• Financial Management:
  • Manage an annual budget of approximately $25+ million, ensuring effective allocation and utilization of resources.
  • Implement strong financial follow-up processes to monitor and control costs, identify savings opportunities, and ensure budget adherence.
  • Collaborate with finance and other stakeholders to develop and manage financial plans, forecasts, and reports. 
• Application Portfolio Rationalization:
• • Lead efforts to rationalize the application portfolio, identifying opportunities to consolidate, retire, or replace applications to reduce costs and improve efficiency.
  • Work closely with business units and IT teams to understand application usage, requirements, and performance, and make data-driven decisions on portfolio optimization.
  • Develop and execute a roadmap for application rationalization, ensuring alignment with business objectives and technology strategy. 
• Transformation Support:
  • Support the company's transformation initiatives by managing the existing application landscape and ensuring stability and reliability.
  • Free up internal resources to focus on strategic transformation projects by optimizing support processes and leveraging external partners where appropriate.
  • Collaborate with transformation teams to ensure seamless integration of new applications and technologies into the existing environment. 
• IT Operations Management:
  • Oversee IT operations, including audits, end-of-life management, and other operational activities to ensure compliance and operational efficiency.
  • Develop and implement policies and procedures for IT operations, ensuring they align with industry best practices and regulatory requirements.
  • Manage the lifecycle of IT applications, including planning for end-of-life and ensuring smooth transitions to new systems or technologies.
  • Conduct regular audits to ensure compliance with internal policies and external regulations and address any identified issues promptly. 
• Stakeholder Engagement:
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including business leaders, IT teams, and external partners.
  • Communicate effectively with stakeholders to ensure alignment on priorities, expectations, and progress.
  • Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on application support, portfolio management, and IT operations matters. 
• Other responsibilities/duties as assigned.

Job Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration or similar field (or equivalent and related experience preferred). 
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in a senior IT leadership role, with a focus on application support, portfolio management, and IT operations.
• Strong financial acumen and experience managing large budgets.
• Demonstrated success in leading application rationalization initiatives and driving cost efficiencies.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities.
• Experience defining and leveraging effectiveness metrics.
• Experience in an agile IT environment, SAFe experience is desired.
• Experience developing business cases to support line of business requirements.
• Experience in building relationships and consensus across the organization.
• Experience with ERP (SAP) implementation is desired. 
• Demonstrable experience of working on Process Improvement projects.
• Other Considerations (travel/hours availability, etc.): 25% international travel expected

Preferred:

• Demonstrable problem-solving skills.
• Organizational skills.