JOB DESCRIPTION
Employment status and working hours
Permanent, full time.
Full time hours at the University are 35 per week with the standard working pattern Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00.
Organisation structure
Chief Operating Officer, Development and Enterprise Systems.
Your line manager will be Emma Stone, Associate Director – Development and Enterprise Systems.
Place of work flexibility
Your time will be split between the Horizons, Reading office and your home. The exact split of days/hours is negotiable but must include a minimum of two working days each week in Horizons only on the core days (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday). Working from home is only possible if your environment is suitable.
High level summary of job role
As the Enterprise Systems Delivery Manager, you will manage the implementation, development, and ongoing improvements within enterprise systems/applications. You will ensure robust procedures are developed and adhered to for the systems, ensuring their confidentiality, reliability, and integrity.
You will be expected to work in partnership with stakeholders from across the University, aligned with the Solutions Architecture and Development Manager. You will liaise with colleagues at all levels across the business, taking responsibility for the successful delivery of improvements and projects in your area.
You will work to ensure application solutions enhance the student and staff experience, contribute to digital transformation goals, and increase productivity, performance, and precision.
Approximately 40-50% of this role includes hands on development of the University’s SIS application, SITS e:Vision, as well as ensuring upgrades and patching are carried out to an agreed timetable.
Specific job role accountabilities and responsibilities
Leadership and team management
* Lead, support, and develop a multi‑disciplinary team of Systems Developers and SITS specialists using coaching, mentoring and professional development as appropriate.
* Create a collaborative, inclusive, and delivery focused culture aligned with the University’s values and digital strategy.
Enterprise systems configuration and development
* Configure, customise and maintain enterprise systems (with a focus on SITS/e:Vision and associated modules and tools).
* Build, test, and deploy SITS developments using best practice configuration and development standards.
* Support upgrades, patches, and new feature releases from the vendor.
Delivery management and prioritisation
* Own and manage the delivery pipeline for enterprise systems enhancements, upgrades, fixes, and new capabilities as part of the Enterprise Systems User Group while balancing demand from internal teams and stakeholders.
* Work with business owners and the Associate Director - Development and Enterprise Systems to prioritise work based on value, risk, and institutional priorities.
* Oversee backlog management, sprint planning, road mapping, and release planning.
Service ownership and operational excellence
* Act as the technology service owner for key enterprise systems, ensuring reliability, performance, and excellent customer experience.
* Ensure incidents, problems, and service requests related to enterprise systems are resolved efficiently and in line with SLAs.
* Drive consistency in system documentation, support models, configuration management, and knowledge sharing.
* Collaborate with IT Service teams to ensure effective handoff, support readiness, and continuous improvement.
Systems analysis, development and configuration oversight
* Ensure high quality systems analysis, requirements gathering, and solution design for SITS, and other enterprise systems applications such as CRM, ERP, VLE etc., working in partnership with relevant stakeholders/teams.
* Oversee the configuration and development work carried out by team members to ensure adherence to standards, architecture, and testing best practices.
* Ensure new or enhanced functionality meets user needs, institutional policies, and architectural guidelines.
Testing, release and change governance
* Own the testing strategy and approach for all enterprise system changes, including UAT, regression testing cycles, and environment coordination. Documentation should adhere to ITIL practices.
Vendor, contract and stakeholder management
* Act as a key point of contact for enterprise system vendors (e.g. Tribal for SITS, CRM/ERP suppliers, integration tool providers).
* Coordinate support escalations, vendor‑managed upgrades, roadmap discussions, and contract renewals.
* Participate in governance forums, steering groups, and committees related to digital transformation and enterprise systems.
Data, integrations and interoperability
* Ensure effective and reliable data flows and system integrations across the enterprise ecosystem.
* Work closely with Developers, Data Protection, and Cloud Platform teams to maintain integrity, security, and performance of data exchanges.
* Support improvements in data quality, reporting, and the end‑to‑end digital experience.
Continuous improvement and future planning
* Identify opportunities for digital process improvement, automation, and user experience enhancement.
* Contribute to the enterprise systems strategy, advising on technology trends and system capability evolution.
* Lead or contribute to digital strategy initiatives affecting enterprise systems.
Other duties
* Undertake any other related duties commensurate with the scope and level of the role.
* Some out of hours may be required on occasion to support upgrades/changes.
Other important features of the job role
Line management responsibilities: Yes, and the number of direct reports is four.
Budget responsibility: None.
