Job Description
The Designer Brands IT team is a fast-paced team that thrives on challenges where we put the customer first and build solutions to support that sentiment. The IT Digital Team is growing and knows no bounds as we have moved to a fully remote team and encourage growth through our network. This team and position are looking to be filled with the best talent out there and excited about this continued evolution of the team.
As the MANAGER, DIGITAL APPLICATIONS DEVELOPMENT (OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE TEAM), you will lead your team through the successful delivery of solutions to address our business needs in support of our $900 million platform. This platform supports dsw.com, dsw.ca, theshoecompany.ca, vincecamuto.com and various supporting mobile apps. Your focus will be assessing, analyzing, and deciphering the operational stability of the digital applications. Using that analysis to derive the work that your team should focus on. Streamlining our release processes with an automation mindset are also part of the scope of work. You will have tangible impact on our digital solutions that our customers utilize. Driven by the priorities of the work, you will be responsible for the intake and management of that success. You are encouraged to be curious, collaborate and to turn ideas into solutions that will transform our customer experience.
You will be expected to manage the ongoing maintenance of your systems, prioritized alongside with new development. An important role of this position is to build strong relationships with your IT and business partners. Additionally, you will perform leader-based tasks including managing the volume of work, team growth through recruiting activities, work performance, coaching, mentoring and team development.
REPORTS TO: Director, Digital Commerce Application Development
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
*Leads an IT Solution Delivery team responsible for the success delivery of enterprise-wide projects. *Analyze customer issues to create priorities based on impact. *Analyze release processes to find and implement enhancements. *Build, manage, and continuously develop a highly technical and high functioning staff of engineers and analysts contributing to the overall software development. *Manage and guide the detailed design, development, and integration activities. *Provides oversight to multiple projects. *Deliver communication of status and issues to leadership in a clear and concise manner. *Accountable for managing relationships with IT, business, vendors, and other delivery partners. *Accountable for implementing technical architecture solutions to conform with IT guiding principles. *Contribute to the evolution and delivery of the IT and/or Digital Strategies. *Accountable to maintain applications health and performance. *Perform analytical functions for data driven decisions. *Responsible for end-to-end vendor management. *Provides direct reports with well-defined job expectations, ongoing performance feedback, accurate and timely performance reviews, coaching, mentoring, training, and conflict resolution. *Plays a key role in the definition of the Solution Delivery Methodology. *Mentor and provide technical oversight and guidance to team members and cross-functional partners, improving their skills, knowledge of our systems, and their ability to get things done. *Research and present new technology trends, influencing peers and leadership toward adoption, driving accountability of the achievement of roadmap milestones. *Participate in industry groups to gain visibility to trends and influence future direction.
REQUIRED SKILLS:
*Working and prioritizing across relationships with support, services, product, and engineering teams. *Contributing and leading SDLC practices within an Agile/Scrum environment ensuring application and system quality quickly and efficiently. *Ability to take technical and/or business requirements and translate them into detailed blueprints to assist in creating technical requirements. *Excellent communication, presentation, and leadership skills. *The role requires ability to prioritize well, communicate clearly, and have a consistent track record of identifying opportunities and creating efficiencies. *Understanding of a broad range of technologies, frameworks, and methodologies related to the SDLC. *Strong aptitude for learning new technologies and understanding how, when, and where to best utilize them. *Anticipate project risk and constraints and proactively work towards resolving them.
COMPETENCIES:
Strategic Thinking - Creates and effectively communicates long term vision. Keeps team's work aligned to strategy. Creates and adjusts plans. Understands big picture to constructively challenge the status quo. Generates new ideas. Encourages innovation. Manages change effectively. Knows internal strengths and weaknesses.
Leading & Motivating - Models and supports Designer Brands values. Assesses, identifies, retains, and develops talent. Builds complementary teams. Motivates, supports, and challenges associates. Resolves conflict. Makes tough decisions. Provides timely feedback. Works with and through others to exceed expectations of customers (internal/external)
Managing for Results - Produces sustainable results consistently. Holds team accountable. Recognizes and resolves complex problems. Understands underlying issues and addresses root causes. Measures, analyzes quantitative information, and presents it effectively. Seeks input from others. Makes timely decisions.
QUALIFICATIONS:
EXPERIENCE:
*10 years of experience in solution design, implementation, and delivery. *3 years of experience in a leadership role. *Proven experience in a leadership role either as a direct people leader or leading development teams. *Experience leading multiple simultaneous projects and effectively managing the work.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
*Experience in Retail highly preferred
EDUCATION:
*Bachelor's degree in computer science or other relevant technical field or equivalent work experience
