Assistant Director of Applications

This is a permanent position with a prominent Oil field services company.

General Description

-      Manages day to day operations and support of the existing applications portfolio.

-      Develops, maintains and enhances custom applications in the North America business units.

-      Responsible for all aspects of resource and process management for a staff of approximately 30, including budgeting and cost management, application development methodology,  activities, tools, processes and discipline.

-      Act as an internal consultant by providing top-level guidance to the most complex business and technical projects and providing strategic direction and leadership for the planning and execution of major technology projects.

-      Manage solution options with external service delivery partners and oversee planning and management of application systems development, interfaces, maintenance, and enhancement projects.

-      Stays abreast of new developments in software industry and periodically briefs senior management on new trends or products that could be introduced to reduce costs or increase efficiency and productivity.  

Work Experience Requirements

-      Significant experience (10 – 15 years) with application development methodology processes and best practices.

-      Requires at least 10 years of direct management experience including operational management experience with large scale ERP systems, custom developed applications and COTS.

-      Working knowledge of ITIL and experience in delivering operational services to SLA targets.

-      Thorough knowledge of the applications development process, including industry-standard documentation, flow charting, version control and software change management, best practices, and familiarity with ISO and other applicable standards.

-      Proven ability and experience with transforming legacy applications to ERP and current technology systems.

-      Proficiency in at least one second-level programming language and in one or more fourth-level languages.

-      Significant development experience with .NET framework, AJAX and web services.

-      Experience successfully implementing multiple complex projects simultaneously using structured project management methodology.

-      Ability to influence management (C-level suite) to present/sell strategic ideas and vision, as well as effective communication skills.  

Education Requirements

-      Bachelor’s degree in management or computer sciences.

-      PMP Certification desired

-      Specific training in software development lifecycle management

Questions & Answers

Q:  Are all the applications that will be developed for internal use or are some of them for product purpose?

A:  All applications we develop will be consumed internally – our core business is Oil Field Services – not application development. We are trying to go to as much Commercial Software as possible, but where necessary we are developing in .NET and now BPM (SoftwareAG).

Q:  How important is the experience with ITIL? i.e. Will you look at candidates without ITIL?

A:  I need some professional operational experience – if not outsourcing experience (has run data centers and application support for customers) then I at least need someone familiar with Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) and Best Practice operational guidelines (i.e. How to be compliant with SOX, etc.).

Q:  Will you look at someone who has managed Java application development projects instead of .NET?

A:  Yes – but we will have both technologies – needs to be relatively strong in one or the other

Q:  Do they need experience working with a particular version control or software configuration software product? 

A:  No requirements for a specific tool set, but want them to have operational experience in working with such tools.

Q:  How important is Global experience?
A:  Preferred but not necessary.

Q:  How would you describe the person you are looking for?
A: