AMS Operations Manager

IT Associates; Illinois; On-site; USD 160,000 - 185,000; Full time

Job summary

IT Associates is seeking an AMS Operations Manager to oversee Microsoft Dynamics 365 and related enterprise apps, driving stability, performance, and continuous improvement. You will own incident and problem management, coordinate with vendors, and lead change efforts to minimize risk while delivering reliable service.

The role requires deep D365 expertise, strong operational leadership, and the ability to communicate with executives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in information technology, Computer Science, Business Information Systems, or a related field preferred.
• 7+ years of experience supporting and managing enterprise business applications, including Microsoft Dynamics 365.
• Hands-on experience administering, supporting, or leading operations for D365 environments.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple vendors, support partners, and external service providers.
• Experience leading operational support, incident management, and problem management functions.
• Strong experience establishing and managing SLAs, KPIs, and operational performance metrics.
• Experience with ServiceNow, including ticket prioritization, escalation management, and workflow governance.
• Experience supporting enterprise application releases, deployments, and change management processes.
• Deep understanding of business processes and the ability to assess impacts across end-to-end operations.
• Self-starter who thrives in ambiguous environments and can establish structures where processes or ownership are undefined.
• Ability to influence teams, drive accountability, and lead through complex operational challenges.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, including executive-level communication.

Responsibilities

• Own the day-to-day operational health, stability, and performance of Microsoft Dynamics 365.
• Lead efforts to identify root causes of recurring issues and implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Proactively monitor system performance, aging tickets, recurring trends, and operational risks.
• Develop and maintain operational runbooks, documentation, support procedures, and knowledge-sharing processes.
• Expand operational oversight and support other enterprise applications, including Salesforce and related business systems.
• Own and continuously improve the critical incident management process, including escalation, root cause analysis (RCA), corrective actions, and preventative measures.
• Ensure incidents are properly prioritized, managed, communicated, and resolved in alignment with business needs.
• Partner with business and technical teams to identify underlying causes of issues rather than focusing solely on symptom resolution.
• Lead remediation projects that eliminate recurring problems and improve overall system reliability.
• Manage multiple vendors and service providers, ensuring accountability for contractual obligations, deliverables, and service commitments.
• Establish, monitor, and report on Service Level Agreements (SLAs), Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and vendor performance metrics.
• Conduct regular vendor performance reviews and hold partners accountable for quality, responsiveness, and business outcomes.
• Coordinate support and delivery activities across multiple Statements of Work (SOWs).
• Ensure disciplined release management processes, including regression testing, deployment planning, production readiness reviews, and post-deployment validation.
• Partner with technical teams to minimize operational risk during system changes and releases.
• Drive continuous improvement in change management, release governance, and deployment success metrics.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for operational issues and business-critical incidents.
• Communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels, from support teams and vendors to executive leadership.
• Lead cross-functional teams through issue resolution, risk mitigation, and operational improvements.
• Demonstrate a hands-on leadership style, balancing delegation with active involvement to remove obstacles and drive results.
• Create clarity, structure, and accountability in situations where ownership or direction may be unclear.

Skills

Operational leadership

Vendor management

Incident management

Problem management

Change management

Process improvement

Stakeholder management

Executive communication

Self-starter

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT/CS/BIS

Tools

ServiceNow

Job description

The AMS Operations Manager is responsible for ensuring stability, performance, and continuous improvement of Microsoft Dynamics 365 and related enterprise applications. This role serves as the operational owner for critical business systems, driving incident resolution, vendor accountability, service excellence, and process optimization. The ideal candidate combines deep D365 expertise with strong operational leadership, vendor management experience, and the ability to proactively identify and resolve systemic issues before they impact the business.

Primary Responsibilities

1) D365 Operations & System Stability

• Own the day-to-day operational health, stability, and performance of Microsoft Dynamics 365.
• Lead efforts to identify root causes of recurring issues and implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Proactively monitor system performance, aging tickets, recurring trends, and operational risks.
• Develop and maintain operational runbooks, documentation, support procedures, and knowledge-sharing processes.
• Expand operational oversight and support other enterprise applications, including Salesforce and related business systems.

Incident & Problem Management

• Own and continuously improve the critical incident management process, including escalation, root cause analysis (RCA), corrective actions, and preventative measures.
• Ensure incidents are properly prioritized, managed, communicated, and resolved in alignment with business needs.
• Partner with business and technical teams to identify underlying causes of issues rather than focusing solely on symptom resolution.
• Lead remediation projects that eliminate recurring problems and improve overall system reliability.
• Manage multiple vendors and service providers, ensuring accountability for contractual obligations, deliverables, and service commitments.
• Establish, monitor, and report on Service Level Agreements (SLAs), Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and vendor performance metrics.
• Conduct regular vendor performance reviews and hold partners accountable for quality, responsiveness, and business outcomes.
• Coordinate support and delivery activities across multiple Statements of Work (SOWs).

Release & Change Management

• Ensure disciplined release management processes, including regression testing, deployment planning, production readiness reviews, and post-deployment validation.
• Partner with technical teams to minimize operational risk during system changes and releases.
• Drive continuous improvement in change management, release governance, and deployment success metrics.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for operational issues and business-critical incidents.
• Communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels, from support teams and vendors to executive leadership.
• Lead cross-functional teams through issue resolution, risk mitigation, and operational improvements.
• Demonstrate a hands-on leadership style, balancing delegation with active involvement to remove obstacles and drive results.
• Create clarity, structure, and accountability in situations where ownership or direction may be unclear.

4)ServiceNow & Operational Excellence

• Leverage ServiceNow for ticket management, prioritization, escalation management, reporting, and operational governance.
• Identify process improvements and automation opportunities that enhance support effectiveness and scalability.
• Implement best practices that drive operational maturity, improve service levels, and reduce business disruption.
• Identify, validate, and communicate audit findings and process improvements and ensure that results are understood, presented fairly, properly documented, and that appropriate action plans are put into place and agreed upon by management.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology, Computer Science, Business Information Systems, or a related field preferred.
• 7+ years of experience supporting and managing enterprise business applications, including Microsoft Dynamics 365.
• Hands-on experience administering, supporting, or leading operations for D365 environments.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple vendors, support partners, and external service providers.
• Experience leading operational support, incident management, and problem management functions.
• Strong experience establishing and managing SLAs, KPIs, and operational performance metrics.
• Experience with ServiceNow, including ticket prioritization, escalation management, and workflow governance.
• Experience supporting enterprise application releases, deployments, and change management processes.
• Deep understanding of business processes and the ability to assess impacts across end-to-end operations.
• Self-starter who thrives in ambiguous environments and can establish structures where processes or ownership are undefined.
• Ability to influence teams, drive accountability, and lead through complex operational challenges.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, including executive-level communication.

Travel Requirements: 10% including international.

The anticipated salary range for this position is $160,000-185,000 annually. Actual salary will be based on a variety of factors including relevant experience, knowledge, skills and other factors permitted by law. A range of medical, dental, vision, retirement, paid time off, bonus and/or other benefits are available.