IT Regional Business Relationship Manager

Johnson Controls is a global leader in smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings. With operations in over 150 countries, we are committed to driving innovation and excellence in building technologies and integrated solutions. Our people are at the heart of our success, and we are passionate about attracting and developing top talent across the globe. We are looking for a Business Relationship Management 

What will you do? 

This function has the responsibility to define, establish and maintaining a relationship between IT and the business, and to increase the value realized from IT assets, investments, and capabilities. The BRM is responsible for understanding the business, assisting in the prioritization of projects, ensuring that projects align with the technology that provides maximum return on investment and directing IT strategy in support of the overall business strategy always making sure there is alignment with IT Corporate Strategy. The BRM must be seen and valued as a trusted advisor to the business units. 

Manage a team of IT specialists, Business Analysts or coordinate cross functional teams (local, regional, and or global) who provide the required system development and integration services. The BRM supervises the design, implementation and maintenance of an integrated IT system and ensures the proper methodology is used to deliver the projects and initiatives ensuring all project management frameworks are followed accordingly. 

 Business Relationship Management 

• Develop and manage the relationship between IT and internal and external partners (business units, service providers). 

• Identify and leverage IT synergy potentials across countries, regions, business units, and corporate strategies. 

• Ensure the business units understand the existing and proposed solution, overall solution delivery, and compliance to governance processes, architecture standards, etc. 

• Prepare, Develop and Support the business in cost-benefit analyses for projects and assist business stakeholders in prioritizing projects submitted through the stablished demand management process. 

• Work with stakeholders and project teams to prioritize requirements (within projects). 

• Develop recommendation for joint or coordinated application project delivery across business units, regions, or countries in collaboration with other business units, cross functional teams, and peers. 

• Research, review, analyze the effectiveness and efficiency of existing requirements-gathering processes, and develop strategies for enhancing or further leveraging these processes. 

• Participate in the IT annual budgeting and planning process for the assigned business units, and tracks IT spending. 

• Participate in trials and the piloting of new tools; provide appropriate support and expertise in testing procedures and the development of appropriate testing standards, testing and distribution, implementation, and reporting; tracking and project planning support. 

• Follow the already established change control processes which discipline the applications development process, ensuring that change of requirements is effectively rationalized, prioritized and, when approved, adequately funded. 

• Participate and collaborate with other global functions to ensure the proper development of operating and capital budgets; conduct strategic, risk and/or contingency planning analyses and discuss and align with global function leaders in the proper allocation of the required support structure. 

• Look for opportunities to leverage technology to achieve business unit objectives. 

• Stay abreast of new technologies and their ability to provide a competitive edge to assigned systems. Communicate to business leaders of relevant IT innovations. 

Management and Strategic Planning 

• If applicable, manage the unit of experts in their respective fields of expertise (at the junior, intermediate and senior levels); ensure that services are provided to the respective business unit. 

• Establish unit objectives and priorities, develop, implement, and monitor work plans and coordinate all human resources management activities including staffing, classification, orientation, staff development and formal training; review and approve technical strategies and requirements submitted by staff; conduct appraisals and performance reviews of staff. Hire, evaluate new staff through the probationary period, recommend termination and discipline staff. 

• As required, manage project teams and working groups; identify requirements, chair meetings, set objectives and goals and timetables; monitor and evaluate the quality, accuracy, and outcome of work. 

• Monitor expenditures and resources utilization, analyze resources issues and problems and develop alternative resourcing approaches and prepare ad-hoc reports. 

• Contribute to the content and details of agreements, and how the resulting resources are to be allocated to deliver more effective services to the internal customers. Within the delegated authority, approve expenditures and validate invoices for the acquisition of goods and services rendered in accordance with IT contracts specifications. 

• If applicable, authorize overtime, leave, and travel for staff; negotiate the extent and level of service (in the case of a consulting contract), and evaluate and select the best proposal; In conjunction with the other IT Leaders reviews budgetary spending and recommends the appropriate changes to maintain the budget. 

Communications 

• Represent the Business Unit in internal and external meetings, working groups, committees, discussions, and meetings with COEs or other cross functional teams as required. 

• Maintains regular communications with regional IT staff to discuss issues, policies, and practices. 

• Plans, creates, and conducts presentations to staff and partners on technological trends and developments. 

How will you do it?  

The manager needs to have significant knowledge in subject matters pertaining to both IT and the business and must have a thorough understanding of the business to identify its needs and envisage business solutions. 

BRM both enables and drives a proactive business-level dialogue and a performance management approach that is focused on maintaining a service culture and delivering value. BRM forms the basis for measuring, communicating, and improving IT organization value, both real and perceived. This drives optimization of the return on the organization’s IT investment. 

What are we looking for? 

Required 

• Business Relationship Management, Project Management, or IT Business Partner experience, working within complex matrix international organization. 

• Expertise in various areas such as Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Sales, and Marketing (SAP, SalesForce, Oracle, etc.). 

• Sound knowledge of Project Management practices and principles, Waterfall, and Agile methodology. 

• Strategic mentality combined with a hands-on approach to get initiatives to successful completion. 

• Sophisticated skills in stakeholder management including exposure to C-level. 

• Good awareness of business process analysis, system assessments and business analysis standard methodologies. 

• Understanding of Business Change Management. 

• Experience in crafting demand in alignment with defined road maps and strategic priorities. 

• Proven knowledge of preparing business cases based on scenario planning and multiple options analysis. 

• Process design documentation experience using flow charts. 

• Good knowledge of data analysis and reporting. 

• Bachelor’s degree and at least 5 years relevant experience. 

Preferred 

• SAP S/4, SAP ECC, Oracle Fusion and other ERP products experience in international deployments. 

• Merge & Acquisition overview. 

• Other Languages (Spanish, Portuguese). 

• Understanding of Business Architecture and experience in delivering business artifacts. 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Computer Science, Information Systems or other IT related field. 

Johnson Controls does not request pregnancy or HIV testing as a condition for hiring, continued employment, or promotion, in accordance with its commitment to labor equality and non-discrimination.