Director, Enterprise Applications

POSITION SUMMARY 

The Director of Enterprise Applications reports to the Senior Director of Enterprise Services and is responsible for the implementation, integration, administration, security, support, and ongoing evolution of APA's enterprise application ecosystem. This hands-on leadership role provides technical leadership and direct operational support for Salesforce and other enterprise platforms while ensuring solutions align with organizational goals, support critical business processes, and provide secure, scalable, and reliable services for staff and members. 

The Director serves as the primary business and technical owner of APA's enterprise application portfolio, including Salesforce and related business systems, and is responsible for platform administration, systems integration, vendor management, and application governance. This role partners closely with business stakeholders to ensure enterprise applications effectively support organizational data governance standards, reporting requirements, and business objectives. 

As both a leader and contributor, the Director serves as the primary technical resource and escalation point for enterprise applications, actively participating in solution design, configuration, troubleshooting, upgrades, implementations, UAT, and continuous platform improvement. This position provides leadership and guidance for direct reports, vendors, and other stakeholders while ensuring the team follows best practices, delivers high-quality solutions, and provides exceptional support to staff and members. 

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES 

Enterprise Architecture Leadership 

• Lead enterprise application architecture, integration strategy, and platform governance across APA's technology ecosystem. 

• Design, implement, and oversee integrations between Salesforce and third-party platforms ensuring scalability, security, reliability, and operational efficiency. 

• Establish and maintain enterprise application standards and governance processes. 

• Evaluate emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), automation, platform enhancements, and industry best practices, and recommend solutions that improve business processes, system performance, and user productivity. 

• Develop and maintain enterprise application roadmaps in partnership with IT leadership, business stakeholders, and vendors. 

• Assess, implement, and support AI-enabled capabilities within enterprise applications while ensuring alignment with organizational goals, security requirements, privacy standards, and governance practices. 

Platform Ownership, Vendor & Stakeholder Management 

• Serve as the primary business and technical owner for APA's enterprise application portfolio, including Salesforce and related business systems. 

• Manage relationships with software vendors, implementation partners, and service providers to ensure effective platform performance, support, and alignment with organizational priorities. 

• Oversee vendor escalations, enhancement requests, service delivery, and project execution to ensure timely resolution of issues and achievement of business objectives. 

• Communicate priorities, project status, risks, and operational updates to stakeholders, vendors, and senior leadership to maintain alignment and transparency. 

• Provide operational and platform performance metrics to stakeholders to support decision-making and continuous improvement efforts. 

Security & Compliance 

• Partner with business stakeholders, vendors, and IT leadership to ensure enterprise applications comply with organizational security, privacy, audit, and regulatory requirements. 

• Maintain appropriate access controls, change management processes, and application security best practices across enterprise platforms. 

• Ensure enterprise applications remain current, supported, and secure through ongoing maintenance, upgrades, and lifecycle management. 

Data Governance & Reporting Support 

• Collaborate with the Manager, Data Governance and Administration to ensure enterprise applications support organizational data governance standards, reporting requirements, and data quality objectives. 

• Ensure enterprise systems provide reliable, accessible, and accurate data for reporting, analytics, and decision-making. 

• Support data standardization efforts and implementation of approved data governance policies and procedures. 

Hands-On Leadership 

• Serve as the primary technical owner and escalation point for enterprise applications, providing hands-on leadership through direct participation in solution design, system administration, integrations, troubleshooting, upgrades, implementations, and operational support. 

• Partner with business stakeholders and the IT Project Manager to gather requirements, prioritize work, and deliver enterprise application solutions that support organizational objectives. 

• Lead and mentor direct reports by promoting industry best practices, professional development, and continuous learning related to APA platforms and emerging technologies.  

• Drive operational excellence by identifying opportunities to optimize enterprise applications, integrations, and business processes.  

Quality Assurance & Continuous Improvement 

• Ensure appropriate testing, documentation, training, and knowledge transfer activities are completed for enterprise application projects, enhancements, and support initiatives. 

• Establish and monitor processes that promote system reliability, user adoption, operational efficiency, and continuous improvement.  

Other Duties 

• Perform other duties as assigned 

COMPETENCIES 

The Director of Enterprise Applications’ performance on these duties and responsibilities will be measured using the following competencies: 

SCOPE & IMPACT 

• Oversees a team or project within a program or department 

• Applies knowledge and experience to achieve the goals and objectives across all areas of the business 

• Coordinates project work and ensures completion within established time frame 

• Participates in the strategic planning for the program or department 

• Demonstrates mastery of skills and techniques utilized in the department or program 

• Success is frequently measured by metrics associated with completing department or program projects or initiatives and demonstrating highly-complexhighly complex and nuanced organizational work environment behaviors 

COMPLEXITY, PROBLEM SOLVING & DECISION-MAKING 

• Exercises significant latitude in making decisions in the use of technology to support all areas of the association, including revenue generation and membership area support. 

• Provides highest level of technical troubleshooting and problem solving for organization regarding data ecosystem 

• Works with vendors as necessary to solve complex technical troubleshooting as needed  

• Consults with senior leadership for decisions involving major policy or budgetary issues 

• May be responsible for developing and monitoring income and expense budgets for assigned area 

• Identifies complex problems and works to create solutions 

• Problem analyses include reviewing alternative solutions with likely outcomes 

• Independent judgements are made within defined practices of the Association. Management approval is required for solution designs outside of APA's defined practices 

RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT & AUTHORITY 

• Relationships span levels internally and externally and center on the ability to build trust to further long-term working relationships 

• Strong diplomatic skills and innovation are used to influence others, resolve problems, manage projects, or achieve appropriate solutions 

• Significant and frequent contact with outside organizations, consultants, vendors, and other organizational partners 

ORGANIZATIONAL KNOWLEDGE 

• Demonstrates specific knowledge of how and where data is used across the organization 

• Demonstrates detailed knowledge of the processes, relationships, and responsibilities across the association as it relates to use of data to complete strategic and operational goals as well as how the IT department interacts within the organization 

 SUPERVISION 

• Directly manages 2 employees 

REQUIRED SKILLS, EXPERIENCE, AND QUALIFICATIONS   

• 8-10 years of progressively responsible experience supporting and leading enterprise application portfolios, including CRM/AMS platforms, SaaS applications, business systems, integrations, and vendor-supported solutions, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.  

• 5+ years of experience administering and supporting Salesforce platforms, including configuration, integrations, reporting, and platform optimization.  

• Salesforce Administrator certification required; Advanced Administrator, Business Analyst, Platform App Builder, or other Salesforce certifications preferred.  

• Experience designing, implementing, and supporting integrations using APIs, middleware, or other modern integration technologies.  

• Demonstrated success leading, developing, and motivating technical teams while fostering accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.  

• Demonstrated ability to lead enterprise application initiatives from planning through implementation while balancing operational priorities and long-term platform improvements.  

• Experience serving as a senior technical escalation point for complex application, integration, and operational issues.  

• Strong communication, relationship management, and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts into business terms.  

• Strong understanding of enterprise application architecture, cloud technologies, relational databases, data management principles, and platform governance.  

• Experience with software development lifecycle (SDLC) practices, system implementation, testing, and continuous process improvement.  

• Knowledge of cybersecurity, privacy, compliance, and risk management principles related to enterprise applications.  

• Familiarity with AI-enabled enterprise application features, automation technologies, and emerging trends related to enterprise productivity and business systems. 

• Proven ability and willingness to serve as a hands-on technical leader while managing people, vendors, and enterprise application responsibilities.  

• Commitment to maintaining current technical and leadership knowledge and skills. 

EOE, including disability/vets