Senior Lead, IT Application Development - QAD

Who We Want

• Analytical problem solvers:  People who go beyond just fixing to identify root causes, evaluate optimal solutions, and recommend comprehensive upgrades to prevent future issues.
• Dedicated achievers:  People who thrive in a fast-paced environment and will stop at nothing to ensure a project is complete and meets regulations and expectations.
• Curious learners:  People who seek out cutting-edge research and information to expand and enhance their ability to develop new ideas into reality.
• Goal-oriented engineers: Keeping the customer and requirements squarely in focus, people who deliver safe and robust solutions.
• Effective communicators: People who can interpret information clearly and accurately to concisely communicate results and recommendations to stakeholders, senior management, and their teams.
• Strategic thinkers: People who enjoy analyzing data or trends for the purposes of planning, forecasting, advising, budgeting, reporting, or sales opportunities.
• Detail-oriented process improvers: Critical thinkers who naturally see opportunities to develop and optimize work processes – finding ways to simplify, standardize and automate.

What You Will Do

QAD Senior Lead is responsible for technical and functional build lead management of the IT demand-to-build process, including vendor management as the situation dictates. IT demands are being generated for enhancements and projects relating to the various QAD-mfgPRO environments within Stryker Legacy ERP Tower.  This individual reports to the Sr Manager, Global Application Development Team, Legacy ERP Tower.

This individual works with Business Partner teams to provide clear, defined user requirements and with vendor build teams to deliver safe, efficient, cost-effective solutions to meet those demand user requirements.  This position will provide leadership and guidance for Business Partners, Business Analysts, Vendor Build Leads, and others within in the Tower Demand and Solutioning process.  The individual will deliver on the tactical build plans for the platform in line with Legacy ERP strategy.

This person will partner with senior IT and lead Stryker business and development partner resources to execute projects and provide guidance for demand and build processes. The Solution Architect is responsible for verifying the detailed technical documents, validating the configuration within the assigned applications, and ensuring solutions are delivered based on the supportability of the architected design. This role develops partnerships across the organization to ensure the highest level of clarity, consistency, granularity, and value are added to the Legacy ERP Tower solutioning process.

To be successful, the candidate will possess a solid background knowledge of the QAD-mfgPRO system, strong collaborative, communication, and mentoring skills, demonstrate confidence and an ability to work through ambiguity, and be very organized.

Essential duties & responsibilities:

• Ensures adherence to the IT software development and delivery model and standards.
• Identifies and manages resources needed for the planning, development, and delivery of specified information systems projects and enhancements.
• Influences internal customers and project teams through change management initiatives, ensuring that application and process development standards are strictly complied with for best system continuity and data integrity.
• Influences process development and carries them out to meet business objectives.
• Develops influential relationships with internal and external team members and vendor partners at appropriate levels.
• Makes decisions which impact the work of employing organizations, achievement of organizational objectives and system and organizational performance.
• Contributes to the formulation and implementation of IT strategy.
• Creatively applies a wide range of technical, functional, and/or organizational principles.
• Demonstrates clear leadership and the ability to influence and persuade to both business and technical.
• Has a broad understanding of all aspects of IT and deep understanding of functional and technical attributes of QAD-mfgPRO.
• Understands and communicates the role and impact of IT in system integrity with business continuity and promotes compliance with relevant legislation.
• Ensures awareness and consistent adherence by all vendor partners following Stryker’s Software Development Lifecycle framework and processes.
• Develops and manages relationships with vendor build partners to ensure they meet contracted deliverables, agreed upon timelines, and metrics.
• Maintain awareness of pending and active projects that may or will impact the business application and stability of system or services.
• Push for quick adoption of project execution strategies that produce highly maintainable services with low TCO. 
• Minimize build-to-run transition by scrutinizing changes very carefully, opting to keep systems stable instead.
• Ensure a smooth transition into operations and ensure this is documented.
• Ensure platform is scalable and configured to meet growing customer numbers.
• Advises on the available standards, methods, tools, and applications relevant to own area of service and can make appropriate choices from alternatives.
• Analyzes requirements and advises on scope and options for continuous operational improvement. Demonstrates creativity and innovation in applying solutions for the benefit of the client/stakeholder.

Education:

• Bachelor's Degree from an accredited university in the areas of Computer science, Engineering, Information Systems, Business, or equivalent field of study required.
• Demonstrated ability to work cohesively across a cross functional and matrixed organization,
• Experience with process mapping, documenting complex processes and presenting them in a clear and understandable format is required.
• Experience understanding, evaluating, and recommending changes to business processes are required.

Qualifications & experience:

• Minimum 6 years of professional experience with QAD-mfgPRO ERP Systems is required.
• Demonstrated leadership responsibility of internal and external teams, as well as experience influencing senior-level management and stakeholders is required.  Experience in medical device or other regulated industries is preferred.
• 3+ years of experience of project/program/delivery management.
• Experience developing partnerships with the technical and business teams utilizing strong communication and team building skills.
• Experience with core QAD-mfgPRO functionality in Sales & Distribution, Financial and Manufacturing, understanding of the supporting technologies supporting QAD-mfgPRO, RF Technologies, iSeries, reporting Tech.
• Experience in back-end database technologies such as Progress, DB2, MS SQL Server and iSeries.
• Experience with third party integrations with QAD-mfgPRO.
• Knowledge of and ability to drive IT methodologies such as ITIL, Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) and Agile Development is preferred.
• Experience working with executive business stakeholders is required.
• Excellent organizational/communication skills and attention to detail.
• Strong data analysis and problem-solving skills.
• Experience in design and deployment of regulated applications.
• Experience and demonstrated understanding of global system rollouts – strategy, planning, vendor selection and implementation planning.
• Strong knowledge of PC skills working with large datasets (Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, Word documents)
• Ability to drive initiatives and projects independently from start to finish.
• Demonstrated ability to work cohesively across a cross functional and matrixed organization.
• Experience with process mapping, documenting complex processes and presenting them in a clear and understandable format is required.
• Experience understanding, evaluating, and recommending changes to business processes are required.

Physical & mental requirements:

• Demonstrate skill in communicating technical information to varying audiences.
• Driven and results oriented. He/she will be required to drive results and integrate effectively into the culture. The successful candidate must possess the blend of confidence and humility while driving to achieve results and meeting committed timelines.
• Strong collaboration skills are required. The successful candidate must have the ability to persuade and build consensus cross-functionally to ensure solution designs and requirements are aligned.
• Excellent communication skills. Communication across the enterprise will be important as this team member will often be tasked with working on cross-functional teams as he/she executes these large-scale programs and projects. The successful candidate must effectively communicate cross-functionally and at a variety of levels within the organization.
• Ability to interpret and enhance business requirements that ultimately drive solutions.
• Able to analyze and interpret technical specifications to compare with less complex business requirements as needed.
• Organization & Strategic Agility. The successful candidate must have a high degree of situational awareness and ability to navigate complex issues and channels to successfully deliver solutions in partnership with business and IT leadership teams.
• High Energy & Stamina. Proven capabilities in persevering through cultural and political hurdles with balanced optimism to drive and deliver on managed service strategies / objectives.
• Execution & Delivery Focus. Ability to understand, interpret and translate emerging trends, future visions and strategies into executable programs and projects that align to the current state architecture and business environment.  The incumbent will be results oriented, able to design and deliver rapid solutions for the team.
• Executive Presence & Situational Awareness. Must be able to deep dive and understand complex issues, processes, and data, but roll-up and convey concepts in a digestible manner across all levels.  Must have the ability to sense and adapt to situations and/or changes in direction with calm, poise, and professionalism.