Solution Architect, OTC-PTP-Procurement

First Quality was founded in 1989 and has grown to be a global privately held company with over 4,000 employees. Its corporate offices are located in Great Neck, New York, with manufacturing facilities and offices in Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Georgia, and Canada. First Quality is a diversified family of companies manufacturing consumer products ranging from Absorbent Hygiene (adult incontinence, feminine care, and baby care), Tissue (bath and towel), and Industrial (print and packaging materials), serving institutional and retail markets throughout the world. First Quality focuses on private label and branded product lines.

We are seeking a Solution Architect, OTC-PTP-Procurement for our First Quality Enterprises working remotely. The Solution Architect – OTC – PTP – Procurement- is responsible for designing technical solutions that will drive the transformation of the Order to Cash/Plan to Produce/Procurement business functions efforts to support the company’s operations, enable its growth and achieve cost-effective and process-efficient best practices. This position will also drive the technology roadmaps that will drive the functions in scope into the future leveraging technology and industry innovation.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Develop and maintain a detailed understanding of the business processes and associated software configuration with respect to Order To Cash, Plan To Produce and Procurement applications in scope (SAP is the ERP supporting these functions)

• Foster and maintain ongoing internal relationships with the functional teams and their respective Centers Of Excellence (COEs)

• Establishment of 3-year strategic functional roadmaps for the business processes in scope that are aligned to business strategy and respective business requirements

• Development of a supporting 3-year strategic technical roadmap to support the functional roadmap. Where appropriate, justified and in compliance with Enterprise Architecture guidelines, introduce innovation and automation into solutions architecture

• Development of Reference Architecture Documents for the functions and business processes in scope and respective supporting systems

• Establish/create High Level Design for New Business Processes and Projects that deliver solutions to business problems and opportunities. Hand over to IT Build/Engineering for Detailed Low-Level Design. High Level Designs include:

a. Architectural diagrams

b. Data Flow (logical) diagrams

c. Reference wireframes

d. Security architecture (in partnership with IS)

e. Infrastructure architecture (in partnership with IT Infra)

• Provide direction in terms of execution strategy including sequencing based on functional and technical dependencies

• Development of Functional Specifications to hand over to the IT Build/Engineering team

• Development of Testing Plans at the Use-Case level to ensure the solution ultimately meets business requirements

• Collaborate with Project Managers to develop program and project plans in a proactive manner

• Ensure all solutions are architected with BCP and DR objectives as part of the solution

• Development of Implementation Guidelines as well as Build/Development Standards. Understand and comply with the Systems Development Life Cycle methodology

• Ensure all proposed projects have properly vetted business cases and are aligned with the 3 Year Strategic Roadmap

• Create user training strategy to hand over to the IT Build/Engineering team for detailed training planning and execution

• Provide post-project hypercare support as needed

• Collaborate with and support Sourcing and Vendor Management for assigned business processes

• Develop Service Strategy and Service Design plans for newly created IT services

• Provide L4 support as required (escalation based)

• Collaborating with business leaders and COE teams throughout the enterprise organization

• Minimal travel to manufacturing sites and other First Quality locations to address IT procurement-related needs

The ideal candidate should possess the following:

• 10+ years of IT experience supporting the functions business processes in scope based on tools including, but not limited to, SAP, Qlik, Ariba (or similar), APO/IBP (or similar)

• 10+ years of Solution Architecture experience designing enterprise level solutions from the process, technology, people and data perspectives

• 5+ years of Solution Architecture experience designing solutions within an established set of Enterprise Architectural guidelines and principles

• 10+ years’ experience designing new IT business services

• 5+ years of solution engineering experience building solutions under direction of established and accepted solution high level and architectural designs

• 3+ years of Project Management experience or exposure

• 3+ years of CPG Manufacturing experience

• 5+ years of Business Process Design experience

• 5+ years of assigned technology stack experience. SAP (ECC 6.0, APO, EWM, TM, IBP, Ariba), Qlik

• 5+ years of Enterprise Level Integration capabilities

• Excellent interpersonal skills to build, develop and maintain solid relationships, both internally and externally and partners cross-functionally on a regular basis 

• Genuine collaborator and team player with solid judgement and integrity

• Strategic mindset

• Excellent Change Management and Communications capabilities

• Ability to thrive in entrepreneurial, dynamic, and fluid environment while delivering results

• Comfortable with agility, with the ability to handle ambiguity and pivot strategy due to changing dynamics internally and externally

• Bachelor’s Degree (or equivalent experience)

• Intermediate to advanced skills in Microsoft Office

• Effective communication skills, verbal and written, including the ability to present comfortably to management

• Strong work ethic and elevated level of integrity

• Ability to effectively plan and manage multiple projects, tasks, and initiatives simultaneously

• Proficient at building and maintaining relationships

• High level of organizational skills and be detail oriented

• Problem solving skills