Applications Group Manager - Technical EDI

Purpose of the Position

Advances Simmons Foods information management capabilities by planning, designing, managing, administering, initiating the analysis, installation, maintenance and enhancement of new and existing systems, programs, and technology that meet the needs of the company.

Essential Position Responsibilities

Manages IS Software Development Staff: Manages and evaluates Senior and Technical Applications Developers, Analysts for EDI staff. Assigns projects and tasks and assists with planning and documentation. Facilitates training and professional development for staff. Mentors’ business systems staff and evaluates their performance. Interviews and contribute effectively to the hiring of new business systems staff. Manages the work of business systems contractors and 3rd party consulting resources.

Develops Applications: Works closely with business leaders to understand their requirements and to manage the necessary systems and software development. Manages multiple projects/tasks simultaneously. Develops comprehensive implementation plans and work schedules. Effectively executes, controls and monitors projects; reports project status via written reports and presentations. Develops training materials and delivers business systems applications training.

Manages Software: Responsible for the ongoing maintenance of existing systems purchased or developed. Directs expert level functional analysis and day-to-day user support on both purchased applications and custom developed software. Evaluates legacy systems and plans for migration from deprecated standards to current. Coordinates with senior management, other Applications Group Managers, technicians, and development staff deployment and patching of software and systems. Continuously improves services provided to business systems users.

Provides end user assistance: Assists with support activities and resolves top level escalated issues if necessary. Defines new ways to increase internal client satisfaction and improve internal working relationships.

Evaluates Software Systems: Responsible for evaluating any proposed software purchases and new development initiatives to ensure adherence with company standards. Analyzes business and system processes and suggests process improvements using business systems applications and tools. Manages the evaluation and selection (user requirements gathering, RFP, proposal review, software demonstration, etc.) of new business systems applications.

Participates in IS Strategic Planning: Participates in IS road map development for future systems, upgrades, IS standards, resource allocation, and budgeting. Consults with IS Senior management on project scheduling and solution development. Coordinates with senior management on IS policies and procedures.

Manages employees. Directs and supervises employees’ work activities and monitors work performance. Collaborates with Human Resources to screen, interview and hire candidates. Administers disciplinary actions and recommends performance improvement actions in collaboration with the HR Manager. Monitors work performance and recommends compensation decisions based on guidelines. Follows Simmons values to develop and maintain a favorable working relationship with all employees. Promotes a cooperative and harmonious environment to facilitate

positive employee morale, productivity, and continued improvement.

Participates as a member of the Team. Participates in the ongoing development, communication and implementation of team concepts, programs and policies; coordinates work to ensure best practices with all team members. Attends appropriate team meetings. As a member of the Team, fosters strong cohesiveness regarding all major issues, e.g., direction, annual plan, budget, policy changes, etc. Accepts responsibility to quickly identify any areas that lack cohesiveness, bringing them to the attention of the team leader and working with the team in a supportive manner to resolve issues and actively look for ways, and reinforce actions needed, to achieve synergy possible within the larger organization.

Simmons Operating systems principles and objectives: Is familiar with Simmons’ established operating systems (e.g. quality, security, office environment, company policies, LEAN); understands the responsibility to maintain familiarity with the systems and this position’s role in support of these systems - including a consideration of the impact of individual actions on the systems and the responsibility to communicate concerns and improvement ideas.

Performs other duties as necessary in support of business objectives: This position description is intended to guide the activities of the person in this position and is not intended to limit the thinking and creativity of the person as to the work of this function nor is it intended that this describe all the work that may be required of the person in this position.

Physical Activities: Enters and locates information on a computer. Visually verifies information, often in small print. Communicates with Customers, Vendors, or Employees via telephone, in person, and/or electronic mail. May present information to small or large groups.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): As required by visiting facility.

Travel: Two to Three offsite classes or conferences per year. Travel to Simmons facilities. Passport required.

Technical Experience: At least 10 years extensive experience with applicable ERP systems and technical development tools. 5 years management EDI experience preferred. Experience with data warehouses or other business intelligence systems is a plus. Software Architecture includes databases, operating systems, and user interfaces.

Preferred Technical Experience: 

• Manage and lead Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) initiatives in alignment with Simmons ERP transformation and future-state initiatives
• Expert knowledge of EDI Partner setup and testing processes
• Experience working with EDI ANSI-X12 and Grocery standards
• Hands on experience of EDI automation End-to-End processing routines across Order Management, Supplier Management, Warehousing, Transportation, and Finance.
• Knowledge and experience working with EDI service providers (preferably SPS) on partner setup, mapping, integration, testing, and implementation.
• Ability to develop methodology and lead conversion and migration of EDI partners from legacy Oracle JDE & EBS systems to 3rd Party EDI provider and Oracle Cloud Fusion
• Ability to build relationships and have a customer-oriented approach working with internal Simmons Business Team and external Simmons partners to support and grow EDI capabilities.
• Experience and ability to develop EDI metrics and dashboarding to track EDI volume, EDI Partner Management, and EDI transactional processing.
• Experience and ability of developing and executing plans to establish new EDI processes across business functions
• Develop and implement a cohesive EDI support methodology and on-call processes
• Facilitate and manage the EDI roadmap for future-state EDI processes and solutions

Industry Experience: Experience in the manufacturing sector or food processing sectors preferred. Minimum Education: Bachelor’s degree in IS or related field, or 4 years related work experience.

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