Enterprise Applications Manager

Nature of Work

The City of Bellingham is seeking a dynamic and visionary Enterprise Applications Manager to lead the strategic development, implementation, and continuous improvement of our enterprise application systems. This critical leadership role ensures the City’s technology platforms effectively support business operations across all departments, driving innovation, efficiency, and outstanding public service.

As the Enterprise Applications Manager, you will oversee a talented team of analysts, developers, and project managers, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and professional growth. You will serve as a vital link between IT services, city departments, and vendors, ensuring technology solutions align with evolving business needs and strategic priorities. This position also plays a key role in IT strategic planning, risk management, compliance, budgeting, and vendor negotiations — making a measurable impact on the future of City services.

If you are passionate about using technology to transform public services and thrive in a collaborative leadership environment, we encourage you to apply.

JOB SUMMARY:

The Enterprise Applications Manager provides strategic leadership and oversight for the City’s enterprise applications systems, ensuring effective utilization of technology to support and enhance business operations across all departments. Responsible for the implementation, development, and continuous improvement of enterprise applications, aligning technology solutions with organizational goals. Collaborates with business system owners, IT divisions, and vendors to ensure applications meet evolving business needs, while also contributing to IT strategic planning and future growth initiatives. Oversees the full lifecycle of applications management, from configuration and enhancement to risk mitigation and compliance with security and regulatory standards.

Provides supervision and direction to the Application Division staff fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and professional growth. Oversees project portfolio management; coordinates resources, timelines, and budgets to ensure successful delivery of application-related initiatives. Participates in IT leadership and technical teams, driving improvements in city-wide technology standards, policies, and operations. Responsible for vendor and stakeholder management, contract negotiations, and budget oversight, ensuring optimal use of resources while maintaining high quality service. Keeps current with emerging technologies and municipal trends to guide continuous evolution of the City’s enterprise application systems.

SALARY AND BENEFITS INFORMATION:

The current full salary range for this position is $10,260/month - $12,472/month. Employees receive step increases annually in accordance with the E-Team Handbook and City policy.

Research has demonstrated that salary negotiation can further inequality due to bias across gender and race. To prevent negotiation bias, the City places new employees within the published salary range based on qualifications and professional experience as listed on the application material, in accordance with City policy. This is in line with the City's commitment to accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Candidates who exceed the minimum experience requirements shall be given credit for advanced step placement at the rate of one additional pay step for each two full years of directly related or equivalent professional experience beyond the minimum requirements. Candidates who meet minimum qualifications or have experience that is not directly related or in a lower-level position will be placed at step one in the salary range. For positions that require a bachelor’s degree, one additional step may be granted for applicants with a master’s degree in a related field when the master’s degree is not required to meet minimum qualifications. The City's HR Department regularly evaluates minimum qualifications to provide equitable employment opportunities.

For internal candidates, placement within the range is based on City Pay Placement Procedures.

At the City of Bellingham, we offer a comprehensive benefits package that helps you thrive in both your career and personal life. Join our team and enjoy peace of mind knowing that you and your loved ones are well cared for. Here’s a closer look at the outstanding benefits that come with being part of our team. You can find more details on our employment benefits page and labor agreements page.

13.33 hours of vacation leave per month, with increased accrual over time

12 paid holidays + 1 floating holiday per year

40 hours of sick leave upon hire + 8 hours accrued monthly

Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their families

Life insurance and long-term disability coverage

Flexible spending accounts and medical insurance opt-out program

Access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Washington State Retirement plan (DRS) for retirement security

Optional 457 deferred compensation savings plan and 401(a) Retirement Savings Plan with employer match

Leave accruals are based on 1.0 FTE, accruals are pro-rated if part-time and require employees to be in paid status at least 120 hours/month.

Closing Date/Time: Tues. 5/27/25 4:30 PM Pacific Time

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE JOB:

Provides strategic leadership and oversight of the City’s applications systems promoting effective utilization and continuous enhancement of business solutions. Manages implementation, development, and services delivery of enterprise systems including strategic planning, coordination, prioritization, and goal setting. Collaborates with business system owners and leaders to understand business needs and translate them into actionable technology solutions. Serves as a liaison between IT divisions, City departments, and vendors to ensure applications meet business requirements and objectives. Assists with developing future growth plans, IT strategic plans and service level agreements, providing vision and justification for new technology advancements.

Oversees and coordinates the lifecycle, configuration and enhancement of all City enterprise application systems and other business-critical systems. Works closely and collaborates with IT Systems Analysts, other City Departments Business Systems Analysts and stakeholders to identify and prioritize enhancements that improve efficiency, functionality, and performance. Facilitates and encourages continuous process improvements related to both technology and business function enhancements. Utilizes feedback mechanisms and analytics to evaluate the success of enhancements and guide future changes.

Manages the Applications Division team which consists of analysts, project managers and developers. Provides leadership, mentorship, and professional development fostering a culture of innovation, teamwork, trust, respect, collaboration and excellence. Plans, organizes, coordinates, assigns, and evaluates work and ensures timely completion of duties. Conducts weekly 1:1 meetings with direct reports checking on work balance, goals and accomplishments. Conducts annual performance evaluations on assigned staff. Provides coaching and corrective action in consultation with the ITSD Director and Human Resources as needed.

