804006.Application Manager

The role is responsible for the availability & reliability, configurations, acceptable performance levels, capacity scaling, incident management, introduction of new & changed application services, version compliance in line with standards set by DTI Architects, operating system & database patching / upgrades relevant for the application infrastructures in line with standards set by Technology & Architecture, integrations (inbound & outbound), monitoring the applications and underlying services/ components, incident resolution, defect & enhancement management, service request management and reporting on all KPIs, SLAs and OLAs of the applications.

Planning

• Manage a hybrid team of application SMEs (including captive/contract resources) and technical engineers, responsible for system service improvements, system upgrades & incident resolutions to deliver the highest levels of customer satisfaction within agreed SLA's
• Facilitate application support function to provide outstanding technical support, availability, change, capacity &
  release management

Management and Operations

• Manage the application subject matter experts (internal, captive & contract resources) and technical support engineers
• Monitors and manages performance of the applications & support activity including the effectiveness & actions to remedy deficiencies.
• Develop, manage, maintain and periodically update technical documentations and operating procedures
• Closely work with peers such as infrastructure operations team, service management team, IT security, project delivery team and other stakeholders, including business stakeholders
• Act as the first line of escalation for both internal teams, contractors, partners/vendors and stakeholders
• Monitor and manage incoming ticket volumes and enhancement requests
• Identify trends and deliver on strategies for quicker turn around and/or to reduce overall ticket volumes
• With the assistance of the team, proactively identify the symptoms at early stages (e.g. by reviewing the system and/or application logs, monitoring tools etc.) and implement remedy/fixes
• Perform periodic application heath checks & housekeeping in close coordination with application owners, service delivery managers and stakeholders
• Produce a periodic maintenance plan in close coordination with application owners, service delivery managers and stakeholders
• Ensure application, operating system & database are patched periodically and upgraded as relevant achieving the set version compliance standards
• Ensure application services, underlying modules, components & platforms are monitored 24 x 7 and alert mechanisms are enabled with the relevant distribution lists
• Provide 24 x 7 incident management support for major incidents (P1 and P2)
• Manage the introduction of new and/or change applications, application services ensuring that skill sets & technical are available and have enough capacity to absorb additional work load
• Periodic reporting on KPIs, SLAs and OLAs
• Identify & allocate resources to be on ‘Stand by’ for after office hour support, resources to work on separate shifts for planned activities outside the normal working hours
• Validate the consumptions to ensure that it is aligned to contracted approved consumptions
• Manage ‘On call’ roster & ‘Shift’ roster and track, validate/verify & report consumptions wherever appropriate
• Identify training needs of the team members and ensure resources are trained and deployed & balanced across applications reducing and/or eliminating the single point of failure
• With the assistance from the team, provide technical support to applications and resolve incidents/defects/bugs and fulfil service requests
• Contribute to the closure of risks & issues, security assessments, risk assessments etc.
• With the assistance from the team, ensure backups are in place and being taken successfully, including backup verifications, at desired intervals
• Deliver continuous service improvements with an objective to maintain and improve service quality thereby leading to increased customer satisfaction and service confidence
• Identify & implement quick wins, tactical workarounds and long term permanent solution/fix wherever appropriate.
• Ensure support team members (internal & captive team) adheres to IT policies, procedures and Industry standards / best practices are implemented
• Manage, monitor and measure the activities performed by the support team and ensure that support performance is meeting and/or exceeding the expectations.
• Manage 3rd party suppliers, partners ensuring they are managed effectively, forming partnerships & adhering to agreed performance SLA's.

• 10+ years of Applications Management & Support experience in delivering performance manged services and solutions is mandatory
• Sound knowledge of processes and technologies related to Application Management & Support services and awareness of the latest trends in infrastructure, applications, platforms and services
• Basic understanding of application development methodologies, SDLC, Monitoring mechanisms and Service delivery management
• Familiar with Enterprise Resource Planning applications, Data warehousing applications, Automation tools / technologies, Service oriented architecture etc.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or equivalent is a strong advantage
• Sound knowledge of ITSM tools, reporting and ITIL processes
• Passion for delivering technology services that drive significant customer satisfaction is essential
• Proven interpersonal, communication, and effective relationship building skills at all levels within an organisation
• Strong written and oral communication skills including the ability to interact directly with business representatives that do not necessarily have an IT background