The University of Missouri System (UM System or university), one of the largest and most impactful public higher education systems in the Midwest, is seeking a data-driven and collaborative systems thinker to serve as its Program Director of ERP Implementation (the program director) and lead the acquisition and implementation of a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software for the university’s systemwide finance and human resources functions.
Nominations and confidential questions about the search and role can be sent to Isaacson, Miller.
About the Role
The Program Director of ERP Implementation will be responsible for leading and overseeing the full lifecycle of implementation across a complex and multi-stakeholder university system, including, building the implementation team and leading the successful transition to the new software. Leading a dedicated team of 65 people (anticipated), the program director will manage the full implementation budget of 95, including all vendor relationships. The successful candidate will work closely with executive leadership and project sponsors to ensure that leaders across the different business units and functional areas of finance and HR are deeply engaged at each stage of the implementation. In order to implement the ERP well from the outset, UM System expects it will need to make necessary process changes to ensure the new system functions as expected at present and for the future.
As a part of their portfolio, the program director will be expected to address the following areas:
- Project management and oversight
- Organizational alignment and business process development
- Change management and training
- Vendor and resource management
About ERP Forward
With evolving strategic and operational finance and HR needs, the university has decided to move to a new ERP to better support its future goals and ensure the university can remain unified, efficient and sustainable. As the technological foundation of its HR and finance services across the system, a modern ERP will strengthen the university’s ability to deliver its mission as a world-class institution dedicated to the discovery, dissemination, preservation and application of knowledge. Using a multi-year approach, UM System is committed to building an intentional roadmap and project structure to guide the system through each phase and navigate the challenges and opportunities inherent in any large-scale modernization effort.
If successful, the UM System will have an ERP that will stand the test of time and will:
- Streamline administrative processes to allow faculty and staff to focus more on the university’s core mission.
- Reinforce the ERP as the primary system of record and reduce complexity across the enterprise technology landscape.
- Enable enterprisewide compliance and avoid new risks.
- Facilitate effective knowledge transfer to avoid overreliance on individual knowledge and ensure institutional resilience over time.