Application Development Manager bei Integrated Merchandising Solutions LLC

We Value What Makes You, You 

IMS is committed to building and maintaining a team that reflects the consumer base and communities that we serve. We know that when our associates are empowered to bring their whole selves to work, they feel valued and appreciated, and bring better results for our clients. We strive to build a culture that rewards people for their unique perspectives and contributions, and where our people are connected - to the work we do, to each other, and to IMS. 

Who Are You? 

You have at least 8 years of experience in managing and architecting solutions in an ERP environment on an IBM i. You thrive in a fast-paced and agile environment where you want to be leader in providing solutions.

Additionally, you embody the IMS principles of Passion, Collaboration, Integrity, Inventiveness, and Proactivity. You will be part of a team that strives to provide excellent service and thought leadership to our clients and want to bring your best to the organization and see your work brought to life. 

What’s the Opportunity? 

We are seeking an experienced Application Development Manager to lead our IBM i (AS/400) environment and enterprise applications team. This role reports to the Director of IT. You are responsible for managing the IBM i platform, overseeing a team of six RPG developers, and ensuring the stability, scalability, and modernization of core ERP and business-critical applications, while modernizing our application management approach via the use of AI tools. The successful candidate will bring a mix of technical expertise, leadership skills, and hands-on knowledge of RPG programming, JD Edwards World, and integration technologies. Join IMS and become a critical member who works with the Project Managers, Infrastructure, Web Solutions and Analytics teams, along with our customer’s IT teams, to shape solutions and integrations throughout the enterprise and for our client partners.

Primary Responsibilities: 

• Leadership & Team Management
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of 6 RPG/JDE developers.
• Establish and enforce best practices for coding, testing, and deployment.
• Conduct performance reviews, skill development planning, and resource allocation.
• Application & Platform Ownership
• Manage and administer the IBM i server, including OS upgrades, PTFs, security hardening, backups, and HA/DR (iCluster).
• Oversee applications running on IBM i, including JD Edwards World, RF-SMART, AR Traffic Consultants, and other ERP-related systems.
• Ensure system availability, performance tuning, and compliance with audit/SOX requirements.
• Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)
• Govern the full SDLC using Rocket Aldon for source control, change management, and deployment automation.
• Define coding standards and manage version control for RPG III, RPG ILE, RPG Free, RPG SQL, and SQL.
• Drive adoption of modern development practices including code reviews, automated testing, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Mentor and lead your team spending 30 - 40% of your time being hands on.
• Integrations & Data Flow
• Oversee API, EDI, and real-time integrations using the IBM i HTTP Server and related middleware.
• Design and manage integration strategies with partners, trading networks, and third-party applications.
• Ensure secure and reliable data interchange using REST, FTP/SFTP, and ODBC/JDBC connectivity.
• AI Enablement
• Define and implement AI processes for code generation, debugging, system monitoring, and predictive analytics to improve developer efficiency and system reliability.
• Project & Portfolio Management
• Partner with business leaders to translate requirements into development roadmaps.
• Prioritize and manage projects, enhancements, and support tickets within defined SLAs.
• Manage vendor relationships, licenses, and third-party development partners.
• Security & Compliance
• Implement role-based access control, audit trails, and service account management.
• Ensure encryption and data privacy across solutions.

The Skills and Experience You Have

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Systems, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 8+ years of experience on IBM i platforms, including system administration and application development.
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing application development teams.
• Strong expertise in RPG III, RPG ILE, RPG Free, RPG SQL, and DB2 for i.
• Proven experience with JD Edwards World ERP and related applications (RF-SMART, AR Traffic Consultants).
• Hands-on experience managing APIs, EDI, and integrations via IBM i HTTP Server.
• Deep knowledge of Rocket Aldon for SDLC/change management.
• Strong project management and vendor management skills.
• Excellent communication skills with ability to interact across IT, business, and executive stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with modern DevOps tools for IBM i.
• Familiarity with cloud integrations, iPaaS (e.g., MuleSoft), or API gateways.
• Knowledge of modern observability and monitoring tools.
• Exposure to data warehousing, BI, and advanced analytics.
• Experience with AI tools (ChatGPT).

Traits/Desired Behaviors:

• Solution Oriented – you don’t let constraints get in your way. You are comfortable articulating issues or consequences of decisions but are happy to find a way to make it work (for now).
• Collaborative – it takes a village! You eschew “us v. them” mentality and seek to understand how all the pieces fit into place and how to lead and follow for the best team outcome.
• Git-R-Done – You have a bias for action and “trying it out”. You realize that a fast 80% solution that answers most of the questions is better than a slow one that gets 95% of it.  Sure, there are conditions – but you trust your colleagues to understand and act appropriately.
• Leadership – You challenge your team as well as yourself to explore new ideas and technologies, develop ways to work better and bring these to fruition.
• Ability to prioritize multiple projects, requests and support tasks effectively and efficiently.

Success Metrics:

• Maintain 99.9% uptime for ERP and integrations.
• Enforce an RTO of 4 hours for major incidents and DR functions.
• Deliver assignments with an 80% on time delivery rate.
• Ensure 100% compliance with internal audit and SOX requirements.
• Deploy at least 2 AI-enabled development or monitoring workflows within the first 12 months.
• Increase team productivity and backlog throughput by 20%+ in the first year.

What We Offer

In addition to playing an important role at IMS, you'll receive: 

• Competitive salary 
• Medical, dental, vision, and 401(k) with match 
• Generous PTO policy 
• Robust peer recognition program 
• Training and development opportunities 
• Commitment to growing and enhancing our organizational culture 

Who We Are 

IMS represents leading brands at the point of purchase – in store, online, and behind the scenes – including digital and traditional signage, print and POP, branded merchandise, and more. Our marketplace is solution agnostic, so our clients achieve best execution at lowest price throughout North America. Our integrated platform (planning, procurement, freight, warehousing, kitting, fulfillment, field execution, analytics, and program management) empowers our clients to stay at the strategic level, knowing that we can help turn their marketing vision into a reality.  Visit us at: www.IMSretail.com.  
 
IMS is wholly owned by Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC), an inter-connected global network of leading marketing communication companies offering a diverse, comprehensive range of marketing solutions spanning brand advertising, customer relationship management, media planning and buying services, public relations and numerous specialty communications services to drive bottom line results for its clients (www.omnicomgroup.com). 

IMS is an Equal Opportunity Employer 

Salary Range for this job is $140k to $170k - The salary range provided in this job posting is an estimate based on market data and internal equity.  Final compensation will be determined based on knowledge, skills, experience, location, and other relevant factors, such as certain certifications that may be desired for this role.

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