Enterprise Application Manager at KPMG South Africa

Background:

The Information Technology Services Business Unit of KPMG SA is responsible for providing specialist services that support the business objectives and strategy of the firm. It bridges the gap between technology and business and facilitates innovative and effective use of technology and improved communication.  It oversees software and hardware, asset procurement and management, end user support, application development, reporting, systems analysis and networking.

Purpose of position:

Lead the development of the Enterprise Application strategy and roadmap and ensure the teams integration with the overall IT and enterprise strategic plans through coordination with the CIO, and other IT and Business leaders. Responsible for key decisions and deliverables within the integration domain, and specifically oversee the effective solution of the platform with the internal and external development partners.

The IT Enterprise applications manager is responsible for managing the operational support, maintenance, and development activities for KPMG business applications. The position combines managerial responsibilities with in-depth hands-on technical expertise. The manager is responsible for appropriate staffing, staff management, performance management, and continuous service improvement.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITES:

• Promote Enterprise Architect (EA) strategies within Information Technology Services (ITS), the functions and member firms.

• Provide insights into the organization’s current state architectures, especially in supporting future state architectures developed within business strategy workshops and needs of the lines of business.

• Own and drive the vision for business functionality delivery through the integration of services rather than monolithic applications, and the capabilities within the team to provide an effective integration services and processes

• Act as a voice of authority for the integration domain and the promotion of systems and application practices allowing for effective integration

• Provide leadership, vision, and direction to the Enterprise Applications organization to foster a business-oriented culture to ensure alignment and contribution to the company and functional goals and objectives

• Provide leadership, direction, and day-to-day oversight to the Enterprise IT Applications teams (including staffing, budgeting, user support, and other relevant management and administrative functions)

• Develop and control the annual operating and capital expenditure budget for the team to ensure it is consistent with the strategic objectives and aligned to the plan

• Pursue and builds relationships across business and technical teams to better understand the utilization and prioritization of capabilities

• Develop various formal and informal artifacts to communicate the vision, roadmap, architectural decisions, patterns, adopted reference standards, etc.

• Drive consistency in architecture patterns and building blocks. Enable readiness to adopt standards, principles, and models

• Help support of architectural governance and enable consistent adoption of standards, principles, and models.

• Assesses user needs to provide support and proactive service, including analysis of opportunities in order to take advantage of available tools.

• Acts as a focal point for communicating related system problems within the department and collaborates with other teams and vendors on changes, fixes, and updates.

• Manages the release process for applications which includes effective department wide and end user communication 

• Identifies opportunities for improvement.

• Negotiates resolution of conflicting requirements across the business and/or departments.

• Sets and measures performance objectives and provides regular one-on-one feedback to all members of the team.

• Hires and evaluates the performance of direct reports and provides ongoing coaching and staff development.

• Addresses individual staff performance problems as needed.

• Manages delivery and SLAs by guiding incident resolution, problem management, maintenance, and enhancement tickets raised by the end users for assigned applications.

• Develops relevant metrics, measures, and publishes the performance of the services provided and enables continuous improvement activities in collaboration with peer groups 

• Works closely with the ITS Leadership Team in identifying, evaluating, selecting, and implementing specific information technologies that support the business plans and ITS strategy. 

• Ensure department adheres to policies and procedures that are compliant with industry and regulatory policies. 

• Prepares analysis and or proposals for other infrastructure departments when necessary.

• Serves as an internal consultant to other IT management staff and operations community as needed. 

• Develop and maintain an effective support structure.

• Provides ongoing troubleshooting, support, and maintenance of applications.

Person specification:

Relevant skills and qualifications

• A Bachelor's degree in computer science, management information systems, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and work experience is required.

• Minimum eight years of enterprise architect experience; preferably from a professional services firm

• Experience in Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS).

• Experience in Oracle Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA).

• Experience in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

• Experience in Data Warehousing (ETL) methodologies and database management

• Experience in Data Visualisation through Microsoft Power BI

• Excellent communications, written and verbal skills and aids in training and presenting

• Confidence in dealing with staff, managers, and partners across the firm

• Consulting or client facing experience advantages

• Industry standard certificates such as TOGAF 9 Certification and or ArchiMate 3 Certification preferred

• Demonstrable experience of full lifecycle implementations for small to medium sized projects.

• Knowledge and understanding of goals and the interdependencies of functional departments and groups and the ability to lead large-scale complex IT projects in addressing overall business needs. 

• Knowledge and ability to direct staff in integrating information technology services with the work requirements and deliverables of the unit. 

• Knowledge of informational technology disciplines, e.g., system design, development, implementation, software applications and interfaces, production operations, quality assurance and systems management, etc. 

• Excellent written, oral, instructional, presentation, and interpersonal skills focused on motivation and positive attitude

• Highly self-motivated, directed, and change oriented

• Ability to handle confrontation with appropriate grace, professionalism, cordiality, and firmness, and manage/resolve disputes appropriately 

• Ability to communicate concepts in elegant, concise, eloquent form to management and to cross-functional departments or teams verbally, in writing, and through pictures or diagrams when appropriate 

• Knowledge of new technologies (in specific field) and maintain and stay abreast of updates and changes.

• Experience of leading on own initiative and working effectively with a team

• Experience of working with a diverse range of individuals and organisational units

• Demonstrated skill in developing automated business systems

• Ability to communicate technical information to a non-technical audience

• Knowledge of cost modelling principles

• Experience preparing workflow analyses

• Knowledge of user support principles and practices.

• Ability to effectively prioritise and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment is crucial.

Personal Attributes

• Strong organisation skills: a self-starter with initiative, ability to foster innovation and a common-sense approach to problem solving.

• The ability to build collaborative relationship with good interpersonal skills and the ability to relate well to colleagues with differing levels of expertise and skills while championing inclusion and diversity

• Able to maintain a friendly, professional manner when liaising with clients, even in challenging situations.

• The ability to work well under pressure and to perform to deadlines.

• Sound decision making ability with the ability to consult where needed

• Focus on continuous improvement within the ITS function while advancing an ethical environment

• High level of attention to detail and a desire to drive quality.