Director of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

ABOUT THE ROLE:

This is a senior level position within the Information Technology department. The successful candidate will define and lead the City’s long range strategic ERP goals. This position reports to the Chief Information Officer and works closely with executive leadership in the HR and Finance departments. The ideal candidate will have strong leadership, organizational, and communication skills, and possess a strong working knowledge of systems and software for enterprise resource planning and management. This highly visible position demands a strong customer service mindset, a proactive, solutions-focused approach, and the ability to lead a high-performing team while engaging end-users to ensure seamless system integration and user satisfaction. Exceptional communication, presentation, negotiation, and program management skills, along with attention to detail, are essential for success in this role.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

The specific duties of the position include but are not limited to the following:

• Collaborates across departments to identify and implement best practices, and provide recommendations, extending beyond the application, to topics around overall systems architecture and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) strategy.
• Develops and maintains a comprehensive ERP roadmap and strategy aligned with the organization's long-term goals and objectives.
• Leads and manages the ERP team, and oversee system upgrades, including planning, testing, and deployment, to ensure system reliability, compatibility with emerging technologies, and successful outcomes.
• Provides supervision and guidance to the ERP team, reviewing work schedules, assigning tasks and duties, providing leadership, managing customer relations, and reviewing work to ensure high-quality outputs and team performance.
• Advises and provides decision options to the leadership team, leveraging expertise in ERP systems and strategic planning.
• Streamlines business processes, identify automation opportunities, and drive continuous improvement initiatives in collaboration with cross-functional teams, fostering innovation and leveraging emerging technologies to optimize system functionality and user experience.
• Stays up to date with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in ERP systems, recommending innovative solutions to enhance system functionality, scalability, and user experience.
• Manages strategic vendor partnerships to ensure effective communication and collaboration; responsible for escalating critical issues to enhance service quality and operational efficiency.
• Cultivates a strong customer service mindset by proactively engaging and supporting end-users, anticipating their needs, addressing concerns, and ensuring a positive, solutions-focused experience. Develops resources, training, and support mechanisms to enhance user adoption, satisfaction, and overall system effectiveness.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of comprehensive documentation, training materials, and standard operating procedures related to ERP systems, ensuring effective knowledge transfer, user adoption, and adherence to compliance requirements.
• Provides regular progress reports to senior management and stakeholders, making strategic adjustments to the project plan as necessary.
• Continuously evaluates current business processes, identify opportunities for process improvements, and automate labor-intensive manual tasks, driving operational efficiency and productivity.
• Gathers and analyzes requirements, create design/functional documents, collaborate with application developers, document test scripts and results, support user testing, and ensure end-to-end project execution, adhering to project management best practices.
• Engages business units to identify requests for change in functionality/configuration and understanding broader impact of such requests, supports cost analysis and prioritizes approvals.
• Researches, conducts root cause analysis and resolves system and/or interface related issues. Work with third party vendors and technical resources to resolve PeopleSoft issues.
• Ensures strict adherence to municipal, financial, and HR policies, standards, and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Establish relationships with neighboring communities to share best practices and tips for ERP modernization.
• Performs other related duties as required.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Education and Experience:

• A bachelor's degree in information technology is required, with a master’s degree preferred.
• A minimum of 7 years of relevant experience, including supervisory experience, is required with extensive experience in leading and managing complex ERP implementations, preferably in large-scale organizations, demonstrating a successful track record of delivering projects on time and within budget.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong project management skills, including the ability to effectively plan, coordinate, and execute ERP projects, managing resources, risks, and stakeholder expectations.
• In-depth knowledge of industry-leading ERP systems, such as SAP, Workday, Oracle, or Microsoft Dynamics, in addition to PeopleSoft, with a focus on leveraging their capabilities to drive business objectives and operational excellence.
• Proven experience in business process reengineering, change management, and organizational transformation within an ERP environment, driving efficiencies, and maximizing the value of ERP investments.
• Demonstrated leadership skills, including team mentoring, collaboration, and stakeholder influence at all organizational levels, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Professional certifications related to ERP systems, such as Workday Implementation, Partner/Oracle/PeopleSoft/SAP certifications, are highly desirable, demonstrating a commitment to professional growth and expertise in specific ERP platforms.
• Familiarity with cloud-based ERP solutions and experience in overseeing the migration of on-premises ERP systems to the cloud, leveraging the scalability, flexibility, and security of cloud technologies.
• Expertise in translating technical literature into business language, effectively communicating complex concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Customer service orientation and solutions-focused mindset, with a proactive approach to identifying and addressing end-user needs, ensuring support, training, and engagement that enhance system usability and user satisfaction.
• The City of Cambridge's workforce, like the community it serves, is diverse, and candidates must demonstrate the knowledge and the ability to work effectively with individuals and groups with a variety of identities, cultures, backgrounds and ideologies.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification.
• Proficiency in PeopleTools (Application Engine, Component Interface, Integration Broker, PeopleCode, Application Classes, SQR, Data Mover tool, BI Publisher, Fluid Framework).
• Demonstrated experience leading ERP implementation from legacy systems to modern, cloud-based platforms.
• Experience in municipal or union-based organizations, including an understanding of collective bargaining units and employee policies, is desirable, demonstrating an ability to navigate complex organizational structures and compliance requirements.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Ability to access, input, and retrieve information from a computer. Answer telephones and maintain multiple files. Must read and analyze large quantities of information. May require travel to get back and forth from office to offsite meetings. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Work is conducted primarily in an office environment with fluorescent lighting, air conditioning, computers, and other standard office equipment, but also involves meetings in other offices or facilities. This position may be eligible for hybrid work under the City's new Telework Policy, depending on operational needs.