IT Solution Manager - Industry

Kansas City, MO, United States of America
Job Reference JR0071539
Professional Areas Digital Technology & Analytics
Function Information Technology
Contract Type Permanent
Years of Work Experience 0+
Start date 2023-11-13

Louis Dreyfus Company is a leading merchant and processor of agricultural goods. Our activities span the entire value chain from farm to fork, across a broad range of business lines, we leverage our global reach and extensive asset network to serve our customers and consumers around the world. Structured as a matrix organization of six geographical regions and ten platforms, Louis Dreyfus Company is active in over 100 countries and employs approximately 17,000 people globally.

Overall Purpose and Objective of Position

In this role, you are the owner of the DT&A Solution for North America Industry, defined as the collection of systems which covers business operations supporting our industrial facilities and related management activities. The Industry Solution focuses primarily on systems and processes (i.e., automation, weighbridge, historian, quality, etc.) designed to support existing and new industrial assets (i.e., manufacturing, product storage, shipping and receiving) within the region. Due to the interconnected nature of the company’s business and supporting DT&A applications, the solution you will oversee will require frequent collaboration with managers and team within the company’s Industry function, as well as teams within the regional and global DT&A organization.

Your role will include significant elements of project management, analysis, and application implementation management.

You are responsible for your solution’s delivery road map, enhancement pipeline, continuous improvement efforts and budget. The solution roadmap should be fully aligned with business needs, requiring frequent interaction with functional key users to assess and review business priorities. An important factor to define success in this role, will be a strong ability to collaborate with internal users and external providers to understand what creates value for the company

For Build activities, you will have responsibility for the forward planning of enhancement and project strategies, priorities, and other initiatives, and for developing a communication plan to provide visibility on progress to all stakeholders. This will include acting as project manager for enhancement and expansion projects for your relevant applications, as well as assuming analysis and implementation roles, as needed.

On a Project basis, you manage the relevant activities of analysts and functional users assigned to the project, and ensure that comprehensive requirements are developed according to the relevant project management methodology. You will frequently engage actively in analysis tasks for your projects, often serving as a source of guidance and supplement to assigned analysts when needed.

For Run activities, you will collaborate with the Support team to ensure that day-to-day support (Level 1 and 2) are handled in a transparent and timely manner, with appropriate Service Level Agreements (SLAs) defined between DT&A and business teams. You will have the responsibility to act as a Level 3 support escalation point for subject matter expertise or when the solution needs to be modified to ensure continuity. You own overall incident and problem management for your Solution and ensure that the support structure is effective for your applications.

Primary Responsibilities/Essential Functions

  • Impeccable end-to-end management of your solution(s), covering strategy and planning through to support.
  • Creation and communication of overall vision and short- and medium-term regional strategy for your solution applications
  • Manage internal functional and DT&A resources to effectively execute your solution strategy
  • Manage and coordinate the analysis/design and implementation of solution applications and related projects
  • Manage project and release scope, develop project plans & deliverables, detailed work plans, schedules, resource plans, project financials, and status reports
  • Collaborates and effectively leads cross-functional teams in developing project objectives and requirements
  • Strong focus on customer centricity, usability, and the needs of the customer in application design and support
  • Provide progress reports to management and participate in decision-making process within the DT&A organization to guide your solution strategy
  • Work with DT&A support team to coordinate the resolution of software issues and handle escalated service issues to maintain smooth ongoing operations of solution applications
  • Serve as an authority on functional and technical issues in designated applications and business areas relevant to your solution
  • Apply your experience and vision to define innovative solutions while simplifying and optimizing processes and operations
  • Identify risks and roadblocks to the successful completion of the project and work with DT&A and Business Management to resolve

Additional Responsibilities:

  • Other duties and projects as assigned.

Company Conformance Statements

In the performance of their respective tasks and duties all employees are expected to conform to the following:

  • Perform quality work within deadlines with or without direct supervision.
  • Interact professionally with co-workers, Company business associates and the general public.
  • Work together in a cooperative spirit to serve the best interests of the Company.
  • Operate in a fully responsible manner and comply with the law and Company policy.

Education/Professional Certifications/Licenses

Basic qualification: 

  • High school diploma

Preferred qualification: 

  • Bachelors’ or Master’s degree in business or computer science

Experience

Basic qualifications:

  • 5+ (plus) years of strong technical or operational experience leading and supporting industrial operations initiatives with a successful history of project implementations.
  • Experience analyzing, implementing, and supporting systems for industrial assets (i.e., grain elevators, production facilities, bulk or additive manufacturing from any industry)
  • Experience in participating in cross-functional project team environment; ability to perform in various roles from individual contributor to a leadership role; ability to contribute to planning, organization and managing of project teams using a structured delivery methodology
  • Experience establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with other business organizations; successful experience in working with diverse groups of people in a problem-solving environment

Preferred qualification:

  • Experience with functional and technical aspects of major enterprise business systems and related technologies.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities (including any physical demands)

