GUILFORD COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Empower Successful People to thrive in a Strong Community supported by Quality Government
Description
This position is a time-limited position (5 years) aligned with planned ERP transformation project timeline.
GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES
Strategic project leadership role responsible for coordinating the Guilford County's multi-year Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) transformation initiative. Serves as the internal owner and single point of accountability for ensuring successful implementation of the new ERP platform across Human Capital Management (HCM), Finance, and Budget domains. Coordinates activities among multiple external parties including the Journey Partner, System Integrator(s), ERP Vendor(s), and staff augmentation consultants while ensuring alignment with County priorities, timelines, and budget constraints.
Reports to Deputy CIO and serves as primary liaison to the ERP Executive Steering Committee.
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES The ERP Implementation Manager owns the County's interests throughout a 4+ year transformation journey, coordinating with external partners while ensuring internal stakeholder engagement, resource availability, and organizational readiness. This role requires exceptional multi-party coordination skills, as the incumbent will interface with project managers from 4-5 different organizations simultaneously while maintaining focus on the County's critical go-live deadlines.
Examples of Duties
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Essential Duties and tasks include, but are not limited to:
Internal Coordination & Stakeholder Management
Serve as primary internal liaison between IT, HR, Finance, Budget, and other County departments for all ERP implementation activities
Ensure Subject Matter Expert (SME) availability for requirements gathering phase, design sessions, testing, and training activities
Manage County staff resource commitments and workload balancing during implementation phases
Facilitate internal decision-making processes, preparing decision packages for leadership review
Coordinate with department directors to ensure business process owners are engaged and accountable
Manage internal communication regarding project status, upcoming activities, and required participation
Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders at all levels of the organization
Champion organizational change and adoption of new ERP processes and systems
Ensure alignment between departmental priorities and project objectives
Facilitate resolution of internal conflicts or competing priorities affecting the project
External Party Coordination & Multi-Vendor Management
Serve as County's single point of contact for coordination among Journey Partner, System Integrator, ERP Vendor, and staff augmentation PMs
Consolidate and reconcile project status reporting from multiple external parties
Coordinate meeting schedules, joint sessions, and cross-party working sessions
Identify and escalate inter-party conflicts, dependencies, or gaps in responsibility
Ensure external parties have access to required County resources, data, and facilities
Monitor external party performance against contractual commitments and SLAs
Facilitate issue resolution between County departments and external implementation teams
Coordinate handoffs between project phases and external party transitions
Manage integrated project schedule dependencies across all parties
Ensure consistent messaging and alignment of expectations among all stakeholders
Program Governance & Executive Reporting
Support Executive Steering Committee meetings with agenda preparation, materials, and follow-up actions
Prepare executive dashboards and status reports consolidating information from all project streams
Track and report on critical milestones, go live deadlines.
Maintain County-owned risk register, ensuring external parties address identified risks
Escalate critical issues, blockers, and decisions requiring executive attention
Track open decisions and action items, ensuring timely resolution
Document key decisions, rationale, and outcomes for institutional knowledge
Facilitate governance processes including change control, scope management, and issue escalation
Ensure compliance with County procurement, legal, and policy requirements throughout the project
Coordinate audit and compliance activities related to the ERP implementation
Budget & Contract Oversight
Track project expenditures against approved budget across all external contracts
Review and validate invoices from Journey Partner, System Integrator, and other vendors
Flag budget variances and recommend corrective actions
Monitor contract compliance and deliverable acceptance
Coordinate with Purchasing and County Attorney's office on contract modifications
Track and manage project contingency utilization
Prepare budget status reports for Steering Committee and County leadership
Ensure cost transparency and accountability across all project expenditures
Support contract negotiations and Statement of Work (SOW) development
Manage purchase orders and procurement processes for project-related acquisitions
Go-Live Readiness & Cutover Coordination
Own the County's internal go-live readiness checklist and assessment process
Coordinate internal cutover activities including data validation, parallel operations, and fallback procedures
Ensure departmental readiness for system transition (training completed, processes documented, support identified)
Manage internal communication plan for go-live activities
Coordinate County staff scheduling during cutover periods
Facilitate mock cutover rehearsals from the County's perspective
Ensure business continuity plans are in place for critical County operations
Manage parallel payroll and additional processing periods and reconciliation activities
Coordinate post-go-live hyper-care support from County resources
Document lessons learned and transition knowledge to ongoing support teams
Organizational Change Management Support
Partner with Journey Partner's OCM lead to ensure effective change management execution
Champion ERP transformation internally, building enthusiasm and reducing resistance
Ensure County staff engagement in training programs and adoption activities
Monitor adoption metrics and address barriers to user acceptance
Facilitate super-user and power-user programs within County departments
Support communication campaigns targeting County employees
Identify and address cultural or organizational barriers to successful implementation
Ensure training materials and documentation meet County needs
Coordinate knowledge transfer from external parties to County staff
Build internal capability for ongoing system support post-implementation
RECRUITMENT STANDARDS
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Required:
Strong understanding of ERP systems and implementation methodologies (Finance, HR, Payroll, Budget domains)
Experience working with external consultants, system integrators, and software vendors
Strong stakeholder management skills across diverse groups with competing priorities
Understanding of public sector operations, procurement processes, and compliance requirements
Excellent project coordination skills managing complex, multi-party initiatives
Exceptional communication skills for executive presentations, status reporting, and cross-functional coordination
Budget tracking and financial oversight experience for large-scale projects
Risk identification, assessment, and mitigation planning skills
Meeting facilitation skills for work groups that include executives and technical staff
Skills and experience leading groups through decision making processes
Proficiency with project management tools (Adobe Workfront, MS Project, Smartsheet, or similar)
Strong analytical skills for consolidating information from multiple sources
Ability to translate between technical and business language for diverse audiences
Ability to build consensus and drive decisions without direct authority over all parties
Ability to coordinate and influence key stakeholders across organizational boundaries
Ability to manage vendor relationships and hold external parties accountable.
