Senior Systems Manager

Sun Communities & Sun Outdoors; Southfield (MI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

On-site fitness center

401(k) with company match

Tuition reimbursement

Parental leave

Employee discounts

Job summary

Sun Communities & Sun Outdoors seeks a Senior Systems Manager to lead strategy, delivery, and operational excellence for enterprise-level systems. The role mentors Systems Managers and analysts, shaping multi-year roadmaps and owning performance, security, compliance, and total cost of ownership.

You will collaborate with business leaders to align IT initiatives, manage cross-system implementations, audits, and vendor relations, and drive innovations while maintaining governance and IT controls.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in IT or related field is required.
• 7 years in enterprise systems management including design, implemen tation, maintenance.
• 5 years in product ownership, system administration, or system support.
• 2 years mentoring technical staff, influencing peers, or leading vendor teams.
• Strong analytical, executive communication, and governance capabilities.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and large programs.

Responsibilities

• Defines and owns multi-year strategic roadmap for a portfolio with IT leadership.
• Shapes system vision with senior leaders and secures enterprise buy-in.
• Provides technical leadership and mentorship without direct people management.
• Owns availability, performance, security, and compliance posture of systems.
• Leads cross-system implementations, upgrades, migrations, and integrations.
• Directs system assessments, security audits, and remediation plans.
• Influences design decisions with deep cross-functional business process knowledge.
• Maintains governance, standards, and guardrails for docs, CM, change control.
• Oversees acquisition, disposition, and conversion activities for systems.
• Manages vendor relationships, SLAs, roadmaps, and contractual commitments.
• Keeps authoritative system records, renewal calendars, and escalation paths.
• Evaluates emerging technologies and builds business cases for value-adds.
• Partners across Finance, Operations, Legal, and InfoSec to meet standards.
• Ensures IT controls and SOX compliance with auditors.
• Contributes to Innovation & Technology discussions on governance forums.
• Other tasks as assigned.

Skills

Enterprise systems management

Product ownership

Staff mentorship

Executive communication

IT security principles

SOX compliance knowledge

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology or related field

Job description

Overview

The Senior Systems Manager leads strategy, delivery, and operational excellence for an assigned portfolio of enterprise-level systems. The role serves as a senior mentor and advisor to Systems Managers and analysts, helping strengthen team capability through guidance, knowledge sharing, and influence. The Senior Systems Manager partners with System Managers and business leaders to shape multi-year system roadmaps and is accountable for the performance, security, compliance, and total cost of ownership of assigned systems. This role provides strategic recommendations to business and technology leaders and serves as a key contributor to enterprise-wide initiatives.

Job Duties

• Defines and owns the multi-year strategic roadmap for a portfolio in partnership with the Manager, Enterprise Systems and IT leadership, while ensuring alignment with Sun's corporate strategy, operating plan, and capital priorities. (Essential)
• Partners with senior business leaders and executive sponsors to shape system vision, prioritize features, and secure enterprise-wide buy-in amid competing demands. (Essential)
• Provides technical leadership, guidance, and mentorship to Systems Managers, analysts, and external delivery partners; supports knowledge sharing and consistent practices without formal people-management responsibility. (Essential)
• Owns the availability, performance, security, and compliance posture of assigned systems; serves as the senior escalation point for major incidents and business disruptions. (Essential)
• Leads complex, cross-system implementations, upgrades, migrations, and integrations spanning multiple business units and vendor ecosystems. (Essential)
• Directs system assessments, security audits, and risk reviews for assigned systems; defines remediation plans and partners with stakeholders to ensure timely closure of findings. (Essential)
• Demonstrates deep, cross-functional understanding of Sun's business processes and the enterprise technology architecture and uses that knowledge to influence design decisions. (Essential)
• Develops, promotes, and helps maintain governance, standards, and architectural guardrails for system documentation, configuration management, change control, and operational support.
• Oversees acquisition, disposition, and conversion activities for assigned systems, including integration and system rationalization.
• Manages senior-level vendor relationships and participates in business reviews; holds partners accountable to service level agreements (SLAs), roadmaps, and contractual commitments.
• Maintains authoritative system records, contract details, renewal calendars, and support escalation paths for the assigned portfolio.
• Evaluates emerging technologies, including AI, automation, and cloud-native capabilities; builds the business cases and supports adoption of high-value innovations.
• Partners with leadership across Finance, Operations, Legal, and Information Security to recommend and implement technology solutions that meet organizational, regulatory, and compliance standards.
• Ensures effective IT controls design and operation across assigned systems; serves as a key point of contact for internal and external auditors on SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act) and other audit engagements related to assigned systems.
• Contributes to Innovation & Technology discussions on cross-functional steering committees and enterprise governance forums.
• Other tasks as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology or related field (Required)
• 7 years in experience in enterprise systems management, including design, implementation, and maintenance (Required)
• 5 years in experience in product ownership, system administration, or system support (Required)
• 2 years in experience mentoring technical staff, influencing peers, or leading vendor delivery teams (Required)
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
• Proven ability to manage a portfolio of competing priorities and lead concurrent, large-scale implementation and upgrade programs
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with executive-level judgment and attention to detail
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present to executive audiences
• Deep knowledge of configuration management, integration patterns, and enterprise support best practices
• Strong understanding of IT security principles, IT general controls (ITGC), SOX compliance, access controls, and data protection requirements
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence, negotiate, and build consensus across diverse teams and senior stakeholders
• Strong negotiation, presentation, and executive reporting skills
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative, embrace ambiguity, and lead through change
• Must have a valid driver's license

Benefits

At Sun Communities, you will be part of an industry-leading organization where you will be challenged, inspired, rewarded and transformed. We place a high priority on our team members, and this is a big part of what sets us apart. We will ask you to give us your very best every day, and will challenge you with interesting work, stretch assignments, a collaborative and supportive work environment and plenty of learning and growth. In exchange, we will reward you with great pay, advancement opportunities, paid time off, great benefits, and flexibility.

• Comprehensive Medical and Prescription coverage with 4 plan options so you can choose the plan that best meets the needs of you and your family
• Comprehensive Dental and Vision Plans
• On-Site Fitness Center
• Voluntary Health and Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts
• Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance and Dependent Life
• Short and Long-Term Disability Coverage
• 401(k) Plan with Sun matching contribution
• Employee Assistance Program
• Identity Theft Insurance
• Legal Assistance Plan
• Pet Insurance
• Tuition Reimbursement program providing financial support to team members who further their formal education
• Vacation RV Site Discounts for team members when visiting Sun resorts across the nation
• Team Member Perks & Discounts program with hundreds of discounts on things like travel, merchandise, mobile phone service, and more
• Up to six weeks of paid parental leave for the birth of a child, adoption, or placement of a child
• Paid Time Off including ten holidays, vacation, personal, sick time, bereavement and pay for jury duty