Implementation Lead

GBV Ltd; Lancashire; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

GBV Ltd is seeking an experienced MIS/ERP Implementation Lead to own the client-side deployment of a new platform, replacing a manual Excel-based planning environment. You will work with shop-floor to senior management, ensuring the solution delivers measurable operational improvements and is not just a coordination role.

The role requires hands-on ownership, strong business analysis + delivery capabilities, and the ability to challenge vendor recommendations while maintaining credibility with

Qualifications

• End-to-end ERP/MIS/business system implementation experience.
• Strong mix of business analysis and project delivery skills.
• Experience in SME or operationally complex environments.
• Hands-on process mapping and requirements gathering.
• Data migration and UAT experience.
• Ability to challenge senior stakeholders and vendors.
• Credibility with operational/shop-floor teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end implementation from the client side.
• Act as primary liaison between the business and software vendor.
• Gather requirements across operational teams and map existing processes.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes and avoid simply replicating current ways.
• Plan, govern and manage the overall implementation, risks and decisions.
• Oversee testing, data migration, and user acceptance testing (UAT).
• Drive progress and secure timely decisions to move the project forward.

Skills

ERP Implementations

Business Analysis

Project Delivery

Data Migration

UAT

Stakeholder Management

Governance

Manufacturing Domain

Tools

MIS/ERP Platforms

Job description

We are working with a specialist UK manufacturing business embarking on a significant transformation of its core operational systems.

Following investment and ambitious plans for growth, the business is replacing a heavily manual, Excel-based planning and production environment with a specialist industry MIS/ERP platform.

We are looking for an experienced MIS / ERP Implementation Lead to take ownership of the implementation from the client side and ensure the new platform delivers genuine operational improvement.

This is not a coordination-only Project Manager role.

You will be embedded within the business, working closely with operational teams and senior stakeholders while acting as the primary interface with the software vendor. You'll need to understand how the business operates today, challenge existing processes where appropriate and ensure the organisation doesn't simply recreate its current ways of working in a new system.

The Role

You will take hands-on ownership of the implementation, including:

• Leading the end-to-end implementation from the client side
• Acting as the primary point of contact between the business and software vendor
• Gathering requirements across operational and business teams
• Mapping and documenting existing processes
• Identifying opportunities to improve processes rather than simply replicating them
• Challenging and validating vendor recommendations
• Facilitating workshops with stakeholders from the shop floor through to senior management
• Creating and managing the overall implementation plan
• Establishing appropriate project governance, risks, actions and decision-making
• Producing regular progress updates for senior leadership
• Planning, coordinating and owning UAT
• Helping operational users understand test scenarios, test cases and expected outcomes
• Identifying and taking ownership of gaps that fall between the vendor and internal teams
• Driving the project forward and ensuring decisions are made

What We're Looking For

We're particularly interested in people who have personally delivered several ERP, MIS or similarly business-critical system implementations.

You should be able to demonstrate:

• End-to-end ERP/MIS/business systems implementation experience
• A strong combination of Business Analysis and Project Delivery
• Experience working within an SME and/or operationally complex environment
• Hands-on process mapping and requirements gathering
• Data migration and UAT experience
• The confidence to constructively challenge senior stakeholders and vendors
• The ability to build credibility with operational/shop-floor teams
• Strong project governance without becoming overly bureaucratic
• The ability to operate independently and make pragmatic decisions

Experience within manufacturing, print, packaging or production environments would be particularly valuable, although strong implementation experience in comparable operational environments is more important than specific sector experience.

The Person

This role needs someone who is comfortable getting into the detail.

You'll need to be able to sit with operational users to understand how a process actually works, facilitate a challenging stakeholder meeting, question a software vendor's proposed solution and then roll your sleeves up and help with testing or data migration.

You'll be joining a knowledgeable business where some established processes have been in place for many years. The successful person will need the communication skills and credibility to bring people with them while still challenging established ways of working when there is a better approach.

Contract

Duration: Initial 9 months

Location: Lancashire

Working pattern: Initially 5 days per week onsite. Once established, expected to move to approximately 3 days onsite / 2 days remote (after 4 weeks and relationships established).

There is also potential for further work. The wider group has recently acquired additional UK businesses with legacy systems, and a successful implementation could potentially become the blueprint for future rollouts.