Director IT Applications

The IT Director – Applications (Customer Systems) is accountable for application support and project delivery related to customer facing systems, as well as leadership of the technology team in the customer tower. This role provides strategic technology planning for customer systems aligned to achievement of business outcomes. Delivers software and systems design, development, implementation and support for NiSource, Columbia Gas, and NIPSCO businesses. Responsible for operational excellence across the customer technology team, including implementing ITIL best practices, driving measureable continuous improvement, monitoring performance, financial stewardship, and by ensuring adherence to key compliance and regulatory obligations. Develops key business partnerships and delivers value to our stakeholders by identifying and proactively offering innovative technical solutions in support of the achievement of business goals. Supports and helps to drive our agile transformation and other major transformations, as needed.

Ensures strong collaborative communication with IT teams, stakeholders, and vendors. Works collaboratively to drive quality implementations, system stability and security. Focuses on best practices and quality improvement for both projects and applications support. Maintains up-to-date knowledge of trends and advances in both customer related technology and the customer functional domain. Oversees the service providers and other vendors delivering services in the customer technology tower. Provides direction and management to direct reports and the customer technology team including matrixed reports, and adheres to administrative deadlines and processes. Fosters a culture of safety. Handles employee relations and staff development for direct reports. Develops goals and manages fiscal activities of the applications customer tower.

Essential Functions

• On time and on budget delivery of projects

• Implementations that adhere to NiSource technology standards

• Measurably efficient and effective support for software applications and toolsets

• Active management of the software development life cycle

• Achievement of department budget targets

• Service Provider and internal team achievement of Service Level Agreements

• Leadership during Major Business Interruptions and Priority 1 ticket resolution

• High/improving customer satisfaction scores (business partners and end users)

• JD Power scores in alignment with NiSource goals

• Development of people and positive teaming

• Safety culture

• Focus on system stability, security, compliance

• Expert knowledge of service provider contractual terms

• Trusted partner of our business stakeholders

• Up to date, rolling resource plans in alignment with projects pipeline

• Ownership of functional domain technology roadmap, in partnership with the other IT towers

• Accountability for up to date systems documentation

• Adherence to administrative deadlines and processes

Required Qualifications For Position

• Bachelor's Degree In Information Systems Management, Business Administration, or equivalent experience

• 10+ years IT application technology management and delivery experience, with at least 5 years in a leadership role

• Minimum 5 years technical program management experience required, including successful oversight of large, complex projects or programs that cross multiple IT domains

• Experience leading and developing a staff of technology professionals

• Extensive experience in managing IT delivery through insourced and outsourced providers, with distributed teams

• Experience in leading teams to deliver on business requests, while managing stakeholder expectations

• Extensive technical background in the application technology domain. Familiarity with other domains (hosting, information management, networking, etc.)

• Strong analytical and decision-making skills

• High attention to detail

• Ability to work independently, as well as part of a team

• Strong interpersonal and presentation skills

• Ability to manage multiple priorities, relationships, schedules and deadlines

• Ability to develop and sustain solid working relationships with executive-level sponsors and stakeholders

• Ability to consolidate and present critical financial or business information for executive level reporting

• Highly developed strategic thinking, decision-making, communication, conflict resolution and relationship building skills