IT Country Manager DE, CH, AT, UA

Campari Group today is a major player in the global branded spirits industry, with a portfolio of over 50 premium and super premium brands, marketed and distributed in over 190 markets around the world, with leading positions in Europe and the Americas.

Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Campari Group owns 25 plants worldwide and has its own distribution network in 26 countries, and employs approximately 4,700 people.

Shares of the parent company Davide Campari - Milano N.V. are listed on the Italian Stock Exchange since 2001. Campari Group is today the sixth-largest player worldwide in the premium spirits industry.

The primary role of the IT Country Manager is to be the IT business partner for the IT Market Directors of the Cluster and the Local Leadership Teams, cooperating with Global & Regional IT in delivering value through technology solutions and services, to meet the strategic and operational goals of our businesses.

S/he operates in a fast-growing environment, where s/he will be involved (as well as/or Leader) in different projects where IT is a strong contributor of the business roadmap. S/he will have direct responsibility for Local Applications development, local providers definition and negotiations, and on local IT budget when not already defined at Global Level.

S/he will be a strategic partner in both Commercial (Sales & Marketing) and Supply Chain with the objective of supporting the local Route to Markets and helping the local businesses to achieve the objectives in terms of top-line growth, market share, margins. In addition are the traditional local needs for HR, Legal, Finance.

This role reports into the Regional IT Director.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACTIVITIES

Business Partnership

• Work to develop the local IT strategy to support the business needs in close collaboration with the regional and global IT leadership teams.
• Ensure the maximization of the technology driven value realization to the business. Driving change management processes (including but not limited to training, communication, solution embedment, business case/ROI tracking and realization), governing and monitoring the adoption rate of technology
• Act as the liaison between the Countries leadership teams and local functions and the Global & Regional IT teams to:
  • Ensure a sound understanding of IT opportunities & needs within the markets and business environment with valid business case/ROI
  • Maintain a constant communication with Campari Group IT, supporting the business demand.
  • Effectively advocate for the assigned Countries requirements with the Global IT teams and ensure accurate planning of activities.
  • Assess the availability of global IT options (applications and/or service) vs. local IT options (applications and/or service), ensuring compliance to Global IT processes and governance standards
  • Champion the roll-out of global applications to meet local needs
  • With regard to Global Projects, act as the liaison to prevent road blocks or issues affecting the delivery of approved projects
  • Collaborate with the global service delivery organization to deliver the IT service levels agreed for our markets, as well as for integrating services with Local choices where agreed is needed.
• Ensure the effective application of the Global IT governance process in the assigned Countries
• Ensure a proper local business needs collection process and maintain a constant communication with Campari Group IT, supporting the demand of the Countries
• Provide the Countries leadership teams with effective and proactive updates and reporting on all local, regional and global IT related matters
• Monitor the evolution of technology and provide the organization with relevant level of information to support more effective decision making and business planning
• Create and update plans for new product/service releases, ensuring key stakeholders alignment
• Proactively plan for the effective resource management and workforce planning for incoming customer inquiries, projects and/or administrative work
• Proactively anticipate and demonstrate an understanding of customer and business needs and resolve escalated issues, following the proper process for Service Escalations
• Act as IT liaison for the regional departments:  Legal, HR, Supply Chain and Finance
• Is the Countries point of reference for all M&A/IT integration activities
• Manage and deliver Local IT communications and support all Global/Regional IT communication involving the Country

Project Management

• Execute Local IT project plans as approved by Country Management Teams, providing timely updates (both to Country Management Teams and Regional IT Stakeholders) and proactively resolving issues.
• Support project management activities associated with Regional/Global project implementations:
  • Ensure that solution blueprint for Global projects is consistent with local requirements, in alignment with quality standards, solution and enterprise architecture guidelines
  • Be responsible to educate/support users to ensure the solution is constantly adopted, driving value realization

Service Management &Local Application Management

• Manage the demand, building and maintenance of local applications, while working towards maximizing the Products value realization.
• Maintain Local Application Repository and documentation, reviewing Local applications service delivery KPI with Business for  continous improvement purpose
• Drive the implementation of local standards and local policies in conjunction with Campari Corporate group.
• Document and update all local IT applications, infrastructure and supporting processes on a continual basis, driving for continuous improvement and the optimization of resources.
• Manage the demand, definition and provision of local services, in alignment with global standards and global service delivery pipeline, while working towards maximizing the Global Services value realization.

