IT Business Process Support Associate Director

About Barilla

At Barilla, we believe that every great journey begins with passion and a bold vision. From our humble beginnings in 1877 in a small shop in Parma, Italy, we’ve blossomed into a global leader in the food industry, guided by our commitment to progress and excellence.

Today, Barilla is an international group present in more than 100 countries and we are proud to be recognized as the world’s top food company by reputation. With 22 beloved brands in our portfolio, we are world leader for pasta, the number one choice for ready-made sauces in Europe, leader for bakery products in Italy, and for crispbread across Scandinavia with Wasa.

Our success story is written by a passionate team of almost 9,000 dedicated employees across 30 plants and offices worldwide, all united by a shared mission to nourish the future with purpose and passion.

Are you ready to add your unique flavor to our journey?

Job Purpose

The IT Business Process Support Associate Director – Americas leads the Applications domain for the Barilla Americas region, with end-to-end accountability for all business applications deployed regionally, from implementing new solutions to maintaining and supporting existing ones, across a portfolio that includes but is not limited to SAP, RGM, TPM, TPO, EDI, Manufacturing, Purchasing, and R&D, leading a team ranging from professionals to senior managers. Working in close coordination with the central/HQ-based application teams that in some cases govern the global application managed service delivered through Barilla's third-party support vendor, the role partners with regional business teams to provide support, assess new IT requests, and translate business needs into the proper solution modifications and projects that enable business process change in alignment with global strategy & processes, acting as the business process expert and primary liaison between corporate/central IT, the regional user community, and the managed-service partner.

This position is accountable for the regional application portfolio, prioritizing and advancing new projects and opportunities in accordance with the global and regional portfolio management process. A core accountability is ensuring all regional application services remain stable and running smoothly. In any disruption, the incumbent takes ownership of resolution, mobilizing central IT, the vendor, and all involved stakeholders to drive issues to rapid closure while keeping regional business stakeholders informed of progress. Beyond run-and-maintain, this leader champions application innovation by proactively introducing Data Analytics and AI-based solutions and opportunities, and is responsible for delivering projects on time, scope, and budget while owning the applications Capital budget and the applications cost center of the IT budget.

This is a hybrid role based out of Northbrook, IL.

Key Accountabilities

- Hold end-to-end accountability for the regional application portfolio, from implementing new solutions to maintaining and supporting existing ones, across a portfolio that includes but is not limited to SAP, RGM, TPM, TPO, EDI, Supply Chain, Finance, Purchasing, R&D, and all other regional business applications.

- Lead and develop a multi-locational team ranging from professionals to senior managers, delivering projects and supporting the business across all aspects of Barilla Americas and integrated corporate systems and processes.

- Serve as full budget owner for the IT applications cost center and the applications capital budget for the region

- Prioritize and advance new projects and opportunities for the regional portfolio in accordance with the global and regional portfolio management process, ensuring alignment with business & IT strategy and global IT guidelines.

- Lead multi-country, cross-functional projects end-to-end, managing timeline, scope, and budget, and deliver them successfully in alignment with the business strategy and global policies and procedures.

- Coordinate closely with central/HQ-based application teams that in some cases govern the global application managed service, and manage the relationship with Barilla's third-party application support vendor to ensure quality service delivery.

- Ensure all regional application services remain stable and running smoothly, owning service continuity across the application landscape.

- Act as the main escalation and resolution owner for any application disruption or system issue, mobilizing central IT, the vendor, and all involved stakeholders to drive rapid closure while keeping regional business stakeholders informed of progress.

- Transform user requirements into projects and/or requests for application changes in alignment with global strategy, policies, and procedures.

- Champion application innovation, proactively identifying and introducing Data Analytics and AI-based solutions and opportunities that elevate the value the application landscape delivers to the business.

- Act as the business process expert and primary liaison between corporate/central IT, the regional user community, and the managed-service partner, managing complex scenarios that require multi-country support.

- Support Business Case definition to evaluate project benefits and inform investment decisions.

- Participate in process engineering and IT strategy for the Americas region, and document business processes for Record-to-Report, Plan-to-Fulfill, Procure-to-Pay, Order-to-Cash, Hire-to-Retire value streams and all other system-related areas.

- Work with the Business Units to define initiatives and guidelines for business process innovation as a fundamental step toward business change.

- Develop and manage business relationships and expectations through deep knowledge of business processes, strategies, and goals.

- Define access and security strategy for Barilla Americas' ERP and application systems to ensure the appropriate level of access is provided.

- Manage vendor and consultant negotiations, participating in vendor selection and the negotiation of deals and contracts.

Desired Skills and Background

- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Business, or a related field, or equivalent experience; advanced degree (MBA/MS) a plus.

Experience

- 7+ years of progressive IT experience spanning application/SAP support, project delivery, and budget ownership, including at least 5 years leading and developing teams.

- Proven experience in an IT role supporting the business as a business process manager or equivalent, within a global, multi-country environment.

- Demonstrated experience owning and managing an application portfolio, including prioritizing investments and demand through a structured portfolio or demand-management process.

- Experience overseeing third-party application support vendors and managed-service delivery, including SLAs, escalation, and service continuity.

- Track record of owning application service stability and major-incident coordination, with strong stakeholder communication throughout resolution.

- Full budget ownership experience across both OPEX and CAPEX.

- Hands-on experience with SAP (S/4HANA a plus) and modern application integration, including APIs, EDI, integration platforms, and cloud/SaaS solutions.

- Proven track record in business process analysis and re-engineering.

- Familiarity with, or demonstrated interest in, applying Data Analytics and AI/GenAI to business applications to drive innovation and value (a plus).

- Experience working for a CPG or food manufacturing company (a plus).

Competencies & Skills

- Ability to lead, mentor, and develop senior technical talent and cross-functional teams.

- Experience applying demand and capacity management disciplines to balance and rebalance the application portfolio, aligning project intake and resourcing with available capacity and funding.

- Excellent communication, interpersonal, and influencing skills, with the ability to act as a liaison across corporate/central IT, regional business stakeholders, and external partners.

- Executive presence and the ability to manage expectations of senior stakeholders.

- Strong change-management orientation, translating business needs into IT solutions and process change.

- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple initiatives concurrently across a multi-country region.

- Familiarity with QA and testing governance within an application delivery lifecycle.

Other Requirements

- Ability to travel up to 10%.

As of the date of this posting, the estimated pay range for this role is $155k-$175k plus eligibility to participate in the annual discretionary bonus plan. The actual pay for the position will be determined by various factors, including but not limited to job-related experience, skills, education, location, and internal equity. This range may be subject to change over time.

Barilla strives to provide you and your family with a wide range of benefit options to support your overall health and financial well-being needs. This position qualifies for benefits that include medical, dental, and vision insurance, paid time off, a 401(K) plan with company match, life and disability plans, and an employee assistance program.

Barilla is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.

Barilla America strives to make https://jobs.barillagroup.com/ accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance complete the application process, please contact [email protected]. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.