Business Applications Manager

SunSource and its family of companies represent 200+ locations and 3,000+ employees making up one of North America’s leading value-add industrial distribution companies.  We provide customers with products and solutions within Fluid Power, Fluid Process, Fluid Conveyance, General Industrial Components, and Industrial Service & Repair. www.sun-source.com The Business Applications Manager leads and coordinates the development, support, and continuous improvement of multiple ERP platforms. They are responsible for managing three distinct Business Analyst teams to deliver scalable, efficient, and business-aligned ERP solutions across various departments, including Sales, Inventory, Finance, and Supply Chain. In this role the Business Applications Manager will collaborate with teams of application developers and business leaders to implement new innovative application systems and enhance existing systems to overcome business challenges, expand capabilities and efficiencies. The overall objective of this role is to drive applications systems analysis and support programming deliverables that deliver competitive advantages. The successful candidate must be a good communicator, able to forge alliances with business leaders, juggle multiple priorities, and meet deadlines. As a member of the IT Team, the role will be located in either Addison, Illinois or Houston, Texas office and will report to the UDG CIO. Responsibilities & Qualifications · Lead and manage three ERP development teams, each supporting a different platform (SX.e, P21, Mincron). · Evolve applications team best practices, processes, documentation and capabilities within: · Testing, PM, QA, Agile & Scrum, Functional specification and requirements. · Develop and execute a unified ERP applications strategy while aligning each platform’s roadmap with business objectives. · Develop and execute a unified ERP applications strategy while aligning each platform’s roadmap with business objectives. · Provide coaching, mentoring, and performance management for Developers and BAs · Responsible for Demand Management and the In-take processes · Will manage critical business applications through the life cycle, maintaining evergreen ERP environments (i.e. Roadmaps, ERP upgrades, and consolidations) · Manage and improve KPIs around automation and team delivery · Responsible for Strategic Planning & Execution · Manage and improve Agile and Iterative Development Practices\ · Business Process Mapping / Functional & Technical Requirements · Oversee end-to-end ERP software development lifecycle (requirements gathering, design, development, testing, deployment, support). · Coordinate cross-functional projects involving multiple ERP systems and business units. · Ensure solutions are compliant with corporate standards, scalable, and aligned with enterprise architecture. · Partner with business leaders to translate business needs into effective ERP enhancements or new capabilities. · Serve as the primary point of contact for ERP application escalations and critical incident resolution. · Change Management & Control · Guide the teams in leveraging APIs, middleware, and integration tools to streamline operations across disparate systems. · Vendor Resource & Contract Management · Liaise with ERP vendors (Infor, Epicor, Kerridge) for support, licensing, upgrades, and product roadmaps. · Manage external consultants and third-party resources when required. Key Competencies · Must have a deep understanding of ERP development lifecycles, · Must have excellent leadership and communication skills, and the ability to work cross-functionally with IT, business stakeholders, and external partners. · Hands-on experience with: Infor SX.e, Epicor P21, or Kerridge Mincron. · Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent ERP projects or development teams. · Strong understanding of business processes in distribution, inventory management, supply chain, and finance. · Proven track record of Optimizing Distribution Operations through the successful implementation and advancement of Operational Best Practices including (Pricing, Working Capital, Freight) & Automation opportunities · Experience with enterprise application ecosystems and third-party applications (i.e. EDI, Tax, Document Management, VMI, Finance Apps, etc.) · Familiarity with SQL-based development, REST/SOAP APIs, scripting, and ERP-specific toolsets. Pro2SQL, Progress Database. General Education and Experience · Bachelor’s degree in computer science, or related discipline; Master’s preferred. · 7+ years of experience in ERP application development or support. · 5+ years in a team leadership or management role · Strong Experience with P21 (highly desired), SAP, Oracle, Infor or JDE · Direct experience managing cross-platform ERP environments (e.g., transitioning between or integrating multiple ERPs). · Exposure to ERP modernization projects, cloud migrations, or custom module development. · Understanding of warehouse management, inventory management, procurement, order processing, and customer relationship workflows as handled within ERP systems. · Experience in developing detailed business requirements/needs analysis/gap analysis · Experience with application development methodologies Agile and/or Waterfall preferred · Strong Excel and/or MS SQL Query capabilities preferred · Proven success in ERP implementations, upgrades, maintenance and/or support · Knowledge of business process flows in an ERP system is required · Knowledge of ERP system configuration and security is preferred · After hours availability and travel are occasionally required