Director, IT Applications, North America

By providing senior technology leadership to business partners and the IT organization, it will be critical to develop the long-term IT vision for the business applications in support of overall business objectives through evaluation, selection or development of software projects as well as the deployment of new services or products and the ability to identify emerging application technologies and determine potential for company.  It is also critical to provide the guidance necessary for tactical and strategic systems planning to maximize the return on investment dollars and improve the overall application development process. 

As the Global and Regional IT organization continues to evolve, this role will provide overall North American leadership and direction to large, functionally focused application development teams and create a world-class global application development environment, adhering to rigorous development processes, improving efficiencies and overall quality using consistent tools and processes.  The ability to develop and maintain an appropriate organizational structure capable of supporting the information needs of operating entities through appropriate and cost-effective information technology will come by closely working with peers and business partners to address business and technology changes. 

The ideal candidate will need to bring a broad range of IT competencies and leadership skills to the role, having 15 or more years of experience with the majority of his/her career spent in the application development arena preferably in an operationally intense environment with broad responsibility for developing, implementing and supporting corporate applications and ERP systems.  The candidate should have extensive experience in an advanced/sophisticated IT environment, leading an application development team.

Specifically, knowledge of JD Edwards is critical since that drives the North American operation and will support manufacturing planning in the regional plants where there is strong use of web services to support world class supply chain practices.  In this operationally focused environment, the ability to maintain contact with IT suppliers and understand current technology, prices and terms of agreements to minimize the investment required to meet established service levels while constantly evaluating alternatives, performing appropriate cost benefit analysis, and bringing solutions that minimize costs and mitigate risks.  Having exposure to the management of internal and external regional audits to ensure Sarbanes-Oxley compliance will ensure this compliance.

The successful candidate will bring a highly collaborative style that is comfortable operating in a flexible, matrixed environment.  In addition to obvious technology and functional skills, strong leadership tendencies and demonstrated written and verbal communication skills will support this leader’s daily interaction with the IT and business organizations.  The successful candidate should hold a bachelor degree; an MBA is highly desired. 

Key characteristics of this executive include the following:

• Capable of leading teams to produce high quality, efficient applications and to prioritize the application portfolio options delivering on time and within budget, and effectively responding to the high impact business requirements of the company.

• Ability to reinforce consistent application development methodologies while dealing with the ambiguity and challenges associated with a large-scale, complex company. 

• Strong team work and interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate and persuade at all management levels.   

• A quick study who is able to rapidly gain the confidence of the organization.  Is perceived, and acts like, a general manager and strategic business partner to end-users.

• A person who has the courage of his/her convictions.  Demonstrates a progressive, can-do attitude and the savvy of a business partner.  He/she is a focused, decisive colleague who has a sense of humor and an appreciation for the challenges facing a global company. 

Competencies

Based on the above priorities, the successful candidates will possess the following key competencies:

Results Orientation:  The successful candidate will be energized by new challenges and creating better ways of doing things, so that higher levels of performance are possible.  He/she will proactively introduce incremental improvements to enhance business performance, using analysis and benchmarking. 

Collaboration/Communication Skills:  The successful candidate will be effective in actively engaging with peers, partners and others who are not in their direct team, to positively impact business performance.  This will be evidenced with strong written and verbal communication style to ensure clarity of objectives and outcomes.

Team Leadership:  The successful candidate will actively engage the team to develop plans and resolve issues through collaborative problem solving.  He/she creates a clear sense of team identity and holds the teams accountable for meeting goals and agreed plans.  This person also empowers the team to identify and solve problems, providing the necessary support, and rewarding individual initiatives beyond expectations to advance the common goal.

Change Leadership:  The successful candidate is able to mobilize others and drive for improvement through people while transforming and aligning an organization in a new and challenging direction.  Having prior experience leading in a dynamic environment with necessary metrics and tracking to ensure progress.

Strategic Orientation:  This individual will be able to articulate evolving priorities for the business, spot previously unidentified business opportunities and adapt short-term plans.  The successful candidate will have passion for technology.