Head of Applications

Private Advertiser; Singapore; On-site; SGD 150,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious organization is seeking a visionary Head of Applications to spearhead their enterprise applications strategy. This role involves overseeing critical systems, ensuring alignment with business goals, and leading transformative initiatives across various departments. The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience in managing complex application landscapes and driving digital innovation, reporting directly to senior leadership.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in enterprise applications, 3+ years in senior leadership.
• Proven success in implementations and transformations.
• Experience managing multi-vendor environments and global support.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead application strategy across business units.
• Oversee major application program delivery and governance.
• Mentor teams and drive continuous learning within applications.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Project management

Change management

Digital innovation

Data management principles

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science

MBA or Master's degree

Tools

ERP

CRM

BI tools

Dynamics 365

Power Platform

SharePoint

Job description

Role Summary

We are seeking a visionary and strategic Head of Applications to lead the enterprise-wide management of business applications. This executive-level position will be responsible for setting the application roadmap, overseeing delivery and governance, and ensuring systems are fully aligned with business priorities. The role will drive digital innovation, operational excellence, and user-centric design—playing a pivotal part in the organization's digital transformation journey.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategy & Leadership

• Define and lead the long-term strategy for enterprise applications across all business units.

• Align application landscape with corporate goals, digital priorities, and innovation objectives.

• Provide thought leadership on emerging technologies, system modernization, and business agility.

2. Business Engagement & Stakeholder Management

• Act as a strategic partner to the C-suite and senior leaders to translate business needs into technical strategies.

• Lead application governance and prioritization forums to ensure transparency and alignment.

• Influence and communicate effectively with stakeholders across departments and geographies.

3. Program Delivery & Application Lifecycle Management

• Oversee the planning and execution of major application programs (e.g., ERP, CRM, HR, BI, Operations).

• Ensure delivery on time, within scope and budget, using best practices in project management and change enablement.

• Establish strong governance for solution architecture, testing, rollout, and user adoption.

4. People Leadership & Capability Development

• Lead and mentor cross-functional teams, including business analysts, solution architects, developers, and support staff.

• Build a high-performance culture centered on innovation, agility, and accountability.

• Drive continuous learning and development across the applications function.

5. Operations, Support & Optimization

• Ensure high availability, security, and performance of all business-critical systems.

• Implement proactive monitoring, incident resolution, and process improvements to enhance reliability.

• Define and track KPIs, SLAs, and system health metrics to improve support services.

6. Vendor, Budget, & Compliance Oversight

• Manage strategic relationships with external vendors and partners to ensure service excellence.

• Oversee application-related budgets, forecasts, and license compliance.

• Ensure alignment with regulatory, cybersecurity, and data governance frameworks.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field; MBA or Master's degree preferred.

• 10+ years of experience in enterprise applications, including 3+ years in a senior leadership role.

• Proven success in leading enterprise-wide system implementations and transformations.

• Strong expertise in ERP, CRM, BI, and collaboration tools (e.g., Dynamics 365, CRM, Power Platform, SharePoint).

• Deep understanding of enterprise architecture, integration patterns, and data management principles.

• Exceptional stakeholder engagement, influencing, and communication skills.

• Experience in managing multi-vendor environments and global/regional support models.