Senior Manager, APAC IT

ACCOUNTABILITY LEVEL:

The role represents and speaks for the entire IT function to the sub-regional business leadership team, serving as the single point of IT accountability for business leadership while operating through collaboration and influence across regional and global IT teams.

This position directly leads the sub-regional Business Relationship Managers (BRMs) for Commercial and Central Functions and maintains dotted-line reporting relationships with the Supply Chain and Operations BRM as well as the Service Operations team member assigned to the sub-region. The role provides strategic direction and performance input to ensure sub-regional needs and priorities are reflected in functional execution and service delivery.

This position is indirectly accountable to the sub-regional VP/GM as an IT advisor for the delivery of successful project outcomes, minimizing mission critical system downtime, enabling the sub-regional team to meet their commitments enabled by technology and complying with global standards and regulations. This role is the leader accountable to fulfill sub-regional needs while operating within company-wide standards, practices and policies.

As a member of the regional IT and sub-regional business leadership teams, this role needs to set the appropriate tone for collaboration, accountability, and performance. The position requires a leader who leads by example, is competent, confident, perseverant, inspirational, influencing, disciplined, pragmatic and dependable. In addition, this individual needs to be highly collaborative, a strong communicator and continuous improvement minded. The ability to deliver tactical projects while anticipating issues and thinking strategically is required. 

The position requires a demonstrated ability to manage a diverse portfolio of requests, quickly mediate between competing priorities, and work effectively with IT colleagues, contractors, and business management both within and across reporting relationships, business units and geographic regions.

Finally, this leadership role is responsible for the management, development and engagement of its people, including the hiring of staff, their instruction, coaching and evaluation. The role is held accountable to optimize the mix of internal talent, purchased services and tools to enable business results at lowest delivered cost.

SCOPE:

Business Relationship Management

Works closely with VP/Director-level business stakeholders to understand business processes and strategies. Identifies opportunities for IT enablement and responds to direct IT requests. Directly leads BRMs for Commercial and Central Functions to shape IT strategies and initiatives aligned with business priorities. For other business functions, maintains alignment and coordination with regional BRM leads, ensuring that sub-regional needs, priorities, and escalations are appropriately represented. Assists in development of business cases, prioritizes initiatives, and maintains consistent communication with business leaders regarding progress, risks, and outcomes.

Strategy Development

Fulfills a leadership role in sub-regional IT strategic initiatives, developing and implementing IT strategic roadmaps aligned with business priorities and regional IT direction. Represents sub-regional business needs in regional and global IT strategy discussions, ensuring alignment and advocacy for the sub-regional business context. Identifies emerging trends and disruptive technologies to introduce to Clarios.

Program Leadership

Works with business leaders to understand strategies and plans for annual IT investment needs for the sub-region. Leads programs primarily for Commercial and Central Functions, while coordinating with peers responsible for other business functions to ensure integrated delivery of cross-functional initiatives.

Accountable for the successful execution of business-facing projects, user adoption, and change management to achieve the best business outcome.

Service Operations Management

Partners with the regional IT Service Operations Management (SOM) function to provide high-quality IT services across all facilities within the sub-region. Provides feedback and engages with regional Service Operations Lead and global IT service owners to manage quality of service and employee experience in the sub-region. The role is responsible for engaging and/or monitoring all sub-regional major incidents to ensure timely resolution, communication to stakeholders and validate root cause analysis and permanent corrective actions are implemented.

Digital Transformation Leadership

Responsible to coordinate digital transformation activities within the sub-region including the identification of digital initiatives, designation of leadership, on-time completion of status reporting and shaping of the programs within the sub-region. Acts as a visible champion for digital transformation and adoption across all functions.

Team Management

Responsible for hiring and professional development of staff. Selects, develops, coaches, and reviews associates/employees and contingent workers. Conducts interviews, individual performance and development planning performance reviews, other supervisory interactions and proposes salary increases.

Departmental

Engages as an active member of the regional IT leadership team, advancing the function’s operating model, governing investments, completing program phase gate reviews and managing budget. Serves as the key sub-regional representative to regional and global forums, ensuring the sub-regional business perspective is reflected in decisions related to IT priorities, resourcing, and standards.

TYPICAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

Business Relationship Management

• Business Relationships - Develop and maintain relationships with a diverse group of business stakeholders and gain understanding of the complex nature of the company’s business. Maintains familiarity with the business plans of the company and the departments serviced.
• Business Alignment - Meets with business management and staff to understand business requirements and to determine system requirements for all functions in the area of responsibility. Works with customers to define and prioritize improvement initiatives. Assists in building strategic roadmaps and aligning the business initiatives with IT initiatives to shape the IT vision and strategy. Ensures participation of IT in business partner weekly operations, quarterly strategic reviews or annual planning sessions.
• Business Case Development - Responsible for contributing to business case generation and overall project strategies including project plans for major efforts that satisfy the business needs of that functional area for review and approval by management. Also responsible for assisting user management in setting priorities.
• Demand Management – Identifies key strategic business and functional requirements for the areas of responsibility. Responsible for assisting users in setting priorities, resolving competing initiatives and aligning expectations throughout the portfolio.
• Issue Escalation – Key role in the management, impact analysis and communication of system performance or production downtime events. Acts as conduit between IT applications support and business leadership.

