IT Business Relationship Specialist
Canoga Park, CA

Job Description

Overview

Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com.

We are currently seeking a Business Relationship Management expert who will be responsible for building customer relationships and Information Technology (IT) capabilities that enable the business. This role will report to the Senior Director of Business Alignment and Integration. The candidate provides direction and guidance to business partners to enable the best IT solutions that meet the business needs. The position bridges the gap between business partners and technology solution providers.

The business area supported by this position focuses on Supply Chain & Materiel Management and Production Planning. This Center of Excellence includes the following activities: procurement for direct and indirect; supplier performance management; affordability, metrics and reporting; compliance; logistics and property management; production planning. Strong business knowledge in these disciplines is required along with familiarity with various technologies including: ERP including Oracle eBS and Procurement; Master Scheduling; reporting/analytics including OBIEE; and others as required

We are seeking an IT Business Relationship Specialist for our Sacramento, CA or our Canoga Park, CA office.

This position may be filled at the level posted or at the next higher level.

Essential Job Functions (Including % of Time for Each)

The successful individual will provide leadership and guidance by incorporating enterprise, business and vendor initiatives/needs within programs/projects; IT risk support, business-as-usual activities including support for issues and ad-hoc requests, functionality enablement, and managing vendor IT performance metrics. Identify and represent technological trends, leveraging potential impact on business strategies and objectives. Develop and maintain positive client relationships, coordinating with various functions to ensure IT requests are handled appropriately and efficiently. Coordinate with third-party partners, including IT outsourcing team, for IT support.

* 30% - Builds and maintains strong relationships with business partners and acts as a liaison between IT and the business partner
* Maintains knowledge of multiple business functions and initiatives to identify where conflicts/synergies exist between technologies and business functions
* Communicates business needs with IT to gain alignment between business needs and technical capabilities
* Combines a general knowledge of multiple technology areas with knowledge of the targeted business function to define and document the business requirements


* 20% - Maintains ongoing operations through recurring IT services
* Provides education and communication to partners with regards to IT services
* Ensures alignment with IT solutions
* Monitors that the IT solutions are meeting the partner's expectations
* Defines new services to support business needs


* 20% - Defines, prioritizes, and manages program and project initiatives
* Promotes business projects and value to the IT leaders and community
* Leads in the development of business cases requiring IT-based solutions
* Gathers high-level business requirements and defines scope during initial discovery by conducting meetings/interviews, and facilitating large group/cross-functional sessions with partners
* Tracks ROI for business initiatives including cost, benefits, and risk


* 10% - Assists with metrics and reporting
* Assists in the development of metrics used to track value delivery
* Refines SLAs based on business need
* Provides details on cost, value, and opportunity to optimize IT spend (initiatives and support services)


* 10% - Supports vendor relationships
* Establishes initial vendor relationships and maintains a forward-looking view of vendor direction
* Interfaces with vendors to understand whether vendor products will meet business requirements
* Develops, shares, and leverages best practices across IT


* 10% - Maintains strategy and architecture
* Participates in development of business strategic planning and leads IT strategic planning
* Maintains up-to-date awareness of the current and future directions of the industry and associated technologies, and, where appropriate, makes recommendations for implementation of new/upgraded systems and technologies



Specific to the job requirements:

* Analyzes complex business problems to be solved with automated systems.
* Identifies gaps and provides technical expertise in business requirements for system functional specifications and scales new and current systems, processes and procedures in a cost effective manner.
* Configures system settings and options; plans and executes unit, integration and acceptance testing to meet business requirements.
* Designs details of automated systems.
* May provide consultation to users in the area of automated systems.
* May lead cross-functional linked teams to address business or systems issues.
* May be client-focused, working in conjunction with Professional Services and Outsourcing functions.
* May include company-wide, web-enabled solutions.
* Having wide-ranging experience, uses professional concepts and company objectives to resolve complex issues in creative and effective ways.
* Works on complex issues where analysis of situations or data requires an in-depth evaluation of variable factors.
* Exercises judgment in selecting methods, techniques and evaluation criteria for obtaining results. Networks with key contacts outside own area of expertise.
* Determines methods and procedures on new assignments and may coordinate activities of other personnel (Team Lead).

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in a related field and 9 years of related experience; or 7 years and a Master's degree; or a PhD with 5 years' experience; or equivalent experience.

US Citizenship required. Must be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance at the appropriate level (U.S. Citizenship required). Must also be able to satisfy federal government requirements for access to government information, and having dual citizenship may preclude you from being able to meet this requirement.

Specific to the Job Function

* Analytical skills to critically evaluate the information gathered from multiple sources, reconcile conflicts, decompose high-level information into details, abstract up from low-level information to a more general understanding, distinguish presented user requests from the underlying true needs, and distinguish solution ideas from requirements
* Facilitation skills to lead requirements elicitation workshops
* Observational skills to validate data obtained via other techniques and expose new areas for elicitation
* Organizational skills to work with the vast array of information gathered during elicitation and analysis and to cope with rapidly changing information
* An understanding of contemporary requirements elicitation, analysis, specification, verification, and management practices and the ability to apply them in practice; familiarity with requirements engineering books and resources
* An understanding of how to practice requirements engineering according to several software development life cycles in a team environment
* Knowledge of product management concepts and how enterprise software products are positioned and developed
* Application domain knowledge is a plus, to have credibility with user representatives and be able to work effectively with them

Work Environment/Physical Requirements:

Employees in these positions must possess mobility to work in a standard office setting and to use standard office equipment, including a computer; stamina to sit or stand and maintain attention to detail despite interruptions; may occasionally lift/carry/push/pull up to 25 pounds; may require occasional walking, climbing, stooping, crouching, and/or bending; and vision to read printed materials and a computer screen, and hearing and speech to communicate in person and over the telephone. May require the ability to travel by air or auto. May require the use of personal protective equipment such as safety glasses, safety shoes, and shop coat. These positions may be expected to work varying shifts and hours to ensure successful operation of activities in the organization.