Head of Enterprise Applications

Enterprise IT Applications are critical to AO's operations, scale and are a key part of AOs long term technology strategy. As Head of Enterprise Applications, you will operationally head-up AOs Enterprise Applications service teams, ensuring current and onward capability underpins critical AO operation such as, Finance, WFM, HR, WMS and Supply Chain. Strategically you will influence where AO extends AO's Enterprise applications vs bespoke development ensuring AOs technology roadmap is aligned to business direction and growth., Head up the AO Enterprise Application teams and suppliers responsible for the provision and change management of roadmaps across critical Enterprise Applications such as, D365, Oracle, Flintfox, OpenText and EDI.

• Lead on Service Definition, support routing, 1st, 2nd and 3rd line operating model, ensuring appropriate Enterprise Application teams, roles, capabilities and service management structures are in place.


• Contribute significantly on the definition of Enterprise Application departmental objectives and leading operational change to fulfil those objectives.


• Be Enterprise Applications business ambassador and work with IT SLT and senior business stakeholder on the identification of the long-term technology roadmap of buy vs build, evolving legacy bespoke developing to strategic COTS applications.


• Build key relationships with stakeholders ensuring Enterprise Applications can provide the right functional needs to underpin critical business operations.


• Provide functional guidance, leadership, line management and escalation to the Enterprise Applications team and other departments as needed.


• Define and report on Enterprise Applications service standards, ensuring appropriate service reviews are in place with stakeholders, including leadership in relevant forums.


• Evaluate the effectiveness of existing COTS applications and integrations and develop an enterprise applications workplan to realise improvements.


• Collaborate with other digital leaders and stakeholders to ensure that application and database systems meet organisational needs.


• Lead system-functional SME on the identification of how the Enterprise Applications platform can be better leveraged by the business.


• Identify, plan and lead initiatives around continuous improvement and efficiencies on Enterprise Applications as a Service to AO.


• Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations related to application management.


• Significantly contribute to the identification and mitigation of risks associated with Enterprise Applications.


• Plan, monitor and manage the relevant departmental budget of staffing, vendor and application licence costs.


• Relationship and contract onboard/manage key IT vendors encompassing on premise, SaaS and cloud hosted applications. Regularly assess the performance and value, bringing in other providers when needed.


• Significantly contribute to the production and review of supplier, SOW's, development specifications and service acceptance for both large strategic projects and smaller discreet development packages.


• Input into and ensure mechanisms are in place for service acceptance, application change management, service transition and liaise as needed with CABs and Delivery forums., Mobile Number

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  You will thrive on leading and managing specialised technical teams. You will have experience identifying and forming Enterprise Application development-roadmaps, organisational structures, target operating support models, ITSM service management capabilities, SLA, monitoring and a bias for customer service. You will have good experience leveraging emerging application functionality across business enterprises. You will be able to speak to and influence executive level stakeholders and inspire your teams. You will naturally lead on continual improvements identifying constraints and opportunity across people, enterprise process, vendor suppliers and technology. You will be experienced in conversations with business and technical leadership on buy vs build and influencing strategic application and integration IT strategies.
  
  You will be experienced in identification of key stakeholder and establish strong relationships, translating business opportunity into application needs. You will bring considerable technical, specialised, and managerial skills and knowledge from cross-cultural, multinational work structures. You will bring strong vendor and supplier management, having experience in vendor and application marketplace assessment, working up SOWs, managing vendors to MSA, programme/project plans and SLAs.
  
  Prior experience of Dynamics 365, AWS/Azure, embedding integration capabilities and/or other ERP/Enterprise Applications will be advantageous.
  
  You will have:
  
• Proven leadership and a strong focus to individually learn and improve yourself.


• High accountability, ownership and a bias to coaching and developing others.


• Enthusiasm about ensuring high performant teams and Enterprise Applications.


• Empathy and lead with a balance of authenticity, confidence and humility.


• Drive to collaborate on translating business strategy into technical and development capability.


• Confidence managing complex situations but also know when to ask for help.
  
  We're known for helping our customers brilliantly - and it's no different for AOers. We care about more than what's on your CV, because together we can do extraordinary things., AO is for everyone


We should all feel that we belong. That's why we are creating a welcoming and inclusive place to work.

We're proud to be different. From how we look to the way we talk to our customers, we skip to the beat of our very own drum. We know that being different together is our superpower and we celebrate it because it makes us stronger, more creative, and better at what we do.

We believe the people we employ should reflect the diversity of our customer base; that way, we can communicate in a way that recognises all backgrounds, races, ethnicities, genders, ages, religions, abilities, and sexual orientations.

And that's why we're asking these questions. Making sure our recruitment process is inclusive is a key part of what we're doing at AO to encourage diversity as an employer.

How will we use the data?

After we've collated the data, we'll look at the patterns to assess if we are inclusive at each stage. If it turns out that we aren't, then the data may help us identify where we can improve.

The data will never have any bearing on whether an application is successful or not and will not be available to hiring managers at any stage.
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Our benefits are designed to cover the moments that matter to AOers. From health and wellness to giving back - you'll be rewarded inside and outside of work.

• Our Value Creation Plan; We've created a unique long term bonus plan for every AOer to share in our success, giving you the opportunity of an exceptional reward in return for exceptional business performance.


• Holidays; 25 days, plus bank holidays (increasing to 27 days after 2 years with us!)


• Pension; Contribute 5% of your annual salary and we'll do the same, giving you a little extra support for the future.


• Be a VIP at the AO Arena; we have loads of opportunities to win free tickets and pre-sale access!


• Health & wellbeing; discounted gym membership, an onsite spa and our Help @ Hand scheme giving you access to virtual GP's, Mental Health support and much more.


• Discounts; exclusive discounts across our product range.


• Family leave; Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and Adoption leave.


• Making a difference; 2 fully paid days a year to donate your time to any charity of your choice.


• On site perks; start your day with free on site parking, grabbing a complimentary breakfast and a coffee at our subsidised Starbucks!