Business Systems Lead in Bristol

We're building the UK's next generation engineering powerhouse, providing critical technology that strengthens national security and resilience. We specialise in turning advances in sensing, AI, and communications into operational capability for the edge, where connectivity may be degraded or denied. Our work focuses on accelerating the deployment of technology, improving decision-making for frontline teams, and protecting people and critical assets in demanding environments.

Headquartered in Bristol, Rowden employs around 200 people and operates over 20,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing facilities. We have a growing international footprint and are one of Europe's fastest-growing engineering businesses.

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to shape the business systems that support Rowden’s growth. Working within the Platforms team, you will own our ERP and broader business application roadmap. Installation and technical support sit with IT. Your remit is the layers above that: processes, data, integrations, and user experience.

You will own the ERP end-to-end: configuration, release and update cycles, feature uplift, master data, and the processes running through it. You’ll understand how the system is configured and how it delivers value across the business.

You will drive the adoption of agentic AI throughout the business functions (finance, supply chain, manufacturing, projects, people etc), leveraging the common data platform our ERP provides and extending it where necessary. You will be a human-centric systems thinker that is passionate about using technology to solve business problems. You do not need to be a developer, but you do need to be comfortable building. You should be technical enough to write an API integration, automate workflows, and build low-code applications that improve business processes.

Key areas of responsibility

• Own the ERP: configuration, release and update cycles, feature uplift, master data, and the end-to-end processes that run through it.
• Own the wider application estate and integration layer: how each system is used, how they integrate, and how they deliver value.
• Define and maintain the business application roadmap: build investment cases that quantify cost, risk, and return.
• Own adoption, not just deployment: plan and run change management that makes new systems and processes stick.
• Hunt for simplification: map how work really happens, remove steps, and automate what remains.
• Drive agentic AI adoption in business process: identify where agents deliver real value, prototype it, and take it into production with proper controls.
• Build: write API integrations and develop applications, including low-code tools such as Power Apps, where they solve a problem faster than a purchased product would.
• Own the user experience of our systems: treat internal users as customers, measure their friction, and design it out.

Key skills, experience and behaviours

We don't expect anyone to be a 10/10 in every area, and you don't need to tick every single bullet point to apply. What follows is a list of the skills and experience that we think matter most for this role. Different strengths are welcome, and we recognise that people grow into roles like this - don't let this list put you off!

• Significant hands-on experience owning or leading a Tier 1 ERP - with the scars to prove it.
• Experience owning a portfolio of business applications, not just a single system.
• Practical integration skills: REST APIs, low-code apps, workflows etc.
• Real interest and working knowledge of agentic AI, with a view on where it helps and where it doesn’t.
• Track record of process simplification and automation with results you can describe.
• Systems thinking: you can hold the whole organisation in view and see how a change in one function affects another.

About You

• You are curious about how work actually happens, and you go and look rather than asking for a document.
• You are excited (and potentially scared) by the power of agentic AI.
• You are relentless about making things simpler. Complexity offends you.
• You are a strong communicator and can elicit requirements well.
• You are platform-agnostic. This is not a role for someone whose entire career has been inside the Microsoft stack. You will need to pick the right tool rather than the familiar one.
• You care how software feels to use, and you notice when people are quietly working around a system.
• You explain technical trade-offs to non-technical people without condescension.

Working at Rowden

We are committed to building a flexible, inclusive, and enabling company. Our aim is to create a diverse team of talented people with unique skills, experience, and backgrounds, so please apply and come as you are! We also recognise the importance of flexible working and support this wherever we can. We typically operate a flexible, hybrid-working model, with an average 3 days in the office each week (dependent on the role). We welcome the opportunity to discuss flexibility, part-time working requirements and/or workplace adjustments with all our applicants. Rowden is a Disability Confident Committed company, and we actively encourage people with disabilities and health conditions to apply for our roles. Please let us know your requirements early on so that we can make sure you have everything you need up front to help make the recruitment process and experience as easy as possible. Finally, if you feel that you don’t meet all the criteria included above but have transferable skills and relevant experience, we’d still love to hear from you!