VP, Information Technology

VP, Information Technology

Ripple Junction is looking to add a full-time Vice President of Information Technology to our team. This job contributes to Ripple Junction’s success by leading the strategy, planning, selection and implementation of our overall IT business needs. The successful candidate will own the overall technology strategy for the business and will be required to implement technology to drive sales and productivity. We are at the point in our business where we need to identify core technologies that will drive efficiencies and enable us to do more with less. This will require you to work closely with consultants and coordinate project tasks and deliverables across key projects. You will assume ownership and accountability for project management of all key project initiatives. The successful candidate must be able to engage with E Commerce, Purchasing and other business teams and work collaboratively with external vendors to drive to a successful implementation. This person must understand the project life cycle and all aspects of delivery including requirements, design, development and testing. This person also plays a pivotal role in driving stakeholder engagement and leadership alignment though communication.

This person must be comfortable in the technical space, as well as the business community. The individual must have previous experience and a proven track record for implementing effective strategies. The person should be well versed in consumer product processes, EDI, supply chain management and planning technology. The candidate must be well spoken and articulate and should have the ability to stay calm under pressure. Website and ecommerce strategy need to be developed in order to drive sales and other opportunities. This individual will be very hands on, who can get down into the minutia of the businesses processes and controls, but at the same time lead change with superior knowledge and experience.

Location will be in the office in West Chester, Ohio

A Day in the Life

IT KNOWLEDGE AND CAPABILITY

Provide an environment of collaboration and partnership within IT and the functional business community.
Provide a strong degree of business functional knowledge to help guide implementation of required deliverables.
Facilitate the decision-making process and make strategic and tactical staffing recommendations
Develop and maintain full project plan and task dependencies
Work with the Vendor, Consulting Team and Systems teams to ensure tasks are completed on time and on budget
Responsible for maintaining the product delivery roadmap, all individual project plans and ensure that project management best practices (scope, planning, execution, control) are applied accurately to deliver on time and on budget
Responsible for determining and communicating process and procedures
Partner with the business community to negotiate with 3rd party vendors to ensure requested features and integration are managed to scope and cost (Current ERP – A2000)

SYSTEM DESIGN ARCHITECTURE

Plan and evaluate system enhancements/additions
Make system upgrade recommendations
Perform and/or verify system functions
Evaluate new technologies; analyze and document findings
Lead technology and system implementation and upgrades
Enforce security procedures and policies
Extensive hands on and management experience in desktop and helpdesk support, including maintenance and reporting on open ticket history and customer satisfaction
Operational responsibility of all IT functions including Service Desk, Desktop, Server, and Network Management
Project Management of all IT initiatives

*Note that all are essential duties

Must-Haves:

Bachelor's degree in Business Information Systems, MIS, Computer Science or similar field.
7+ years IT leadership experience with increasing scope and area of responsibility
7 or more years in a business analyst or technical lead role.
7 or more years of experience defining requirements for enterprise documentation.
7 or more years in retail eCommerce or a related domain.
Experience in design, development, implementation and deployment of web enabled eCommerce/Internet/Intranet applications (web-site design, development).
Experience with software testing tools.
Experience working on large, complex projects in the retailing arena.
Experience writing technical documents, business requirements documents and user manuals.
Experience working with third party vendors
Applicable information technology experience in the sales, merchandising, inventory and warehouse management systems. (7+ years)
Solid experience managing MS Active Directory, MS Server, MS Exchange, Sharepoint Services
Citrix (xp) / Terminal Services/ Thin Client experience
Application development projects of all sizes and complexities.
Extensive experience managing third parties
Supplier negotiation and supplier management experience and skills (5 years)
Demonstrated experience, both hands on and management of: network routers, switches and servers, VPN/WAN network, VOIP
Up to date knowledge and experience on the latest desktop and mobile technology trends
Strong experience with IT vendor relationship management and selection along with implementation and management of third party hardware and service providers
Demonstrated experience with data backup systems and DR planning
Client software installation, integration, and configuration
Experience with web ecommerce development, implementation and management of ASP.NET (C# preferred) based solutions and third-party web service integration
Demonstrated working knowledge and experience with VOIP telephone systems
Working knowledge of installing, configuring and optimizing VMware infrastructure

Nice-to-Haves:

Prefer someone with previous significant IT retail experience
Pop culture experience
Experience in licensed apparel and/or accessories

Your Know-How:

Strong systems analysis
Must demonstrate excellent business analysis skills, inspire teamwork and responsibility among project team, and use current technology and tools to enhance deliverable and service effectiveness
Demonstrate a solid understanding of the capabilities of all platforms, including but not limited to web, mobile, widget and others and the constraints involved in designing for online and multimedia.
Knowledge of Network infrastructure and security, VOIP
Strong SQL / MS Access knowledge
Knowledge of usability testing constructs.
Experience demonstrating a detail orientation, solid time management skills and the ability to work in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.
Must have a clear understanding of the technology to ensure implementation of requirements are scalable, and performing to high level
Website operation, configuration, and studio skills
Must have strong problem-solving and analytical skills, an investigative mentality, organizational and logic skills.
Exceptional communication skills. Good leadership and interpersonal skills.
Proven ability to communicate complex data issues to a wide variety of decision-makers and interface with executive management, vendors and staff at all levels
Able to identify, challenge, and consider opportunities outside of conventional thinking and traditional ways of operating to resolve problems or inefficiencies.
Effective at reporting and communication of project status in a cross-functional environment.
Maintains knowledge of latest technology trends, new functionality and market demands.
Maintains up-to-date knowledge of current user experience/website industry standards and best practices.
Strong experience with a comprehensive Microsoft platform of products including: Office, SQL Server, Exchange, SharePoint
Self-sufficient, self-motivated, organized and reliable

Why Ripple Junction?

At Ripple Junction our vision is to consistently bring joy to pop culture fans—and that joy starts with our employees. We offer a competitive benefits program, growth and development opportunities, discounted merchandise and so much more. Ripple believes in the value of each employee and it is reflected in our one-of-a-kind environment. Product or potluck—we work, grow, celebrate and succeed together!

About Ripple Junction

Ripple Junction began in 1992 as two guys with a van full of t-shirts at a Grateful Dead show. Today, are a mid-sized industry-leading designer and manufacturer of licensed pop culture apparel and accessories for globally recognized brands. For over 25 years we have been driven by passion and purpose. We create a broad assortment of high-quality products that appeal to the fans of our extensive roster of licensed properties, while generating strong sales for our numerous retail partners. Our main office is in West Chester, Ohio

We believe in quality, creative products that celebrate film, TV, rock & roll, anime, gaming, and all things pop culture. The incredibly talented and hard-working team at Ripple Junction creates the planet’s best officially licensed apparel and accessories and we’re looking to add new talent to the RJ crew. Are you that person?!

Job Type: Full-time, Exempt

Seniority Level: Executive

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