Applications Manager

Role Overview

The Applications Manager owns the health, performance, and continuous improvement of Ritz Safety's business application portfolio. This role is responsible for the setup, configuration, daily operations, and upgrades of the company's ERP and CRM platforms and all third-party business applications, and for developing and maintaining the IT applications roadmap in partnership with the IT Director. The Applications Manager serves as the primary bridge between business stakeholders and technology, ensuring that our systems reliably support sales, operations, distribution, finance, and customer service every day while evolving to meet the company's long-term growth objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• System Setup & Configuration
• Lead the setup, configuration, and customization of ERP (Epicor Prophet 21, Acumatica), CRM (Rubbertree), and all supporting third-party applications to align with business processes and requirements.
• Manage Role Based Permissions.
• Document system configurations, business rules, and workflows, and keep documentation current as systems change.

Daily Operations & Support

• Oversee the daily operation, availability, and performance of all business applications, serving as the escalation point for application-related issues.
• Triage, troubleshoot, and resolve application incidents; coordinate with software vendors and internal IT on escalated issues through to resolution.
• Monitor scheduled jobs and daily transaction activity within each application — procurement, payment processing, tax calculation, and shipping — to ensure order-to-cash and procure-to-pay processes run without interruption, escalating cross-system issues to the integrations role.
• Support end users across departments; develop training materials and deliver training to drive adoption and effective use of company systems.
• Maintain data integrity across platforms, including audits, cleanup routines, and controls to prevent bad data at the source.

Upgrades & Maintenance

• Plan, test, and execute application upgrades, patches, and new releases with minimal disruption to the business.
• Establish and maintain test plans and sandbox/test environments; coordinate user acceptance testing with business stakeholders prior to production changes.
• Manage change control for application modifications, ensuring changes are documented, approved, and communicated.
• Ensure application environments meet security, backup, and compliance requirements, including PCI considerations for payment systems.

IT Roadmap & Strategy

• Develop and maintain the IT applications roadmap in partnership with the IT Director, aligning system investments with company goals.
• Evaluate new applications, modules, and vendors; lead selection, implementation, and rollout of new business systems.
• Identify opportunities to streamline and automate business processes through better use of existing platforms or new capabilities.
• Manage vendor relationships, licensing, renewals, and support contracts for the application portfolio; hold vendors accountable to SLAs.
• Lead application-related projects end to end: scope, timeline, resources, budget, risk, and stakeholder communication.

Required Experience & Skills

• Required
• Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Business, or equivalent practical experience.
• Hands-on experience with distribution-industry ERP and CRM platforms.
• Proven track record planning and executing system upgrades, implementations.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills, with the ability to translate business needs into system solutions.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with both technical teams and non-technical business users.

Preferred

• 5+ years of experience administering and supporting ERP and/or CRM systems, with 2+ years in an application management or lead role.
• Experience in wholesale distribution, safety products, or a related industrial distribution environment.
• Familiarity with customer procurement/punchout platforms such as Ariba, Coupa, or Tulia.
• Project management experience or certification (PMP).

Key Competencies

• Ownership and accountability for system reliability and business continuity.
• Process orientation with strong attention to detail and documentation.
• Vendor and stakeholder management.
• Prioritization and calm, structured problem-solving under pressure.
• Continuous improvement mindset.

Other

Benefits

• 401(k) with company matching | Health, Dental & Vision insurance | Paid time off

***** Must pass background check and drug screen******

Pay: From $80,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Location:

• Cincinnati, OH 45246 (Required)

Work Location: In person