Senior Director: Application Support at NTT Ltd.

Key Roles and Responsibilities:

• Leadership and Strategy: Develop and implement the strategic vision and direction for the application support function. Align support services with organizational goals and objectives. Lead and mentor a team of application support managers and professionals.
• Service Delivery Management: Ensure the effective delivery of application support services, including incident management, problem resolution, and service requests. Establish and enforce service level agreements (SLAs) to meet customer expectations. Monitor and report on service performance metrics.
• Resource Management: Allocate and manage resources to ensure appropriate coverage and availability of support services. Monitor workload and capacity to optimize resource utilization. Provide guidance and support to team members, promoting professional growth and development.
• Collaboration and Stakeholder Management: Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including application development, infrastructure, and business stakeholders, to ensure smooth operation and support of applications. Establish strong relationships with key stakeholders and act as a liaison between support teams and other departments.
• Incident and Problem Management: Oversee the incident and problem management process for application support, ensuring timely resolution and minimizing impact on business operations. Facilitate root cause analysis and contribute to the development of preventive measures.
• Change and Release Management: Collaborate with the change management and release management teams to ensure smooth deployment of application changes and releases. Review and approve change requests, assessing potential impact on application support.
• Vendor Management: Manage relationships with third-party vendors and service providers involved in application support. Evaluate vendor performance, negotiate contracts, and ensure compliance with service level agreements.
• Continuous Improvement and Best Practices: Identify opportunities for process improvement and operational efficiency. Implement best practices and industry standards to enhance the quality and effectiveness of application support services. Stay updated with emerging technologies and trends in application support.
• Budget Management: Develop and manage the budget for the application support function. Monitor expenses and ensure cost-effective delivery of support services. Identify and justify investments in tools, technologies, and resources to improve support capabilities.
• Risk and Compliance: Ensure compliance with security, privacy, and regulatory requirements in the context of application support. Identify and mitigate risks related to application availability, performance, and data integrity.

Knowledge, Skills, and Attributes:

• Strong understanding of application support processes, methodologies, and best practices.
• Excellent leadership and people management skills, with a track record of building and developing high-performing teams.
• Experience in managing support for enterprise-level applications, preferably in a complex and dynamic environment.
• Strong collaboration and stakeholder management skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams and senior management.
• In-depth knowledge of incident management, problem management, and change management practices.
• Familiarity with ITIL framework and IT service management principles.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess situations, make decisions, and drive problem resolution.
• Experience in managing vendor relationships and contracts.
• Familiarity with budget management and financial acumen.

Academic Qualifications and Certifications:

• Bachelor's or master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• Relevant certifications, such as ITIL Foundation or PMP, are beneficial.

Required Experience:

• Extensive experience in application support, including leadership roles with increasing levels of responsibility.
• 10 + years experience in application support management