Business Application Manager

At Microserve, we are a leading provider of innovative technology solutions to public and private sector clients across Western Canada. Headquartered in Burnaby, BC, with offices in Victoria, Calgary, and Edmonton, we employ over 500 dedicated professionals and are recognized as one of the largest technology solutions providers in the region. We consistently deliver cutting-edge innovations to adapt to our clients' evolving needs in a dynamic digital landscape.

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Business Applications Manager to join our team. This fully remote, full-time role can be based anywhere in Western Canada and reports directly to the Internal IT Director. You will lead a talented team of 7 professionals responsible for the daily operations, governance, and development of our core business systems, with a focus on enhancing productivity, driving operational efficiency, and maximizing stakeholder value through modern application management. This position involves supporting core business applications while delivering projects in application development, automations, AI agents, and platform/system implementations. The team is responsible for development of approved business applications and automations using Microsoft Power Platform, Azure DevOps, Microsoft Fabric, AI and Dynamics 365, collaborating across business units to deploy AI-driven solutions that streamline processes, boost efficiency, and lower costs. If you are a Microsoft-savvy leader passionate about leveraging technology, including AI and low-code/no-code approaches, to optimize processes and deliver impactful solutions, this is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of our IT landscape and contribute to our company's success in a collaborative, innovative environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the business application team of 7 members, including staffing, recruitment, performance evaluations, coaching, onboarding, and developing individualized training plans to foster a high-performing, diverse, and inclusive team focused on continuous learning in emerging technologies.
• Oversee the day-to-day operations of core business systems such as ConnectWise Manage, Dynamics 365 (D365) administration, Power Platform Center of Excellence (CoE), Microsoft Fabric, and associated tools, ensuring rapid resolution of issues, minimal downtime, and high-availability support.
• Enforce and manage service governance frameworks, ensuring compliance with industry standards, data security protocols, scalability, cloud integration, and best practices across all systems, while promoting proactive monitoring and preventive measures.
• Drive team-led application development initiatives, including customizations, integrations with supplier and client systems, automations, AI agents, and optimizations within the Microsoft ecosystem to enhance system functionality and deliver creative data, reporting, and AI-driven solutions in an agile environment.
• Manage projects from inception to completion using Azure DevOps, coordinating with cross-functional stakeholders to design, architect, and deploy innovative solutions, conduct thorough testing and user acceptance testing (UAT), analyze results, and iterate based on feedback for robust deployments.
• Identify, diagnose, and document complex user and system issues; collaborate with vendors or experts for escalation when needed, and provide consultative guidance to internal teams to optimize software usage, align with client needs (e.g., billing, SLA reporting, and analytics), and leverage emerging technologies.
• Foster a culture of documentation excellence by guiding the team to produce clear, comprehensive system guides, configuration details, installation procedures, and maintain a centralized knowledge base for support issues, best practices, and troubleshooting to accelerate response times.
• Provide technical oversight, including reviews of documentation, designs, code, and implementations to guarantee solution quality and compliance, while tracking and optimizing key performance indicators (KPIs) related to team productivity, application uptime, and support resolution times.
• Monitor system performance, troubleshoot issues, and implement proactive measures to minimize downtime and improve reliability, while staying abreast of emerging technologies and trends to recommend and implement upgrades or new tools.
• Handle administrative tasks such as managing weekly timesheet approvals, as well as time-off requests (e.g., vacation and sick days) within our HR systems, and foster collaboration between the business application team and other departments to gather requirements and translate them into effective technical solutions.

Required Qualifications and Skills

Technical Skills:

• Deep expertise in Microsoft technologies, including Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI), Data Lake/Analytics Platforms (e.g. MS Fabric), Dynamics 365 (D365), SQL, Dataverse, SharePoint, and CI/CD and DevOPs tools (e.g. Azure DevOps).
• Proven experience in application development, data management, integrations, automations, and AI-driven solutions within a Microsoft-centric environment, including proficiency in modern programming languages and technologies such as C#, .NET, HTML, PHP, SQL, Python, CSS, and JavaScript.

Soft Skills:

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders and diverse audiences.
• Strong problem-solving abilities, with a focus on innovative solutions, attention to detail, organizational skills, and resourcefulness in fast-paced environments.
• Effective stakeholder management, building relationships across teams to drive collaboration, alignment, and a commitment to producing high-quality technical documentation.

Experience and Education:

• At least 5+ years of managerial experience leading IT or business systems teams, with demonstrated success in inspiring developers and support professionals, focusing on collaboration, innovation, and delivering results in rapidly evolving tech landscapes.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in designing, developing, and/or maintaining mission-critical applications, including project management and agile methodologies.

Preferred Qualifications

• Microsoft certifications such as Power Platform Functional Consultant, Dynamics 365 Administrator, or equivalent.
• Familiarity with ConnectWise Manage (or similar PSA platforms) and experience with AI, DevOps, and cloud-native solutions.
• Experience in industries like professional services, consulting, or technology-driven sectors.
• Advanced knowledge of data analytics, AI integration within business systems, and hands-on experience with agile methodologies and project management tools.