Business Applications Manager
Position Summary
The Business Applications Manager is responsible for the strategy, administration, support, and continuous improvement of the organization's business application portfolio. This role serves as the primary liaison between business stakeholders and technology teams, ensuring applications effectively support operational goals across three company locations.
Key Responsibilities
Own and manage the lifecycle of all business applications, including ERP, CRM, HRIS, financial, operational, reporting, and productivity systems.
Develop and execute an application roadmap aligned with organizational objectives.
Evaluate new technologies and business solutions to improve efficiency, scalability, and user experience.
Establish application standards, governance, and best practices.
Collaborate with department leaders to understand business needs and identify technology solutions.
Translate business requirements into functional specifications and implementation plans.
Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership regarding application capabilities, risks, and opportunities.
Facilitate cross-functional discussions to prioritize enhancement requests and projects.
Oversee configuration, maintenance, security, and performance of business applications.
Ensure application availability, reliability, and compliance with company policies.
Manage user access, role-based security, and audit requirements.
Coordinate issue resolution and support activities with internal teams and external vendors.
Lead application implementations, upgrades, migrations, and optimization initiatives.
Manage project timelines, budgets, resources, and stakeholder communications.
Develop testing, training, and deployment plans to ensure successful adoption.
Drive change management efforts across all company locations.
Support data governance, data quality, and reporting initiatives.
Oversee integrations between business systems and third-party applications.
Partner with business leaders to improve reporting, analytics, and decision-making capabilities.
Ensure accurate and consistent data flow across enterprise systems.
Manage relationships with software vendors, consultants, and service providers.
Negotiate contracts, licensing agreements, and support arrangements.
Monitor vendor performance and service-level agreements.
Evaluate vendor solutions and recommend improvements as needed.
Lead and mentor application analysts, administrators, or support personnel as applicable.
Establish service standards and performance expectations.
Promote continuous learning and professional development within the team.
Foster strong collaboration between IT and business departments.
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Business Administration, Computer Science, or a related field.
5+ years of experience managing enterprise business applications.
Experience supporting ERP, CRM, HRIS, or other enterprise systems.
Strong project management and business analysis skills.
Experience working with vendors and managing software implementations.
Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.
Ability to support multiple business locations and diverse user groups.
Preferred Experience
In manufacturing, distribution, logistics, professional services, or other mid-market environments.
Knowledge of system integrations, APIs, and reporting tools.
Experience with Microsoft 365, Power Platform, business intelligence platforms, and cloud-based applications.
Project management certification (PMP, Agile, Scrum, or equivalent).
ITIL or related service management experience.