In coordination with and in support of the ITSD Director, manages requests for departmental systems, enterprise system upgrades and enhancements. Leads project portfolio management and prioritization process for the department. Oversees scheduling and resource allocation of Applications Division projects, upgrades and patches with other IT divisions and department staff. Coordinates communication on system and project status with other City departments.

Assist with budget preparation including forecasting staffing, equipment, and project needs. Collaborates with the IT Leadership Team and department management to prepare and oversee capital requests for enterprise system implementations and enhancements. Monitors and manages the approved budget; monitors expenditures, and recommends adjustments as needed. Sets improvement priorities based on budget and presents recommendations to the Systems Steering Committee. Manages and monitors software contracts and Computer Infrastructure Improvement Fund (CIRF) expenditures, proactively identifying necessary budget adjustments based on contract changes.

Manages relationships with third-party vendors, ensuring they meet contractual obligations and deliver high-quality services. Negotiates contracts, service level agreements (SLAs), and licensing agreements. Communicates effectively with stakeholders at all levels, keeping them informed of project progress and any potential issues.

Reviews project requests for the Applications Division, assigns staff to review IT requirements, and oversees the application request checklist process. Ensures technology contract negotiations follow best practices and comply with City and department contracting processes. Coordinates and oversees project management for projects assigned to or lead by the Applications Division. Ensures that implementation and enhancement projects are fully operationalized through development of service level agreements, knowledge base support and training documentation, and tiered support development and training.

Serves on the IT Leadership Team, Technical Management Team and Security Team, contributing to the improvement of City technology, policies, standards and operations. Leverages Information Technology Information Library (ITIL) and other management framework to establish standards and best practices for application services.

Identifies and manages risks associated with application operations and enhancements, including data security, regulatory compliance, and system downtime. Ensures applications adhere to security standards, regulatory requirements, and City of Bellingham policies. Develops contingency plans and conduct regular audits to ensure application resilience and security.

Maintains current knowledge of trends and developments in the IT field. Researches and evaluates the use of new applications, technology, standards and equipment. Assists the ITSD in planning for future acquisitions and upgrades to equipment and software.

ADDITIONAL WORK PERFORMED:

Serves as backup to lower-level staff and to the ITSD to ensure the continuity of all services and support across systems and applications.

Performs other related work of a similar nature and level.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

Work is performed in an office setting at a computer workstation with long periods of remaining stationary. The work environment includes a normal range of noise and other distractions with low everyday risks working around standard office equipment.

Physical ability to perform the essential functions of the job including:

Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard;

May need to sit or stand for long periods of time;

Near distance visual acuity to assure proper operation of computers and software;

Ability to exchange verbal information in person and by telephone;

Occasionally transport components weighing up to 25 pounds;

Experience and Training

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems management, business computer programming, mathematics, or related field.

Six (6) or more years of progressively responsible experience in technology project management, Information Technology management, or applications systems support.

Four (4) years of application systems support with at least two (2) years of enterprise systems support.

Two (2) years of supervisory and/or management experience.

An equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to provide the applicant with the skills, knowledge, and ability to successfully perform the essential functions of the job will be considered.

Necessary Special Requirements

Employment contingent upon passing a criminal background check (see Fair Hiring Practices below).

Verification of ability to work in the United States by date of hire.

Agreement to and signature of a Privileged Access Confidentiality Agreement is required.

Willingness and ability to work extra hours or change hours as needed to perform systems work outside of normal business hours.

Selection Process

**You are encouraged to print a copy of this job announcement for your reference as the process moves along**

As part of the application process, a cover letter is required.

Within the cover letter, please answer the following questions:

Provide a brief summary of your education, experience and qualifications for this position.

Explain your experience managing the full lifecycle of enterprise applications, including system configuration, enhancement, risk management, and compliance. How do you ensure continuous process improvements and measure their success?

Please ensure your application is complete and all required information has been provided. Standard completeness means all application fields (contact information, personal information, education, work experience, references, and supplemental questions). Application materials should comprehensively document your experience and skills related to the position responsibilities and experience/training requirements. As part of the City’s commitment to reducing bias in the hiring process, Human Resources redacts personally identifiable information for reviewers. Only the documents listed as required will be reviewed.

Interviews for the most qualified candidates are tentatively scheduled for June 17, 2025. Invitations to participate in the Interview process will be sent via e-mail on or around June 6, 2025.

Please Note: Candidates will receive updates regarding application status via email. Please be sure to check your email frequently, including your spam folders for messages filtered by your email providers.

Equal Opportunity:

Our environment is characterized by respect for cultural backgrounds, belief systems, and ethnic diversity. The City of Bellingham is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity in its work force. We do not make decisions on the basis of an individual's race, religion, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, age (40+), disability, retaliation, sexual orientation or gender identity, honorably discharged veteran or military status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, or any other basis prohibited by local, state, or federal law. All are encouraged to apply for employment.

Fair Hiring Practices

The City provides individuals who have been arrested or convicted of a criminal offense an equal and fair opportunity to obtain employment.

The City will not inquire about an applicant's criminal history until after a conditional job offer has been made.

The City will disregard the prior arrest and conviction record of an otherwise qualified individual unless the offense is directly related to the job position for which the individual has applied.

The City will notify an otherwise qualified applicant about a potentially disqualifying conviction and give the applicant an opportunity to submit information regarding the accuracy of the criminal records as well as evidence of mitigation or rehabilitation, as appropriate.