Manager, IT Applications (Hybrid)

At Globe Life, we are committed to empowering our employees with the support and opportunities they need to succeed at every stage of their career. We take pride in fostering a caring and innovative culture that enables us to collectively grow and overcome challenges in a connected, collaborative, and mutually respectful environment that calls us to help Make Tomorrow Better.

Role Overview:

Could you be our next Manager, IT Applications? Globe Life is looking for a Manager, IT Applications, to join the team!

In this role, you will be responsible for leading/managing the development, deployment, and support of new and existing applications to meet the current and future needs of the business.

This person is responsible for planning, managing, and executing multiple individual contributor developer team members that primarily support enterprise applications used by both internal and external users of these applications to administer key data as well as customer data.

This is a hybrid position located in McKinney, Texas (WFH Monday & Friday, In Office Tuesday-Thursday).

What You Will Do:

• Partner with business departments and other IT groups to assess needs, make recommendations, and deliver highly effective technology solutions that support the current and future business operations.
• Collaborate with business and IT stakeholders to prioritize modernization initiatives and establish product roadmaps.
• Lead team supporting existing applications and developing new applications utilizing systems development life cycle and project management methodologies.
• Ensure delivered software meets standards of operational excellence and is stable and supportable in production environments.
• Evaluate project status and resource utilization and implement changes to improve the team’s effectiveness.
• Ensure projects and change requests are prioritized, tracked, and communicated in a consistent and effective manner to ensure the alignment of IT with business initiatives.
• Coordinate with other Applications Managers, Project Managers, BA/QA, and EPMO in the planning of projects including the identification of tasks, estimation of effort, and allocation of resources.
• Ensure projects and commitments are delivered on time and within budget, adhering to quality standards and meeting stakeholder expectations.
• Provide technical leadership to the development team as needed.
• Perform project management duties for smaller modernization initiatives, including developing project plans, communication management, and risk management.
• Develop and maintain an appropriate organizational structure capable of supporting the application development needs of Globe Life. This includes the appropriate level of cross-training to ensure that applications can be worked on and supported by people other than the original developers.
• Ensure compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley requirements and COBIT requirements.

Key Expectations & Deliverables:

• Commitment to service delivery, including the delivery of project on-time, on-budget, and with exceptional customer satisfaction.
• As a technical leader in the organization, innovative thinking is a must as we drive our systems forward.
• Driving process excellence around software delivery is critical.
• A continuous focus on communication management and risk management for all initiatives.
• Development and maintenance of technology roadmaps to step change applications' performance and effectiveness.
•  All projects must include thoroughly documented code and operational procedures.
• Effective balancing of the workload among team members.
• Provide constructive feedback on an ongoing basis and preparation of formal performance reviews on an annual basis.
• Disaster recovery plans and tests must be completed on an annual basis (at a minimum) for all applications identified as critical to the operations of the business.

What You Can Bring:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Business Administration, or other related field. Equivalent years of work experience in Information Technology Applications Development & Leadership area are also taken into consideration.
• 10+ years of experience managing applications and software development projects and teams in a transactional web-based environment and/or mainframe-based environment with integration to legacy systems.
• Experience with application development environments and tools, change control procedures, systems architecture, and systems development life cycle methodologies.
• 6+ years of work-related experience in project management with proven knowledge of project management principles and methodologies.
• Experience with complex system environments, including multiple locations and companies in an integrated environment.
• Experience in needs analysis, software package selection, and implementation.
• Experience in developing & monitoring project work plans and interacting with senior management.
• Experience managing a medium-to-large software project using Agile methodologies.
• Insurance industry experience in life, health and annuity a plus.
• Experience with current/recent software technologies, including .NET, Angular, Vue.js, as well as experience working in a Cloud environment (or hybrid Cloud/On-Premises environment preferred.
• Mainframe skills are also a plus: Assembler, COBOL, EASYTRIEVE, Sync Sort, IDCAMS, VSE JCL, BDAM, VSAM, CICS, CEDF, Trac, Xray.
• Candidates with a working knowledge of the LifeCom Policy Administration System would be highly considered.
• Any technical or project management certifications are a plus.
• Experience integrating business processes and business applications.
• Strong leadership, delegation, personnel development, and mentoring skills.
• Strong organizational and multi-tasking skills.
• Proven experience in meeting deadlines and managing multiple priorities.
• Strong communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Strong negotiation, conflict resolution, and influencing skills.
• Strong conceptual, analytical, problem-solving, and troubleshooting skills.
• Experience leading/managing teams with both business and technical backgrounds.
• Experience working with vendors and service providers.
• Experience with cost-benefit and ROI analysis preparation.
• Experience with providing Level of Estimates (LOE) for work and building timelines.

Applicable To All Employees of Globe Life Family of Companies:

• Reliable and predictable attendance of your assigned shift.

• Ability to work full time and/or part time based on the position specifications.

How Globe Life Will Support You:

Looking to continue your career in an environment that values your contribution and invests in your growth? We've curated a benefits package that helps to ensure that you don’t just work, but thrive at Globe Life:

• Competitive compensation designed to reflect your expertise and contribution.

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans because your well-being is fundamental to your performance.

• Robust life insurance benefits and retirement plans, including company-matched 401k and pension plan.

• Paid holidays and time off to support a healthy work-life balance.

• Parental leave to help our employees welcome their new additions.

• Subsidized all-in-one subscriptions to support your fitness, mindfulness, nutrition, and sleep goals.

• Company-paid counseling for assistance with mental health, stress management, and work-life balance.

• Continued education reimbursement eligibility and company-paid FLMI and ICA courses to grow your career.

• Discounted Texas Rangers tickets for a proud visit to Globe Life Field.

Opportunity awaits! Invest in your professional legacy, realize your path, and see the direct impact you can make in a workplace that celebrates and harnesses your unique talents and perspectives to their fullest potential. At Globe Life, your voice matters.