Budget Contracts and Vendors Management

• Prepare, monitor and manage the Local IT budget, including all local requirements approved at Global & Regional
• Proactively provide budget updates and/or budget alternatives to meet ad hoc needs.
• Maximize Local Budget effectiveness, while optimizing processes, day-to-day operations and resource allocations, in alignment with a wider Regional Budget Framework.
• In alignment with Global & Regional IT, define budget needed for areas not covered by global agreements and then manage all local contracts.
• Develop a strategy for the identification, selection and ongoing management of local IT suppliers & partners in conjunction with the global panel of IT service providers.

Key Relationships

Internal:

• Business Leadership Team in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, UK and Ukraine
• Campari IT Users
• IT peers in the Region
• Global & Regional It teams, Local IT

External:

• Customers and distributors (technology collaboration to support commercial priorities)
• Vendors and suppliers (phone, equipment, services, etc.)

Experience Required

• 8+ years’ experience in IT of which at least 4 years must be in the IT business partnering roles, preferably in FMCG industry

• International experience and mind-set are a must, as well as strong background within IT globally structured organizations

Education / Professional Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in business management or engineering, computer science or related field

• Relevant technology qualifications a plus - ITIL v4, SAP Certifications

Skills

Functional:

• Ability to develop a ROI focused business case to support IT investments.
• Strong empathy and communication skills.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective and credible working relationships within the department and companywide.
• Ability to influence and work effectively in a matrix organization.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Results oriented and strong project management skills.
• Strong verbal, written and presentation communication skills; ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical resources.
• Experience in issue tracking and resolution.
• Flexible work schedule based on company needs and willingness to be on-call for off-hours support emergencies.

Technical:                                                                                              

• Experience in the delivery of commercial and marketing IT solutions – SFA, TPM, CRM, SAP SD
• Experience of SAP ECC, APO, FICO, BPC and C4C environments a plus
• Exposure to the delivery of BI & data analytics platforms
• General IT architecture knowledge
• Knowledge and experience of software and hardware systems
• Experience of agile and design thinking development approaches is a plus
• Experience performing root cause analysis on internal and external data and processes
• Understanding of basic IT applications, design, development and implementation
• Travel between the different sites is essential and can be up to 30%.

Managerial:

• Must be self-managed, highly motivated and have a strong drive for results.
• Strong people/stake-holders leadership.
• Strong People Management leadership and skills.
• Proven experience in ability to cooperate cross-functionally.
• Proven ability to zoom-in and zoom-out as well as being hands-off but also hands-on.
• Ability to deliver through others based in various locations.

Other:

• Company language is English which will be used for aligning with Regional and Global teams. The daily working language when in the main office is German.
• Other languages are an advantage.
• Travel between the different sites is essential and can be up to 30%.

Our commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:

At Campari Group we believe in building more value together, thus we see diversity in all forms as a source of enrichment. Our employment policies and practices ensure that we are committed to providing equal employment opportunities in all aspects of employment without regard to any individual’s race, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or characteristics or expression, political affiliation or activity, age, veteran status, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Campari Group believes that fair compensation and equal opportunities are crucial for employees’ well-being, empowerment, and engagement.  Our efforts to ensure fair pay have earned us the Fair Pay Certification by Fair Pay Workplace, an independent organization dedicated to dismantling pay disparities based on gender, race and their intersection.

Note to applicants:

Your application will be assessed based on your abilities, expertise, general knowledge and experience, not because of any confidential, proprietary or trade secret information you may possess. You must not disclose to Campari Group any such information. In the event that you are asked a question that cannot be answered without disclosure of any confidential, proprietary or trade secret information (including from a current or prior employer or their vendors or customers), you must decline to answer the question.

Notice to third party agencies:

Please refrain from cold-calling or emailing our executive leadership team or the HR community directly. The Talent Acquisition department manages centralized recruiting operations globally, including the selection and management of external suppliers. Currently, our preferred supplier list is at full capacity. To ensure we have your information on file for future consideration, we kindly request that you complete the online form provided here.