In this role you will liaise with the following: All staff groups including employees and Associate Lecturers, students, 3rd party suppliers, and contractors.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
E = Essential person requirement; D = Desirable person requirement
How the person requirement will be assessed: A = Application; I = Interview; T = Test or other assessment
Please be aware that as part of onboarding processes, we will seek original documentary evidence of the relevant academic and/or professional qualifications which you include within your application. This is all part of our comprehensive pre‑employment screening which also includes checking your identity, right to work, criminal record history (basic disclosure), and three years employment history.
Qualifications and training
Degree‑level qualification, or equivalent professional experience in software engineering or related discipline (E, A).
Previous experience
Significant experience working with enterprise systems such as SITS/e:Vision, CRM, ERP, VLE integrations, or similar platforms (E, A, I).
Track record of SITS e:Vision development including tasking and vistas (E, A).
Leading system enhancements, upgrades, configuration, or developments (E, A, I).
Managing and prioritising complex demand pipelines across diverse stakeholders (E, A, I)
Producing high‑quality requirements, technical specifications, and process documentation (E, A, I).
Team leadership, supervision, or mentoring in a complex multi‑stakeholder environment (E, I).
Strong experience in system testing, UAT management, and change control processes (E, A, I)
Experience within the education sector/Built Environment/Higher Education (D, A, I).
Skills, knowledge, and aptitudes
Strong understanding of enterprise system configuration principles and workflow design (E, A, I).
Understanding of SDLC methodologies and quality assurance practices (E, A).
Effective communication skills, able to translate technical issues into business language (E, A, I).
Highly organised, structured, and capable of managing competing priorities (E, I).
Knowledge of system integrations, APIs, ETL, data models, and interoperability (E, A, I).
Analytical mindset and strong problem‑solving capability (E, A, I).
Understanding of enterprise system lifecycles and higher education business processes (E, A).
Self‑motivated with the ability to work flexibly and adapt readily to changing circumstances (E, A, I).
Understanding of SQL or enterprise reporting/query tools (D, A, I).
Awareness of data protection, information security, and system access management principles (D, A, I).
Other requirements or special requirements
Alignment to the University’s core values of Passion, Integrity, Excellence and Support; all employees are expected to demonstrate our values at work (E, I).
Commitment to delivering positive outcomes for our students; we want our students to be successful (E, I).
You must be prepared to undertake mandatory online training should you be appointed including Data Protection, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, Prevent, and EDI (E, I).
Some out of hours may be required on occasion to support upgrades/changes (E, I).
PAY AND BENEFITS
Salary: Salary circa £55,000 per annum.
Holiday: 26 days paid holiday (rising to 28 with service) plus paid bank/public holidays plus up to five paid closure days (typically between Christmas and New Year); all per holiday year Full Time Equivalent. Our holiday year runs from 1 August to 31 July. We also have a holiday buy and sell scheme in place. Sometimes the University does not need to close for five days per year and any balance (for example one day) can be used as a paid Wellbeing Day to take time out for your own physical or mental health.
Pension and life assurance: Pensions auto‑enrolment to the People’s Pension which is a default salary sacrifice scheme. You may opt out of salary sacrifice but remain in the scheme, or you may choose to opt out altogether. We provide life assurance (death in service) cover as standard to all employees.
Family‑friendly policies: Policies in place for all types of family‑friendly statutory leave with enhanced pay available from day one of employment for some leave types. Access to Tax‑Free Childcare (Government scheme).
Wellbeing: Full access to the Employee Assistance Programme as well as the Thrive Mental Wellbeing app. Several employees are trained Mental Health First Aiders and can support staff. We have a wellbeing policy and we focus on five pillars of wellbeing.
Sustainable travel: Cycle to Work and Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice schemes.
Parking: We have locked sheds for bicycles. For cars, for Horizons based roles, we may in the future be able to offer parking on site however you must not assume this will be possible. Every now and then we may have a spare parking space become available and you can ask to join the waiting list. The University is keen wherever possible, to encourage staff to commute as sustainably as possible.
Other health related benefits: Employer‑funded Health Cash Plan (Simplyhealth) and voluntary dental insurance (Unum).
Other valuable benefits:
* Charity giving options available including one voluntary paid day, per annum.
* You will have access to Microsoft Office 365 applications for personal use.
* You will have access to range of lifestyle discounts and everydaysavings.
* We offerlearning platforms including LinkedIn learning.
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