Ability to escalate and resolve complex issues
Demonstrated ability to lead cross functional teams
Conflict resolution skills for managing inter-party disputes
Knowledge of organizational change management principles
Highly Desired:
Experience with HCM/HRIS implementations (payroll, benefits, recruitment, time & attendance)
Experience with financial system implementations (general ledger, accounts payable, budgeting)
Prior experience coordinating multi-vendor ERP implementations
Public sector government experience, preferably county or municipal
PMP, PgMP, or equivalent project/program management certification
Experience with agile and waterfall project methodologies
Knowledge of North Carolina local government operations and regulations
Experience with HR statutory compliance
Familiarity with ERP platforms (Workday, Oracle, SAP, Infor, Tyler or similar)
Change management certification (Prosci, CCMP, or equivalent)
Experience supporting executive steering committees
Contract management and vendor negotiation experience
Understanding of data migration and conversion processes
Knowledge of system integration patterns (APIs, ETL, middleware)
Typical Qualifications
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Public Administration, Information Systems, Project Management, or related field AND eight (8) years of progressive experience in project management, program coordination, or related roles. Experience should include 5+ years working with enterprise system implementations or large-scale IT projects and 3+ years coordinating with external vendors, consultants, or system integrators.
Substitution: Relevant professional certifications (PMP, PgMP) combined with substantial progressive experience (listed above) may substitute for degree and experience requirement on a year-for-year basis
Preferred Qualifications
Master's degree (MBA, MPA, MIS), PMP certification, or public administration credentials and 10+ years project/program management experience, ERP implementations (HCM and Finance modules). Prefer public sector / local government experience.
Supplemental Information
WORKING CONDITIONS & PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
Work Environment: Hybrid environment with significant on-site presence required, particularly during:
Requirements gathering workshops
Vendor demonstrations and evaluations
Integration testing and User acceptance testing phases
Go-live and cutover periods
Steering Committee and executive meetings
Travel: Minimal travel may be required for:
Site visits to reference customers
Schedule Flexibility: Must be available for extended hours during critical project phases, particularly around go-live cutover periods
Communication: Frequent interaction with executives, department directors, external consultants, and technical staff requiring adaptable communication style
Physical Demands and Work Conditions
Must be able to physically perform the basic life operational functions of standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, fingering, grasping, talking, and hearing. Must be able to perform light work exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. Must possess the visual acuity to prepare data and statistics, operate a computer terminal and audio-visual equipment, and do extensive reading.
Some positions in this class require the operation of a motor vehicle to go to various agency sites and locations.
May Require Driving
This position may require driving whether driving a County owned or personal vehicle to conduct County business such as but not limited to attending conferences, meetings, or any other County related functions. Motor vehicle reports may be verified for valid driver’s license and that the driving record is compatible with the County’s driving criteria. If a personal vehicle is operated for County business, proper insurance is maintained as per Guilford County’s vehicle use policy.
Special Note - This generic class description gives an overview of the job class, its essential job functions, and recommended job requirements. However, for each individual position assigned to this class, there is available a completed job description with a physical abilities checklist which can give further details about that one specific position. Those documents should be reviewed before initiating a selection process.
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Guilford County is committed to providing Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) to employees and applicants for employment regardless of color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation or political affiliation. The County is committed to complying with all applicable federal, state and local laws that pertain to employment, and to providing a work environment that is free from discrimination of any kind. If you need an auxiliary aide, make the request forty-eight (48) hours in advance of the time the accommodation is needed by calling 336-641-3324.