Basic qualifications:

  • Understanding of capabilities, features and limitations of Industry solutions (i.e., plant automation systems, scale systems, historians, HMI’s)
  • Thorough understanding of planning, analysis and testing techniques required to support such systems
  • Working knowledge/ experience in functional business areas, such as finance, accounting, information technology and trading operations
  • Ability to act in a consultative role to understand functional business processes, related information technology needs and to develop solutions and delivery proposals
  • Ability to effectively manage multiple assignments and priorities
  • History of applying varied approaches to solve complex business support challenges of significance to the organization
  • Advanced knowledge of standard business tools such as MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, etc.)
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills

    Equipment Used

    • Typical office equipment: PC, MS Teams

    Working Conditions

    • Typical climate-controlled office environment.  Extensions of regular working hours are occasionally necessary to complete time sensitive projects, attend training or to respond to emergencies.  Spends long periods of time working on a computer screen.  Position requires travel approximately up to 20% of the time.

    Decision Making/Accountability

    • Analyzes industrial systems and integration processes; devises/conducts gap analysis surveys and documents operational specifications requirements; translates business process into computer system requirements; reviews systems and makes recommendations for customization based on knowledge of relevant business processes; identifies and articulates risks to the project/business/company and participates in creating mitigation plans to minimize the risk; responsible for efficient implementations of system enhancements that meet user requirements and project deadlines; recommends procedural changes to operational personnel and management as deemed necessary.

    What We Offer

    We provide a dynamic and stimulating international environment, which will stretch and develop your abilities and channel your skills and expertise with outstanding career development opportunities in one of the largest and most solid private companies in the world.

    - Comprehensive benefits program including medical, dental and vision care coverage, flexible spending account plans, employee assistance program, life insurance and disability coverage
    - 401k with Company Match
    - Family Friendly Benefits including childbirth and parental leave, fertility and family building benefits
    - Paid Time Off (PTO) and Paid Holidays
    - Hybrid work available (not applicable to all roles)

    Diversity & Inclusion

    LDC is driven by a set of shared values and high ethical standards, with diversity and inclusion being part of our DNA. LDC is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity, equity and inclusion.

    LDC encourages diversity, supports local communities and environmental initiatives. We encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.

    Equal employment opportunity (EEO)

    Louis Dreyfus Company provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

    This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

    Sustainability

    Sustainable value is at the heart of our purpose as a company.

    We are passionate about creating fair and sustainable value, both for our business and for other value chain stakeholders: our people, our business partners, the communities we touch and the environment around us

    Company Description

    Louis Dreyfus Company is a leading merchant and processor of agricultural goods. Our activities span the entire value chain from farm to fork, across a broad range of business lines, we leverage our global reach and extensive asset network to serve our customers and consumers around the world. Structured as a matrix organization of six geographical regions and ten platforms, Louis Dreyfus Company is active in over 100 countries and employs approximately 17,000 people globally.


    Job Description

    Overall Purpose and Objective of Position

    In this role, you are the owner of the DT&A Solution for North America Industry, defined as the collection of systems which covers business operations supporting our industrial facilities and related management activities. The Industry Solution focuses primarily on systems and processes (i.e., automation, weighbridge, historian, quality, etc.) designed to support existing and new industrial assets (i.e., manufacturing, product storage, shipping and receiving) within the region. Due to the interconnected nature of the company’s business and supporting DT&A applications, the solution you will oversee will require frequent collaboration with managers and team within the company’s Industry function, as well as teams within the regional and global DT&A organization.

    Your role will include significant elements of project management, analysis, and application implementation management.

    You are responsible for your solution’s delivery road map, enhancement pipeline, continuous improvement efforts and budget. The solution roadmap should be fully aligned with business needs, requiring frequent interaction with functional key users to assess and review business priorities. An important factor to define success in this role, will be a strong ability to collaborate with internal users and external providers to understand what creates value for the company

    For Build activities, you will have responsibility for the forward planning of enhancement and project strategies, priorities, and other initiatives, and for developing a communication plan to provide visibility on progress to all stakeholders. This will include acting as project manager for enhancement and expansion projects for your relevant applications, as well as assuming analysis and implementation roles, as needed.

    On a Project basis, you manage the relevant activities of analysts and functional users assigned to the project, and ensure that comprehensive requirements are developed according to the relevant project management methodology. You will frequently engage actively in analysis tasks for your projects, often serving as a source of guidance and supplement to assigned analysts when needed.

    For Run activities, you will collaborate with the Support team to ensure that day-to-day support (Level 1 and 2) are handled in a transparent and timely manner, with appropriate Service Level Agreements (SLAs) defined between DT&A and business teams. You will have the responsibility to act as a Level 3 support escalation point for subject matter expertise or when the solution needs to be modified to ensure continuity. You own overall incident and problem management for your Solution and ensure that the support structure is effective for your applications.


