Title:  Senior Application Support Specialist

We’re adding to our diverse team of experts and are looking to hire those who are committed to building a culture that enables the creation of innovative solutions for our business units and clients.  We will consider a range of experience for this role and the offer will be commensurate with that.

The Company

As a member of Munich Re's US operations, we offer the financial strength and stability that comes with being part of the world's preeminent insurance and reinsurance brand. Our risk experts work together to assemble the right mix of products and services to help our clients stay competitive – from traditional reinsurance coverages, to niche and specialty reinsurance and insurance products.

The Application Support Specialist has deep functional and technical knowledge of the applications and the application landscape in the scope of his/her responsibility. Provides application maintenance and support services to users or to service delivery functions and contributes to the smooth operations of a dedicated application or application class.

The position will oversee and manage all IT Group related activities and is the single point of contact between Munich Re HSB (Business and IT Business Solutions) and the Application Managed Services (AMS) Vendor.

The Application Support Specialist will prioritize requirements and application changes for the AMS vendor and steer the AMS vendor to ensure quality of delivery. Manage operational oversight of vendor performance for specific services delivered by the vendor.

IT Group Related Responsibilities

• The key sourcing contact between the various Business Solutions function/service and the AMS vendor
• Identifies technical-related requirements
• Has knowledge of user base for the product
• Responsible for the technical direction of application
• For Third Party Software, facilitates coordination between the AMS vendor and Third Party software vendor
• For Third Party Software, coordinates contract administration and procurement activities
• Has knowledge and understanding of product/application license requirements in conjunction with IT Administration
• Has good understanding and ability to manage license costs for the products, as well as managing budgets, forecasts and actuals for AMS vendor for the respective application areas
• Manages the entire life cycle of the application from introduction to the environment to completion of Phase Out
• Ensures the application goes through the “De-Commissioning” process when the product is being retired

Vendor Management Related Responsibilities

• Ensure the operation, support and maintenance of software products over the complete lifecycle of the product to agree upon SLAs and quality criteria
• Supports investigation of problems and incidents in applications and services (2nd level) and assists with the implementation of agreed remedies and preventative measures
• Monitors and manages management to 3rd level support
• Coordinates production deployments
• Reviews and approves work estimates
• Oversee backlog management, release planning and rollout plans by the vendor
• Receives Status reports and is responsible for communicating status to relevant IT stakeholders
• Perform lessons learned as required.

The position is responsible for all measures, methods and quality criteria which are necessary for smooth application operations (i.e., resolution of incidents within SLAs) and to deliver application changes within budget.

Qualifications:

• Strong negotiation skills are required to deal with vendors on contractual and services issues.
• Deep functional and technical knowledge of applications
• Experience in, and understanding of, the following technologies:  C#, .NET Framework, Peoplesoft Finance, Mainframe, AEM+, Lotus Notes, Oracle, SQL Server
• Helpful if there is experience and / or understanding of the following: ASP.NET MVC, Lotus Notes, Angular, Power Builder, SQL Server Reporting Services, JQuery, JavaScript.
• A good understanding of onshore and offshore sourcing models and outsourcing best practices is required.
• Position requires knowledge of various IT technical areas and disciplines
• Must manage the vendor and the services to the key service levels on a daily basis.
• Good communication and teamwork skills are required to work with multiple internal and external partners including local Application and Infrastructure teams.
• The position entails significant interaction with other IT functions and Business Areas
• Business or technical undergraduate degree. Bachelor's degree preferred.
• 10+years’ experience in an IT project or line management role at an Insurance or Reinsurance company.
• Domain knowledge: Primary Insurance and Reinsurance
• 5+ years management experience in Sourcing and/or Governance positions
• Prior experience dealing with vendors in a sourcing relationship
• 5+ years’ experience managing technical people/projects/resources
• Strong leadership and management skills with a proven track record of success
• Excellent interpersonal, written and oral skills. Ability to communicate at all levels of management

At Munich Re US, we see Diversity and Inclusion as a solution to the challenges and opportunities all around us. Our goal is to foster an inclusive culture and build a workforce that reflects the customers we serve and the communities in which we live and work. We strive to provide a workplace where all of our colleagues feel respected, valued and empowered to achieve their very best every day. We recruit and develop talent with a focus on providing our customers the most innovative products and services.

We are an equal opportunity employer. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.