Business Applications Manager

The Business Applications Manager is a key leader in the Enterprise Business Services (EBS) organization. In this role the manager will lead a team of Business Analysts to ensure the strategy and vision of the Financial Shared Services is clearly defined, communicated and business systems efforts prioritized.  Additionally in this role, the manager will lead the Quality Assurance function focused on testing strategies, approaches and leveraging industry best practices for testing SAP and related business systems.  This role will partner with key business stakeholders, functional managers, business units and EBS Leadership to establish and measure standard requirement and testing processes to ensure efficiency, business engagement and high-quality delivery.  The Business Applications Manager will be responsible for creating an engaged accountable culture through mentoring, coaching, and providing overall leadership for the team.

Essential Functions

To perform this job successfully, an employee must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily, with or without reasonable accommodation. To request a reasonable accommodation, notify Human Resources or the manager who oversees the position.

Strategy and Planning:

• Develop and establish business analysis and quality strategies, process improvement initiatives and the associated metrics for measuring improvement and growth within the department.

• Identify, recommend, and implement best practices regarding business analysis and testing that ensure business requirements are understood, business is highly engaged, and business disruption is minimized as changes migrate across the business systems landscape.

• Serve as the Business Analyst and Quality Assurance liaison with cross-functional leaders to ensure alignment with strategic direction and activities; develop strong working relationships with cross-functional leaders and senior management.

Operational Management:

• Educate and socialize in-take and prioritization processes, requirements gathering processes and testing strategies and approaches across the team, functional managers, business and EBS leadership.

• Verify and revise business requirement and quality assurance processes, standards and methodologies as needed, including change control processes, practices, and guidelines – look to continuously improve in-take process, requirements gathering, test coverage, automation and overall early defect identification.

• Plan and supervise staff assignments and activities to support the requirements gathering phases and project testing cycle needs as well as the on-going release cycles ensuring these activities support the business and department goals.

• Act as a liaison with other departments to communicate departmental goals and progress, and other relevant information to senior management and cross-functional peers.

• Develop, implement, and maintain policies, procedures, and associated training plans for Business Analysts.

• Identify and communicate project and release risks as well as mitigation plans to business and EBS leadership as appropriate.

People Management:

• Manages direct reports including the hiring, development, performance management, goal setting, and other managerial duties. 

• Ensures direct reports are aware of and follow established business policies, practices, and Company’s Code of Conduct to create a supportive and productive working environment. 

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Computer Science Management Information Systems; or a combination of equivalent education and experience

• Minimum of 8 years’ combined experience as a Business Analyst responsible for the design, development, and implementation of standards and processes

• At least 2 years’ experience leading projects; management experience preferred

• Proven ability to establish and drive strategic and tactical initiatives while providing effective conflict resolution when necessary

• Project management skills and/or substantial exposure to project-based work structures

• Strong customer service, oral and written communication skills

• Extensive experience with ERP business applications such as SAP

• Proven data analysis, data verification, analytical and problem-solving abilities

• Experience with statistical reporting and analysis

• Excellent understanding of the organization’s goals and objectives

• Ability to present ideas in user-friendly language

Travel and On-call

• This position requires minimal travel (10%) in a national area.

• This position could have possibilities of on call situations.

This role has an expectation of coming into the corporate office in Mendota Heights, MN for team meetings once a week.