Director of Enterprise Applications

Job Description

Job Description

Overview

Fleet Feet is seeking a seasoned, strategic, and execution-driven Director of Enterprise Applications to lead the planning, implementation, and lifecycle management of business-critical applications across the organization. This role is pivotal in aligning technology solutions with business objectives, ensuring operational efficiency, scalability, and a robust user experience. The ideal candidate will bring a balanced mindset of hands-on execution, leadership, and architectural oversight.

The Director will serve as a key thought partner to the VP of IT and a strategic leader for the Business Systems team, currently led by a Senior Manager. They will oversee application strategy across core business functions including retail/franchisee, ecommerce, supply chain, marketing, merchandising, finance, HR, and customer experience. This role requires a high level of cross-functional collaboration and a deep understanding of enterprise application ecosystems in a growth-oriented retail environment.

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Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Drive the enterprise applications roadmap and strategy to support Fleet Feet’s business goals.
• Translate high-level business needs into scalable and sustainable application solutions.
• Drives digital transformation by exploring automation, AI-driven tools, and user-centric application strategies.
• Partner with functional leaders across Retail/Franchisee Operations, Finance, HR, Marketing, Merchandising and eCommerce to prioritize application investments.
• Own and evolve Fleet Feet’s enterprise cloud strategy, with a primary focus on Oracle Cloud and Microsoft Azure platforms, ensuring alignment with business growth, system integration, and performance objectives.

Application Portfolio Management

• Own the lifecycle of all enterprise business applications including ERP, POS, CRM, HRIS, Financial Systems, and others.
• Lead evaluation, selection, implementation, and optimization of new software platforms and integrations.
• Effectively handle multiple, simultaneous projects with competing priorities and time-sensitive outcomes and produce quality results.
• Define and enforce standards for application architecture, data governance, and systems documentation.

Team and Vendor Leadership

• Manage and mentor the Senior Manager of Business Systems and the broader application support team.
• Hire, train and develop staff to effectively manage the development lifecycle.
• Build and develop a high-performing applications team culture focused on delivery, quality, and agility.
• Cultivate strong partnerships with third-party vendors, implementation partners, and managed service providers.

Project & Change Management

• Lead cross-functional application initiatives, including ERP enhancements, integration projects, and digital transformation programs.
• Deliver programs and platforms by leading cross-functional teams requiring strong partnership with business functions and vendors.
• Work directly with technology and business leadership to manage issues and mitigate risks to enable on time delivery within budget and with expected scope/quality.
• Ensure robust change management processes, user training, and communication plans for application deployments.
• Work to drive structured delivery and milestone accountability.

Operational Excellence

• Establish application KPIs and performance metrics; oversee application SLAs and uptime targets.
• Ensure cybersecurity, compliance, and audit-readiness within the application stack.
• Proactively identify system issues, inefficiencies, or opportunities for automation and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology or a related technical field, Masters preferred.
• 7+ years of experience in enterprise applications leadership, preferably in a multi-location retail or consumer business.
• 5+ years of experience with the software development life cycle and working with retail applications.
• 5+ years of experience leading teams of IT professionals.
• Strong background in managing ERP (e.g., NetSuite, Dynamics), POS, CRM, HRIS, eCommerce or middleware platforms.
• A proven track record of developing and executing technology strategies.
• Demonstrated experience in vendor and stakeholder management, system integration, and application lifecycle governance.
• Proven ability to lead and mentor technical teams and deliver complex projects on time and on budget.
• Excellent interpersonal skills. Able to work across business lines at senior levels to influence and effect change to achieve common goals.
• Experience with strategic technology planning and execution.
• The position is based Carrboro, NC.
• Limited travel required.

Preferred

• Experience in omni-channel retail or franchise business models.
• Familiarity with identity management, data architecture, and cloud-native platforms.
• Knowledge of ITIL, Agile/Scrum, and project delivery best practices.

Personal Attributes

• Strategic thinker with a strong bias toward execution.
• Business-savvy technologist who thrives at the intersection of people, process, and technology.
• Exceptional communicator, capable of influencing up, down, and across.
• Passion for retail, innovation, and making systems work for people — not the other way around.