    Experience

    Primary Responsibilities/Essential Functions

    • Impeccable end-to-end management of your solution(s), covering strategy and planning through to support.
    • Creation and communication of overall vision and short- and medium-term regional strategy for your solution applications
    • Manage internal functional and DT&A resources to effectively execute your solution strategy
    • Manage and coordinate the analysis/design and implementation of solution applications and related projects
    • Manage project and release scope, develop project plans & deliverables, detailed work plans, schedules, resource plans, project financials, and status reports
    • Collaborates and effectively leads cross-functional teams in developing project objectives and requirements
    • Strong focus on customer centricity, usability, and the needs of the customer in application design and support
    • Provide progress reports to management and participate in decision-making process within the DT&A organization to guide your solution strategy
    • Work with DT&A support team to coordinate the resolution of software issues and handle escalated service issues to maintain smooth ongoing operations of solution applications
    • Serve as an authority on functional and technical issues in designated applications and business areas relevant to your solution
    • Apply your experience and vision to define innovative solutions while simplifying and optimizing processes and operations
    • Identify risks and roadblocks to the successful completion of the project and work with DT&A and Business Management to resolve

    Additional Responsibilities:

    • Other duties and projects as assigned.

    Company Conformance Statements

    In the performance of their respective tasks and duties all employees are expected to conform to the following:

    • Perform quality work within deadlines with or without direct supervision.
    • Interact professionally with co-workers, Company business associates and the general public.
    • Work together in a cooperative spirit to serve the best interests of the Company.
    • Operate in a fully responsible manner and comply with the law and Company policy.

    Education/Professional Certifications/Licenses

    Basic qualification: 

    • High school diploma

    Preferred qualification: 

    • Bachelors’ or Master’s degree in business or computer science

    Experience

    Basic qualifications:

    • 5+ (plus) years of strong technical or operational experience leading and supporting industrial operations initiatives with a successful history of project implementations.
    • Experience analyzing, implementing, and supporting systems for industrial assets (i.e., grain elevators, production facilities, bulk or additive manufacturing from any industry)
    • Experience in participating in cross-functional project team environment; ability to perform in various roles from individual contributor to a leadership role; ability to contribute to planning, organization and managing of project teams using a structured delivery methodology
    • Experience establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with other business organizations; successful experience in working with diverse groups of people in a problem-solving environment

    Preferred qualification:

    • Experience with functional and technical aspects of major enterprise business systems and related technologies.

    Knowledge/Skills/Abilities (including any physical demands)

    Basic qualifications:

    • Understanding of capabilities, features and limitations of Industry solutions (i.e., plant automation systems, scale systems, historians, HMI’s)
    • Thorough understanding of planning, analysis and testing techniques required to support such systems
    • Working knowledge/ experience in functional business areas, such as finance, accounting, information technology and trading operations
    • Ability to act in a consultative role to understand functional business processes, related information technology needs and to develop solutions and delivery proposals
    • Ability to effectively manage multiple assignments and priorities
    • History of applying varied approaches to solve complex business support challenges of significance to the organization
    • Advanced knowledge of standard business tools such as MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, etc.)
    • Excellent verbal and written communication skills

      Additional Information

      Equipment Used

      • Typical office equipment: PC, MS Teams

      Working Conditions

      • Typical climate-controlled office environment.  Extensions of regular working hours are occasionally necessary to complete time sensitive projects, attend training or to respond to emergencies.  Spends long periods of time working on a computer screen.  Position requires travel approximately up to 20% of the time.

      Decision Making/Accountability

      • Analyzes industrial systems and integration processes; devises/conducts gap analysis surveys and documents operational specifications requirements; translates business process into computer system requirements; reviews systems and makes recommendations for customization based on knowledge of relevant business processes; identifies and articulates risks to the project/business/company and participates in creating mitigation plans to minimize the risk; responsible for efficient implementations of system enhancements that meet user requirements and project deadlines; recommends procedural changes to operational personnel and management as deemed necessary.

      What We Offer

      We provide a dynamic and stimulating international environment, which will stretch and develop your abilities and channel your skills and expertise with outstanding career development opportunities in one of the largest and most solid private companies in the world.

      - Comprehensive benefits program including medical, dental and vision care coverage, flexible spending account plans, employee assistance program, life insurance and disability coverage
      - 401k with Company Match
      - Family Friendly Benefits including childbirth and parental leave, fertility and family building benefits
      - Paid Time Off (PTO) and Paid Holidays
      - Hybrid work available (not applicable to all roles)

      Diversity & Inclusion

      LDC is driven by a set of shared values and high ethical standards, with diversity and inclusion being part of our DNA. LDC is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity, equity and inclusion.

      LDC encourages diversity, supports local communities and environmental initiatives. We encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.

      Equal employment opportunity (EEO)

      Louis Dreyfus Company provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

      This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

      Sustainability

      Sustainable value is at the heart of our purpose as a company.

      We are passionate about creating fair and sustainable value, both for our business and for other value chain stakeholders: our people, our business partners, the communities we touch and the environment around us