Head of ERP

Job Purpose:

The Head of ERP will be responsible for leading the strategic direction, implementation, and management of the company’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.

Initially this will involve overseeing the transition from Microsoft Dynamics AX to Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365). The role will ensure the successful rollout of D365 across all remaining supply chain centres while maintaining operational continuity for the legacy AX platform until decommissioning.

This is a leadership role and requires close collaboration with internal stakeholders across the supply chain and Finance, and external partners to drive business transformation, process optimisation, and technology excellence.

Key Responsibilities/Job Tasks:

Please list the most important responsibilities (with a breakdown of Frequency against each e.g, sometimes, often, considerable etc).

Strategy & vision:

·       In line with the overall CITO strategy direction, develop and communicate a clear ERP strategy

·       Drive business transformation initiatives, leveraging D365’s capabilities to enhance operational efficiency.

·       Establish ERP governance frameworks, ensuring compliance with industry best practices and regulatory requirements.

·       Establish the maturity baseline of the Capability and work to improve this through formal external accreditations.

Department Leadership:

·       Lead and mentor internal ERP teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and accountability.

·       Manage relationships across departments (Supply Chain, Finance, IT, Operations) to align ERP objectives with business needs.

·       Define and govern the Capability’s operating model and ensure it is followed by the team.

·       Establish procedures, quality standards, quality gates and ensure these are adhered to by internal and external teams through inspections, analysis and monitoring against agreed targets.

·       Promote a culture of collaboration, learning, and continuous improvement based on data.

·       Foster a positive and inclusive work environment, encouraging open communication and cross-functional teamwork between Testers, the Business and other IT teams.

·       Proactively develop the ERP roadmap and related business cases to secure its funding.

·       Work closely with the Testing, Delivery and Business teams to plan, coordinate, and oversee project deliveries and enhancements.

·       Continuously optimise and introduce process and cost efficiencies.

Budget Management:

·       Develop and manage the Capability’s budget, ensuring cost-effective solutions and optimal resource allocation.

·       Oversee vendor and partner contracts, negotiating terms to achieve value-driven outcomes.

·       Work closely with the Finance team to track spend and ensure adherence to the budget.

·       Forecast and submit annual budgets requests with supporting business cases as needed.

Competency Excellence:

·       Define, implement, and continuously improve ERP standards, frameworks, and best practices across all channels and functions.

·       Implement effective quality assurance processes to maintain the highest level of systems quality and performance across internal systems and dependent vendor platforms.

·       Work with Business teams to monitor and analyse user feedback, identify pain points, and drive improvements to enhance user satisfaction.

Delivery Focus:

·       Ensure the timely and successful implementation of D365 across all sites, meeting key milestones and business objectives.

·       Manage risks and dependencies, proactively addressing challenges to prevent project delays.

·       Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Delivery Management, Platform Engineering, Architecture, InfoSec and the Business to size, plan and govern delivery initiatives to ensure deliveries are completed on-time, scope, and in-budget.

·       Monitor progress, identify delivery risks, and implement mitigation strategies to ensure successful delivery.

·       Input to delivery roadmaps ensuring resource is available when needed.

Technical Direction:

·       Oversee system architecture, integrations, and data migration strategies from AX to D365.

·       Work with Architecture, Platform Engineering and business teams to optimise ERP performance, security, and scalability.

·       Ensure adherence to technical and data governance.

·       Define and drive for business automation to further optimise processes.

Operational Focus:

·       Adopt an ‘always-on’ approach to protect business operations and ensure business continuity by managing the stability and support of both D365 and legacy AX systems during transition.

·       Develop plans and take proactive action to protect system stability especially during peak periods.

·       Ensure personal availability to lead the resolution of major production incidents.

·       Work with IT teams and Partners to provide detailed Root Cause Analysis reports for key production incidents and ensure lessons learnt are implemented.

·       Drive continuous improvement initiatives, optimising workflows and automating manual processes.

Partner Management:

·       Manage relationships with implementation/support partners, system integrators, and third-party vendors.

·       Monitor partner performance, ensuring contractual obligations and SLAs are met.

·       Foster strong collaboration between internal teams and external partners to drive successful project outcomes.

·       Ensure relevant trackers are in place to manage Time & Materials based Partner resources.

·       Onboard and exit Partner resources in line with Company policy.

·       Manage relationships with Partners ensuring delivery to standards/KPIs, within timescales, budget and established governance.

Data Driven:

·       Define, track and trend relevant metrics to assess the effectiveness of initiatives and identify areas for improvement

·       Use data-driven insights to make informed decisions and identify areas for improvement.

Compliance and Risk Management:

·       Maintain and progress the ERP risk register to ensure appropriate mitigation is in place and stability improvements are being progressed by the relevant teams.

·       Ensure ERP systems comply with financial, operational, and data security regulations.

·       Adhere to corporate IT policies and standards, implementing best practices in system governance.

·       Action audit findings and reviews to ensure compliance.

The main areas of responsibility are not intended to be exhaustive but gives a general indication of the role. It is the nature of the Company that tasks and responsibilities are in many circumstances, unpredictable and varied. All colleagues are therefore, expected to work in a flexible way when the occasion arises and acknowledge that tasks not specifically covered in their role profile are not excluded.

Due to the Seniority of this role, in some scenarios, it may become necessary for this person to deputise for the CITO at short notice.