Applications Manager - FACS -

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting to the IT Director, the Applications Manager leads the implementation, administration, support, security, and continuous improvement of the Town of Mount Pleasant's enterprise and business applications. The position works collaboratively with Town departments, vendors, and IT staff to translate business needs into reliable technology solutions; manage application projects, upgrades, and releases; maintain effective support procedures and documentation; and resolve complex application and service issues.

The Applications Manager serves as a technical and project leader for assigned applications and initiatives and helps ensure that supported applications are reliable, secure, accessible, and responsive to the Town’s operational needs.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Application Management & Support

• Manages the full lifecycle of mission-critical, internally developed, and vendor-supported applications, including planning, implementation, configuration, maintenance, upgrades, support, and retirement.
• Monitors application availability, performance, security, and accessibility; leads the resolution of outages and recurring problems; and identifies and implements preventive improvements.
• Troubleshoots complex application issues, identifies root causes, coordinates appropriate escalations, and implements or facilitates timely corrective action.
• Coordinates application support coverage and escalation procedures appropriate to the operational requirements of mission-critical systems.
• Develops and maintains application documentation, support procedures, knowledge articles, system inventories, and business continuity information.
• Coordinates with vendors, business owners, and other IT staff to support the effective operation and continuous improvement of assigned applications.

Business Analysis & Application Solutions

• Partners with business owners to document business processes, gather functional and technical requirements, identify operational needs, and recommend practical application improvements.
• Evaluates whether application needs should be addressed through configuration, development, integration, automation, or procurement and assists with solution and vendor selection.
• Designs, configures, tests, deploys, and supports application enhancements, interfaces, reports, workflows, and other solutions in coordination with users, vendors, and technical teams.
• Analyzes complex business processes and system requirements, evaluates alternatives, and recommends practical technology solutions.
• Uses approved scripting, reporting, business intelligence, automation, and generative AI tools, as appropriate, to improve application administration, data analysis, documentation, and service delivery.
• Creates reports, dashboards, data models, and visualizations to support operational and management needs.

Project, Change & Release Management

• Plans and manages application projects and initiatives by defining scope, schedules, priorities, resources, risks, deliverables, and status reporting.
• Leads cross-functional project teams, establishes clear responsibilities and direction, monitors progress and resource use, and resolves issues that affect successful delivery.
• Coordinates production changes and releases through testing, approval, scheduling, communication, deployment, and post-implementation review.
• Participates in the Town's change-management process, assesses implementation risks, and helps ensure changes are appropriately tested, approved, documented, and communicated before deployment.
• Coordinates application upgrades, releases, implementations, and transitions into production.
• Coordinates with business owners, vendors, IT staff, and other stakeholders to support successful project and application outcomes.

Training, Documentation & Communication

• Provides training and knowledge transfer to users and support staff before new applications or significant system changes are placed into production.
• Develops and maintains user documentation, support procedures, knowledge resources, training materials, and other application-related information.
• Communicates application changes, releases, outages, implementation activities, system-use guidance, and problem resolutions to appropriate users and stakeholders.
• Prepares reports, presentations, release notices, outage communications, training materials, and other updates for employees, management, and stakeholders.
• Facilitates communication and coordination among business owners, IT staff, vendors, support teams, and management regarding assigned applications, projects, and service issues.

Performs other related duties as assigned.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS TO PERFORM WORK:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems, Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Information Systems, or a related field;
• Three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in enterprise application administration, support, implementation, or management, including experience coordinating projects, releases, vendors, and business requirements; or
• An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

• A valid South Carolina Driver’s License.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting Dayforce, Oracle Fusion, OPAL, Cityworks, or comparable enterprise applications.
• Experience with application integrations, reporting, business intelligence, workflow automation, or cloud/SaaS applications.
• Project management training or certification.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

Knowledge

• Knowledge of enterprise application lifecycle management, including requirements analysis, configuration, testing, integration, deployment, maintenance, upgrades, security, accessibility, and vendor support.
• Working knowledge of databases, data quality, system interfaces, APIs, identity and access management, and cloud or software-as-a-service applications.
• Knowledge of application security, access controls, data privacy, and information-security practices applicable to enterprise applications.
• Knowledge of project management practices, including scope, schedule, resources, risk, issues, change, vendors, and stakeholder management.
• Knowledge of business-process analysis, requirements gathering, system testing, change management, and application-support practices.

Skills

• Skill in analyzing business processes and system requirements and translating business needs into practical application solutions.
• Skill in troubleshooting complex application issues, identifying root causes, coordinating escalations, and implementing timely corrective action.
• Skill in project planning, organization, implementation, documentation, and follow-through.
• Skill in coordinating application testing, changes, releases, upgrades, and implementations.
• Basic programming or scripting skills using one or more languages such as SQL, PowerShell, Python, or JavaScript to automate routine tasks, troubleshoot issues, transform data, or support integrations.
• Skill in creating dashboards, reports, data models, and visualizations using Microsoft Power BI or comparable business-intelligence tools and explaining findings to technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Skill in written and verbal communication, technical documentation, presentations, customer service, and collaboration.
• Skill in using approved generative AI tools for research, analysis, documentation, automation, or service improvement, with an understanding of data privacy, security, accuracy, and responsible-use requirements.

Abilities

• Ability to analyze complex business processes and system requirements, evaluate alternatives, and recommend practical solutions.
• Ability to troubleshoot application failures, determine root causes, coordinate escalations, and implement timely corrective action.
• Ability to organize competing priorities, manage multiple applications and projects, and meet operational and project deadlines.
• Ability to lead cross-functional project teams and coordinate effectively with Town departments, vendors, technical staff, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to communicate technical information clearly and effectively to both technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective professional working relationships with Town employees, management, vendors, consultants, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and appropriately escalate significant application, security, operational, or project issues.
• Ability to learn and adapt to new applications, technologies, business processes, and organizational needs.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

The work is primarily performed in a professional office environment. The position requires the ability to communicate effectively; operate a computer and standard office equipment; review technical documentation and electronic information; and participate in meetings, training, and other work-related activities.

The employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, reach, and use hands for computer and equipment-related work. The employee may occasionally be required to bend, stoop, crouch, or kneel and to lift, carry, push, or pull equipment or materials weighing up to 50 pounds.

COGNITIVE REQUIREMENTS:

The position requires the ability to:

• Analyze complex business processes, application functionality, system requirements, integrations, data, and technical issues.
• Diagnose application problems, evaluate potential causes and solutions, and coordinate appropriate corrective action.
• Evaluate business and technical requirements and determine appropriate configuration, development, integration, automation, or procurement solutions.
• Manage multiple applications, projects, releases, service issues, deadlines, and competing priorities.
• Assess risks associated with system changes, application releases, security, access, data, and operational continuity.
• Exercise sound judgment when addressing application outages, security concerns, implementation issues, and other significant technology matters.
• Interpret technical information and communicate complex concepts clearly to technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Maintain accuracy and attention to detail when working with application configurations, data, documentation, testing, and production changes.
• Adapt to changing technologies, business needs, project requirements, security requirements, and operational priorities.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:     

Work is primarily performed in a professional office environment and requires extensive use of computers and technology systems. The position requires frequent interaction and collaboration with Town employees, department leadership, vendors, consultants, and other IT staff.

Because the position supports mission-critical Town applications, occasional work outside normal business hours may be required for system implementations, upgrades, releases, maintenance, outages, emergencies, or other operational needs. The position may be required to respond to or coordinate resolution of critical application issues outside normal working hours.