Senior Application Lead

About the Role

We are seeking a Senior Application Lead to drive Cora’s application portfolio, digital roadmap, and transformation initiatives. In this role, you will own the application portfolio strategy, product roadmaps, delivery governance, and application lifecycle. Partnering closely with business and technology stakeholders, you will identify opportunities, translate business needs into scalable solutions, and prioritise initiatives that deliver measurable business value.

 You will also lead the Digital Business Partner and Software Engineering teams, ensuring successful project execution and alignment with architectural, technical, and engineering standards. This is a key role in shaping Cora’s technology landscape and supporting its digital transformation journey.

Key Responsibilities

Application Portfolio & Roadmap Leadership

• Own and drive the enterprise application portfolio and roadmap across business, operational, and customer-facing platforms.
• Align application investments and priorities with business strategy and transformation objectives.
• Lead application modernisation, optimisation, and lifecycle planning to maximise business value.

Delivery Governance & Application Lifecycle

• Oversee end-to-end application delivery, from discovery and planning through implementation, adoption, support, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure effective governance of scope, budget, timelines, risks, and benefits realisation.
• Monitor application performance and ensure smooth transition into ongoing operational support.

Business Partnership & Product Management

• Lead the Digital Business Partner team and act as a key link between business and technology teams.
• Partner with stakeholders to identify opportunities, prioritise initiatives, and deliver impactful digital solutions.
• Drive adoption and continuous improvement through user feedback and business insights.

Team Leadership & Engineering Partnership

• Lead, coach, and develop the Digital Business Partner team, building strong accountability, delivery discipline, and business outcome ownership.
• Lead the Software Engineering team, ensuring alignment on priorities, delivery outcomes, engineering standards, and resource planning.
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and business value delivery.

Technology Modernisation & Innovation

• Drive application modernisation and integration initiatives leveraging cloud, APIs, automation, AI/ML, and data platforms.
• Ensure solutions are secure, scalable, maintainable, and aligned with enterprise technology standards.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and opportunities to support business growth and operational excellence.

Vendor & Stakeholder Management

• Manage application vendors and delivery partners to ensure quality, performance, and value.
• Support vendor selection, contract governance, and delivery assurance activities.
• Provide clear recommendations and portfolio insights to senior leadership and key stakeholders.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Business Information Systems, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years' experience in application management, technology delivery, digital products, or business systems.
• 5+ years' leadership experience managing application delivery, product management, business partnering, or technology teams.
• Proven success in developing and delivering enterprise application roadmaps and transformation initiatives.
• Experience managing both commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) and custom-built applications.
• Strong understanding of cloud technologies, APIs, integration, data platforms, automation, and AI/ML.
• Demonstrated experience in vendor management, stakeholder engagement, and executive communication.
• Strategic, results-oriented leader with the ability to translate business goals into measurable outcomes.