Applications Operations Manager

Job Responsibility:

Mastronardi Produce pioneered the commercial greenhouse industry in North America, and we're now the leading greenhouse vegetable company on the continent. Our award-winning, flavorful produce is packed under the SUNSET® brand and is available at leading grocery retailers across North America. Family owned for over 65 years, we pride ourselves on having the most flavorful products and the best people in the industry. We are constantly pushing boundaries to be a leader in fresh produce innovation. We seek individuals that demonstrate our PRIDE values (Passion, Respect, Innovation, Drive, Excellence) to help us fulfill our mission to inspire healthy living through WOW flavor experiences.

Our Kingsville Head Office Location is currently seeking an Applications Operations Manager to join our Information Technology team. The essential function of this role is overseeing the operations of application support, similar to a service desk manager but with a specific focus on applications. You will lead a team consisting of Business Analysts and Developers who will provide support for various applications. Your primary responsibility will be to ensure the smooth functioning and availability of critical business applications. This role requires strong leadership skills, technical expertise, and the ability to manage and mentor junior team members effectively.

Non-Negotiable Traits:

To perform the job successfully, the incumbent's behavior must be consistent with the five Non-Negotiable Traits expected of all Mastronardi Produce employees: Be passionate; have absolute integrity; be self-motivated and determined; be a team player and behave as a professional.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage a team of Business Analysts and Developers, providing guidance, coaching, and performance feedback.
• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the application support function, ensuring timely and effective resolution of incidents, issues, and service requests.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to understand business requirements and translate them into actionable tasks for the support team.
• Prioritize and escalate application incidents, issues, and problems based on severity and impact on business operations.
• Coordinate with development teams to ensure effective application support during deployments, upgrades, and enhancements.
• Monitor application performance and availability, proactively identifying and resolving potential issues.
• Develop and maintain application support documentation, including knowledge base articles, troubleshooting guides, and FAQs.
• Conduct regular reviews and audits of application support processes to identify areas for improvement and implement best practices.
• Foster a customer-centric culture within the support team, ensuring excellent communication and timely updates to end-users.
• Manage and maintain service level agreements (SLAs) for incident resolution, problem management, and service request fulfillment.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives in application support, leveraging feedback from end-users to enhance support processes.
• Collaborate with IT teams to align application support activities with overall IT service management processes and frameworks.
• Stay updated with emerging technologies and industry trends related to application support and customer service.
• Ensure compliance with relevant security and data protection policies in application support activities.
• Conduct performance evaluations and skills assessments of junior team members.
• Develop and deliver training programs to enhance the technical skills and knowledge of the support team.
• Provide regular reports and updates on application support metrics, such as incident volumes, resolution times, and customer satisfaction.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support application-related projects and initiatives.
• Drive a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and collaboration within the application support team.
• Ensure the availability of application support resources to meet business demands.
• Proactively identify and address knowledge gaps within the team through training and knowledge sharing sessions.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or a related field.
• Proven experience in application support or service desk management roles.
• Strong leadership and people management skills, with the ability to motivate and mentor junior team members.
• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making abilities in high-pressure situations.
• In-depth knowledge of application support processes, incident management, and problem resolution methodologies.
• Familiarity with IT service management (ITSM) frameworks, such as ITIL.
• Experience in managing and resolving application incidents and problems within defined SLAs.
• Proficient in troubleshooting application issues and providing timely and effective resolutions.
• Strong customer service orientation and the ability to effectively communicate with end-users at all levels.
• Knowledge of application deployment and release management processes.
• Familiarity with application monitoring and performance management tools.
• Understanding of IT security principles and best practices related to application support.
• Experience in vendor management and collaboration.
• Proficiency in documenting support processes and creating knowledge base articles.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work well under pressure and handle multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Familiarity with IT project management principles and methodologies.
• Experience in driving process improvements and automation.
• Experience working with junior team members, providing mentorship and guidance.
• Experience in managing support for complex and critical business applications.