Senior Manager

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Role Overview

The Head of Application COE and Application Team Lead is responsible for providing end-to-end leadership of CRM, HSE, Risk Management and Sustainability platform for Keppel Group and all business applications within Keppel InfraDiv. This role covers application operations, governance, team management, and strategic planning.

The role ensures that applications are stable, secure, compliant, and aligned with operational, regulatory, and business needs. It also drives standardisation and best practices.

This position acts as the key bridge between business stakeholders and IT, ensuring effective delivery, support, and continuous improvement of the application landscape across plants and entities.

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities

1. Application Operations and Service Management

• Own the overall availability, performance, and reliability of business applications used across the organization
• Ensure incidents, service requests, and problems are managed in line with agreed SLAs and ITSM processes
• Serve as the escalation point for major application incidents and business-impacting issues
• Ensure timely root cause analysis is conducted for major or recurring issues, with corrective and preventive actions implemented
• Oversee application patching, upgrades, version control, and end-of-life planning
• Ensure applications remain fit for purpose in supporting plant operations, corporate functions, and regulatory obligations

2. Team Leadership and People Management

• Lead and manage application support and delivery teams, including AMS and application specialists
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and coverage models across the application teams
• Set performance expectations and provide regular guidance, coaching, and feedback
• Ensure appropriate skill development, cross-training, and succession planning
• Promote a disciplined, service-oriented, and accountable culture within the team
• Ensure adequate documentation and knowledge transfer to reduce key person dependency

3. Application COE Governance and Control

• Establish, maintain, and enforce application standards, workflows, and governance practices under the COE
• Govern application change, release, and deployment activities to minimise operational risk
• Ensure applications comply with Keppel IT policies, cybersecurity standards, and control requirements
• Work closely with governance team to address observations and maintain proper controls
• Ensure application ownership, access management, and approval processes are clearly defined and followed
• Maintain audit-ready documentation, including change records, approvals, and system inventories

4. Application Strategy and Roadmap Management

• Define and maintain the application roadmap aligned with business strategy and operational priorities
• Evaluate application enhancement requests, replacements, and new system proposals
• Drive application rationalisation to reduce duplication, complexity, and technical debt
• Assess system risks, vendor dependency, and sustainability of current applications
• Advise senior management on application investment decisions, risks, and trade-offs

5. Stakeholder Engagement and Business Partnership

• Act as the primary IT contact for application-related matters with business leaders and system owners
• Engage business users regularly to understand operational challenges, pain points, and future needs
• Translate business requirements into clear system and technology actions
• Balance business demand with risk, cost, and operational considerations
• Provide clear and timely communication during incidents, upgrades, and major changes

6. Vendor and Financial Management

• Manage application vendors, SaaS providers, and system integrators
• Oversee vendor performance, deliverables, and contract compliance
• Manage application licensing, renewals, and cost optimisation
• Work with IT Business Partner, Finance and Procurement on budgeting, PRs, POs, and contract governance
• Ensure vendor-driven changes comply with Keppel control requirements

7. Projects, Transformation, and Continuous Improvement

• Lead or oversee major application upgrades, migrations, and transformation initiatives
• