ERP Platforms Lead (Director) in Addlestone

CHEP helps move more goods to more people, in more places than any other organization on earth via our 347 million pallets, crates and containers. We employ approximately 13,000 people and operate in 60 countries. Through our pioneering and sustainable share-and-reuse business model, the world’s biggest brands trust us to help them transport their goods more efficiently, safely and with less environmental impact.

The principal purpose of the ERP Platform Lead role is to direct the creation of value through enterprise resource planning applications through quality, performance and value-driven governance thus aligning our ERP platforms function across the business to promote and facilitate optimisation, stability, security, and efficiency. You’ll be responsible for direct management of Brambles ERP technologies and teams while driving platform strategies considering business priorities and external market innovation in the function. Brambles core ERP applications are the backbone of the organization supporting Finance, Inventory Management, Supply Chain and other critical business functions.

As part of this role, the ERP Platforms Lead is accountable for the day-to-day execution of platform services including development, data governance, platform support, and strategic direction across the Brambles landscape. You'll be accountable for the evaluation and monitoring of all ERP services required, linking the business benefits created by resilient, responsive, and stable platform usage consumed by a growing Brambles global business user base. In addition, you will be accountable to collaborate with the wider TS organization (primarily the Finance, Supply Chain function) on portfolio demand and delivery performance metrics.

You will maintain, incorporate, and provide facilitation of governance methods, standards, and principles across all processes and capabilities relative to SAP ERP platforms. These methods, standards, and principles will be developed, adopted, and embedded by the wider platform, product and analytics teams across all business units looking to integrate ERP data with complimentary systems and people.

Governance processes and practices include as a minimum: ERP service management, vendor selection and management, risk management, ERP technologies roadmap and platform management (upgrades and modernization), service catalogue, project support, and reporting.

Key Responsibilities May Include:

• Define and implement a platform strategy that is aligned with overall strategic ambitions and prioritization of the business.
• Own and manage the ongoing relationship with existing and potential technology partners and vendors relating to your suite of platform(s).
• Partner with the business and other team members to capture, understand and solution any additional functional requirements or enhancements.
• Identify and lead execution of process improvement or automation opportunities across the organisation in general and across your platform portfolio in particular.
• Provide end to end oversight of initiatives, with accountability for planning and implementation through to configuration including project management, support and issue management.
• Lead the market research and recommendation of new platforms, software and training, ensuring business cases are built to warrant investment.

Major / Key Accountabilities:

• Provide strong leadership and direction by setting clear objectives and priorities with alignment with the Finance and Supply Chain programme functions by defining SAP ERP platform services, strategies, and roadmaps and communicating to applicable ERP audiences.
• Constructively partner with functional business leadership and other key stakeholders to shape strategy, identify opportunities, leverage industry trends, develop, deliver, and implement value-added solutions that drive financial effectiveness, simplification and/or improve ERP services.
• Develop delivery best practices and principles, and a culture of service excellence across Technology Services, Data & Digital, Finance, Supply Chain, and the wider organisation.
• Advise and provide direction of performance measurement metrics to support the operational objectives of existing and new ERP platform services.
• Provide strong technical coaching while influencing global technology adoption.
• Drive and enable a strong partnership across all platform/product support and development teams within, and external to, Technology Services ensuring applications are consistent, scalable, and secure.
• Maintain and drive vendor/partner relationships at the highest levels through performance metrics and action plans.
• Act as the single point of contact and escalation point for incidents which run across ERP platforms and own process improvement protocols post-major incidents ensuring process uplift where appropriate leveraging internal/external resources.
• Work collaboratively across platform teams and the various platform and product owners to identify the best areas for continuous improvement.
• Meet Brambles internal governance, policy/process requirements, (e.g., financial planning, procurement, internal audit, people, and policies).
• Develop an effective organisational structure in place which enables delivery of key initiatives.
• Recruit, develop, motivate, develop, and retain a technical proficient team through talent management, succession planning, and skill development.
• Develop and execute an effective risk framework for the ERP platforms.
• Successful delivery of initiative milestones on time, within budget, and to agreed success criteria.

Qualifications:

• Bachelors or degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, or related field. Masters degree preferred or equivalent combination of education/experience.

Experience:

• 12+ years experience managing or influencing technical staff, transformation, and/or significant business as usual change projects.
• Proven success in ERP design, strategy, and defining delivery best practices and linking Business Platforms with the objectives of the Brambles business.
• Strong experience with Finance, Pricing & Invoicing, Inventory Management, and back-office business processes.
• Experience with cradle to grave support, implementation, and delivery of ERP applications.
• Experience managing SaaS applications and partners including delivery capacity.
• Experience migrating to new and migrating off existing ERP platforms required (e.g. SAP, tax and reporting, niche packaged applications, etc).
• Experience with custom ERP applications supporting business requirements utilizing cloud native services (e.g. AWS, Azure).
• Strong experience leading remote, cross-functional, matrixed teams across multiple continents within a multi-partner ecosystem that deliver successful outcomes.
• Proven track record of building relationships and thought leadership influencing at senior management/executive-level within large organisations and of building and managing excellent business-wide relationships at all levels of an organisation.
• Functional understanding of application financial management, business case development, and annual budget preparation.
• Advanced interpersonal communications, with strong executive focused (and multi-audience) presentational creation and design skills.

Remote Type: Hybrid Remote

Skills to succeed in the role: Adaptability, Cross-Functional Work, Data-Driven Decision Making, Digital Literacy, Emotional Intelligence, Feedback, Inclusive Leadership, Innovation, Learn From Mistakes, Mentorship, Motivating Teams, Prioritization, Stakeholder Engagement, Talent Development.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we are committed to developing a diverse workforce in which everyone is treated fairly, with respect, and has the opportunity to contribute to business success while realizing his or her potential. This means harnessing the unique skills and experience that each individual brings and we do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state, or local protected class.