Applications Manager

Company Profile:

Linnaeus is a forward-thinking partnership of highly respected Primary Care and Referral veterinary practices across the UK and Ireland, comprising some of the best clinicians in the profession.

We are all individual but two important things bring us together; a commitment to excellence in everything we do and our passion to make A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.

At Linnaeus we carefully select the practices we partner with to ensure the highest levels of patient care across our group. Together we provide a growing community of like-minded veterinary professionals who are passionate about what they do. We work with different types of practices, in every field of veterinary medicine, including small animal, farm and equine.

We also have our Five Principles which form the foundation of how we do business today and every day and we put these at the centre of every decision we make. This means:

• We are committed to Quality of work and contributions to society.
• We embrace our Responsibility (as individuals and a company) to act now.
• We base decisions on Mutuality of benefit to our stakeholders.
• We harness the power of Efficiency to use our resources to maximum effect.
• We have the financial Freedom to make our own decisions, unrestricted by motivations of others.

Overview

Linnaeus has grown rapidly through acquisition, and now is the time to optimize business as usual operations. The Applications Manager role has opened through internal promotion, and we are thrilled to enter our next chapter focusing on digital product support, stability, and growth. We are embarking on a digital transformation programme to enhance our capabilities, making it an incredibly exciting time to join Linnaeus. This pivotal role will ensure our applications and systems are supported and maintained to the highest standards

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Main purpose & goals

As the Application Manager, you will manage and provide leadership to a team of Engineers and Analysts, ensuring that support demands, project deliverables, and maintenance are effectively achieved in line with business needs and KPIs. Our applications and systems are essential for providing quality care to our patients, making meticulous care and planning key to our goal of creating a better world for pets. This role will work closely with key stakeholders across central support and clinical teams, ensuring high standards of system and support delivery. You will take ownership of IT service responsibilities concerning applications and systems, engaging, and influencing stakeholders across Linnaeus and the wider Mars organisation, leveraging your experience in a digital environment to support the deployment and integration of technology-powered tools.

This is a hybrid role with travel required to Solihull or Linnaeus sites as needed

Key Responsibilities

• Be line manager and mentor a team of approximately 4 Applications Engineers & Analysts, fostering a collaborative and high-performing team environment.
• Lead the day-to-day operational support of all applications and systems.
• Ensure timely resolution and handling of incidents and requests in alignment to KPIs.
• Monitor key system performance and stability, implementing improvements across the estate.
• Ensure project deliverables are met to a high standard, documented, and shared across the function to enable support teams.
• Coordinate maintenance activities across key systems including changes, upgrades, and patches, maintaining roadmaps to track progress.
• Collaborate with IT, Data & Analytics, and Practices, acting as the primary point of contact for application-related issues, queries, and escalation.
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and implement best practices across support and maintenance.
• Create and maintain documentation for system configurations, processes, and procedures.
• Generate reports on team performance and systems status, including risks.

Person specification

Experience

Essential

• 3+ years’ experience in managing a support team, preferably focused on applications or systems.
• Background in technical support roles, particularly with applications.
• Worked in an IT Service Function.
• Proven capability to manage team workload and prioritize business problems for resolution.
• Strong stakeholder management experience.
• Experience working effectively within multifunctional teams.
• Worked with Microsoft Azure, managing Technical Applications Estate & Enterprise Applications.

Desirable

• Experience in healthcare or veterinary-specific applications or systems.
• Previous work within a global or multinational organization.

Knowledge

Essential

• Comprehensive understanding of advancements in digital technologies, including automation, systems, and AI.
• Knowledge of change management tools, techniques, and frameworks.

Desirable

• Awareness of emerging digital technologies and trends.

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree level (in a relevant field, or proven experience in similar roles.
• Familiarity with ITIL, DevOps or Agile delivery frameworks.
• Relevant technical certifications

Desirable

• Team Management or coaching certifications.
• ITIL, DevOps, Agile Delivery, or other framework certifications.

Skills & Abilities

• Effective communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical abilities.
• Strong leadership and team management skills.

Desirable

• Proficiency in SQL, Azure, Automations or PowerShell.
• Strong project management capabilities.

Other qualities

Essential

• Credibility and the ability to make a strong personal impact.
• High emotional intelligence (EQ) and strong personal impact.
• Flexibility and confidence in handling change.
• A collaborative mindset focused on continuous improvement.
• Enthusiasm for developing and mentoring team members.

Desirable

• Demonstrated ability to drive innovation and digital change.