Manager, Platforms Management
Reports to: Director of Platforms Management
Business Unit: IT Solutions - Infrastructure & Service - Productivity & Platforms
Role Type: Permanent
Location: Liverpool (hybrid - remote)
There has never been a more exciting time to be part of the IT Solutions organization at Smurfit Westrock. Our ambition is to transform our technology capabilities and position IT Solutions as a digital strategic partner for the business, enabling a modern, secure, and scalable digital future for Smurfit Westrock.
About The Role
The Manager, Platforms Management is responsible for overseeing the development, maintenance, optimization, and operational excellence of the platforms that fall within the scope of the OSP (Operational Services Platforms) team. This role ensures that platforms are reliable, secure, compliant, and aligned with current and future business needs. The position carries accountability for day‑to‑day operations, including platform availability, uptime, performance, engineering quality, security, and compliance. The Manager provides leadership and direction to multidisciplinary teams, ensuring platforms are engineered and operated according to best practices and organizational standards. This role requires close collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders, including functional Product Owners, business leaders, architects, IT peers, and external partners. Through this collaboration, the Manager ensures that platforms consistently deliver measurable business value and support strategic objectives.
Key Accountabilities
* Define, maintain, and execute the platform roadmap for systems in scope, ensuring alignment with business strategy, technology direction, and operational priorities.
* Ensure platforms meet defined performance, availability, scalability, resilience, and security requirements.
* Oversee platform lifecycle management, including upgrades, patches, decommissioning, and technology refresh activities.
* Lead, coach, and mentor team members, including developers, business analysts, and platform administrators, fostering a high‑performance and continuous improvement culture.
* Ensure all platforms comply with security standards, internal policies, and external regulatory requirements.
* Coordinate effectively with cross‑functional teams, including architecture, cybersecurity, infrastructure, application development, and business units.
* Manage team staffing, workload planning, performance management, professional development, and succession planning.
* Ensure the smooth execution of platform changes, releases, and deployments, with minimal disruption to business operations.
* Oversee and support platform integrations with other enterprise systems and third‑party solutions.
* Partner closely with business leaders and Product Owners to understand requirements and translate business needs into scalable and reliable platform capabilities.
* Communicate platform performance, risks, constraints, and improvement opportunities to senior management and key stakeholders.
* Ensure comprehensive and up‑to‑date documentation, including technical designs, configurations, architecture diagrams, and operational specifications.
* Engage and manage vendors and strategic partners, assessing services and technologies to enhance platform capabilities and operational effectiveness.
Role Organization and Scope
The Manager, Platforms Management is a key member of the Platforms Management unit and reports directly to the Director of Platforms Management. This role operates in a fast‑paced, global, and dynamic environment, supporting platforms that are critical to business operations across multiple regions. The role may require occasional after‑hours work to support critical changes, releases, or incident resolution outside standard business hours. The individual must be comfortable working collaboratively across multiple time zones and cultures, demonstrating flexibility, strong communication skills, and cultural awareness. The ideal candidate will be proactive, structured, and detail‑oriented, with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously while maintaining a calm, methodical, and solutions‑focused approach in high‑pressure situations.
Qualifications, Knowledge, and Experience
Essential Requirements
* Proven experience managing teams of IT professionals, ideally within a large or enterprise‑scale organization.
* Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at multiple organizational levels.
* Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with cross‑functional and geographically distributed teams.
* Strong problem‑solving and analytical capabilities, with a structured and data‑driven approach to decision‑making.
* An analytical and solution‑focused mindset, with close attention to detail and a strong commitment to quality and operational excellence.
* Proficiency in business English, both written and spoken.
* Experience working in a customer‑focused environment, translating business needs into technology outcomes.
* Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, work under pressure, and meet challenging deadlines.
Desirable Skills and Experience
* Experience with risk management, defect management, service reporting, and performance metrics.
* Understanding of testing methodologies and automation frameworks, enabling effective collaboration with quality and testing functions.
#J-18808-Ljbffr