Program Leadership

• Program Structure & Governance – Works with the PMO team to properly structure projects for success. Qualifies functional resources as well as business SMEs and leads for participation in the project. Accountable for functional design, user training, change management and launch support for all projects. Together with the PMO selects delivery partners and constructs preferred commercial agreements with external providers. Develops methods for tracking and reporting status of IT programs to business partners.
• Resource Management - Directs, instructs, and coaches staff in order to meet project goals according to the agreed upon scope, schedule and budget. Allocates and balances work assignments to best meet needs of the portfolio. Evaluates and reports the performance of assigned team members. 
• Collaboration - Works closely with IT management peers to ensure customer needs are being addressed, solutions are complete and not compromised because of functional boundaries and/or the capabilities of the technical architecture.
• Drive Standards - Oversees and ensures the quality of testing, application documentation, user training, change management, production release and on-going support.
• Issue Management – Key role in the escalation and resolution of issues during project delivery by working across IT functions, department boundaries and the business community.
• Delivery Partners – Selects, qualifies and manages internal and external delivery partners to ensure successful, high-quality outcomes, on-time and on-budget. Builds relationships with delivery leaders to effectively overcome barriers to success.

Service Operations Management

• Sub-regional Customer Service – Provides direction and staffing for support of all incidents and service requests that cannot be satisfied by global Service Desk, AMS or infrastructure support. Responds to all escalations for service help in the sub-region. Measures customer satisfaction and takes actions to improve results and perception of the department in the sub-region. Provides VIP support.
• Major Incident Management – Engages in all major incidents that occur in the sub-region through restoration of service. Acts as a communication liaison between IT and customers. Provides 8D champion to ensure RCA and PCA’s are identified to regional leadership acceptance levels.
• Plant Support – Partners with regional SOM to manage local IT support to manufacturing, distribution and office locations within the sub-region. Provides local application support (L0) across plant, enterprise and desktop applications. Directs changes that require local hands and feet to execute including plant server, monitor, network, printer and handheld device updates/refreshes.

Digital Transformation Leadership

• Coordinate and Influence – Organizes sub-regional function leaders and VP/GM to identify digital program initiatives in the sub-region and stated benefits within 5-year horizon. Influences sub-regional leaders to subscribe to new methods for milestone, KPI and benefits tracking to assemble digital program for the sub-region and drive accountability for success through others.

Team Management

• Staff Management - Responsible for the professional development of staff. Responsible for hiring of staff personnel in area of responsibility. Conducts interviews, individual performance and development planning performance reviews, other supervisory interactions and proposes salary increases.

Departmental

• Financial Responsibilities - Participates in creating of department budget and quarterly forecasts. Responsible for consulting, salary, travel and training budgets in designated areas of responsibility.
• Operating Model – Provides feedback and helps shape the operating model of the department to achieve balance between governance, speed, risk and quality required by the sub-region.

REQUIREMENTS/QUALIFICATIONS:

• BS Degree in Information Technology or related field. MS Degree or MBA preferred.
• 12+ years of IT experience with focus on business partnership and service delivery, defining, implementing and supporting Information Technology systems.  
• 8+ years leadership experience managing multi-country, matrixed IT organizations and project portfolios, with a proven track record of success.
• Proven experience influencing across functions and working effectively in complex regional/global structures.
• Strong business acumen, communication, and stakeholder management skills at VP level.
• Experience leading digital transformation and data-driven initiatives is an advantage.
• Experience with Vendor Management for both product and service vendors
• Experience using structured project management methodologies with agile SDLC methods.
• Experience leading individual programs greater than $3M in size.
• Experience with autoparts manufacturing management and aftermarket sales channels is a significant plus.
• Action oriented, with the ability to understand and willingness to get into systems development details when warranted. “Do what it takes” attitude.
• Experience with managing in-house and contract staff, as well as offshore technology partners.
• Experience supporting applications in a 24x7x365 manufacturing environment.
• Strong analytical skills with demonstrated ability to convert business needs into system requirements.  
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, in both English and Korean; other Asian languages preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse teams and stakeholders in different Asia Pacific countries, respecting and leveraging cultural differences and commonalities.
• Willingness to travel internationally to support job responsibilities as required. (Approx. 30%)

Clarios is the global leader in advanced, low-voltage battery technologies for mobility. We power progress through ever-smarter solutions for virtually every kind of vehicle. With 16,000 employees in over 140 countries, we bring deep expertise to our Aftermarket and OEM partners, and reliability, safety and comfort to everyday lives. We answer to the planet with a rigorous ESG focus – advancing best-in-class sustainability practices and advocating for them across our industry. Learn more about us at www.clarios.com.

Clarios is the creator behind Delkor vehicle batteries, which propel not only vehicles, but also people’s journeys towards a more promising future. We deliver robust reliability and optimal performance, allowing you to concentrate on what truly matters. Wherever your destination is, Delkor is with you for the road ahead.

We recognize that people come with a wealth of experience and talent beyond just the technical requirements of a job. If your experience is close to what you see listed here, please apply. Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is key to challenging the status quo. Therefore, we encourage people from all backgrounds to apply to our positions. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and value diversity in our teams in terms of work experience, area of expertise, gender, ethnicity, and all other characteristics protected by laws in the countries where we operate. For more information on our commitment to sustainability, diversity, and equal opportunity, please read our latest report.

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