Director of Business Systems and AI

Motive Companies, LLC; Clearwater (FL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Smartsearchonline seeks a hands-on Director of Business Systems & AI to pioneer modernization, leading the Foundation-to-Sage migration and owning the AI roadmap with an outsourced partner.

The role blends ERP implementation discipline with practical AI, translating job costing, WIP, payroll, and billing into reliable data, automation, and measurable margin improvements across office and field teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field.
• 8+ years in business systems, ERP, or finance systems roles, including 3+ years in a leadership capacity.
• Led at least one full lifecycle ERP implementation or migration from selection or design through go-live.
• Strong working knowledge of construction or field-service accounting: job costing, WIP, progress billing, retainage, and certified payroll.
• Experience managing outside consultants and implementation partners against scope, budget, and deliverables.
• Practical experience deploying AI, automation, or analytics tools that produced measurable business outcomes.
• Excellent communication skills; able to translate between executives, accountants, field leaders, and technical partners.

Responsibilities

• Sage ERP implementation leadership from planning through go-live and stabilization.
• Vendor management of the Sage reseller/implementation partner with accountability for scope, cost, and quality.
• Design and map future-state processes for job costing, WIP, AP/AR, progress billing, and payroll controls.
• Lead data migration, including cleansing and mapping of chart of accounts, vendors, customers, and cost codes.
• Oversee integrations between Sage and field service, estimating, payroll/HR, and document management tools.
• Plan testing, cutover, and training to ensure smooth month-end close and payroll integrity.
• Drive adoption of AI tools and establish governance for data privacy, security, and human review.

Skills

ERP leadership

Job costing & WIP

Vendor management

AI deployment

Communication skills

Construction accounting

Leadership experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field

Tools

Power BI

SQL

Integration platforms

Copilot / Microsoft 365

Job description

Job Details

Director of Business Systems and AI Covina,CA Posted:9/24/2026

Job ID#: 86927

Job Category: Information Technology

Position Type: Direct

Duration: DIRECT

Shift: 1

Position Summary

A growing commercial plumbing contractor is seeking a hands‑on, business‑minded Director of Business Systems & AI to lead the modernization of its technology backbone. This leader will own the end‑to‑end replacement of the company's Foundation Software construction accounting platform with Sage (Sage Intacct Construction or Sage 300 CRE, per final selection), and will serve as the internal owner of the company's AI roadmap in partnership with an outsourced AI consulting firm. The ideal candidate combines ERP implementation discipline with a practical, results‑driven view of AI: someone who can translate how a commercial plumbing contractor actually runs - job costing, estimating, service dispatch, payroll, and billing - into clean systems, reliable data, and automation that saves real hours and improves margins.

Job Requirements

Key Responsibilities

1. Sage ERP Implementation

• Program leadership: Own the Foundation-to-Sage migration from planning through go-live and stabilization, including scope, timeline, budget, risk register, and executive status reporting.
• Vendor management: Manage the Sage reseller/implementation partner; hold them accountable to deliverables, cost, and quality.
• Process design: Lead future‑state process mapping for job costing, WIP, AP/AR, progress billing (AIA G702/G703), retainage, change orders, certified payroll, union/prevailing wage, equipment, and inventory.
• Data migration: Direct cleanup, mapping, conversion, and reconciliation of chart of accounts, vendors, customers, open jobs, cost codes, and historical data.
• Integrations: Design and oversee integrations between Sage and field service, estimating, project management, payroll/HR, banking, and document management tools.
• Testing & cutover: Plan and run system, integration, and user acceptance testing, parallel runs, and a controlled cutover that protects month‑end close and payroll.
• Change management & training: Build training, SOPs, and super‑user networks so office staff, PMs, and field teams adopt the new system confidently.
• Post go‑live: Own stabilization, optimization, reporting, and ongoing administration of Sage, including security roles and internal controls.

2. AI Strategy & Consulting Partnership

• AI roadmap: Build and maintain a prioritized AI roadmap aligned to business goals, with clear ROI, owners, and success metrics.
• Consulting relationship owner: Serve as the primary point of contact for the company's outsourced AI consulting partner; set priorities, define requirements, review statements of work, manage budget, and accept deliverables.
• Use‑case delivery: Partner with the consulting team to deploy AI across the business, such as AP invoice capture and coding, estimating and takeoff support, bid/RFP review, service dispatch and scheduling, customer communications, contract and submittal review, and executive reporting.
• Data foundation: Ensure Sage and connected systems produce clean, governed data that AI tools can use reliably.
• Adoption: Drive employee adoption of AI tools (e.g., Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT Enterprise, or similar) with training, playbooks, and measured productivity gains.
• Governance: Establish AI usage policies covering data privacy, security, accuracy, and appropriate human review.
• Knowledge transfer: Ensure consulting work is documented and transferable so the company builds internal capability over time.

3. Business Systems Leadership

• Own the business applications portfolio and system roadmap, including rationalization of redundant tools and licenses.
• Partner with department leaders to identify manual processes and deliver automation (workflow, RPA, AI).
• Build reporting and dashboards (e.g., Power BI) for job profitability, WIP, backlog, cash flow, and technician productivity.
• Coordinate with IT/managed service providers on security, access controls, backups, and cybersecurity standards.
• Manage the business systems budget and vendor contracts; build and lead a small team or analysts as the function grows.

Success Measures

• Sage live on schedule and within budget, with a clean first month‑end close and accurate payroll.
• Foundation fully retired with historical data accessible and reconciled.
• Faster month‑end close and more timely, accurate job cost and WIP reporting.
• At least 3‑5 AI use cases in production with documented hours saved or margin impact.
• AI consulting engagement delivering measurable value against an agreed roadmap and budget.
• High user adoption and satisfaction across office and field teams.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field.
• 8+ years in business systems, ERP, or finance systems roles, including 3+ years in a leadership capacity.
• Led at least one full‑lifecycle ERP implementation or migration from selection or design through go‑live.
• Strong working knowledge of construction or field‑service accounting: job costing, WIP, progress billing, retainage, and certified payroll.
• Experience managing outside consultants and implementation partners against scope, budget, and deliverables.
• Practical experience deploying AI, automation, or analytics tools that produced measurable business outcomes.
• Excellent communication skills; able to translate between executives, accountants, field leaders, and technical partners.

Preferred

• Direct experience with Sage Intacct Construction, Sage 300 CRE, or Sage 100 Contractor, and familiarity with Foundation Software.
• Background in commercial plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, or specialty contracting.
• Experience with field service and construction tools (e.g., ServiceTitan, Procore, BuildOps, estimating software).
• Experience with Power BI, SQL, integration platforms, and Microsoft 365/Copilot.
• PMP, Sage certification, or change management (Prosci) credentials.

Competencies

• Business‑first technologist who prioritizes ROI and adoption over technology for its own sake.
• Disciplined program manager with a bias for action and strong follow‑through.
• Collaborative leader who earns trust with field and office teams alike.
• Sound judgment on data security, internal controls, and responsible AI use.

Pay: $180,000 - $200,000/yr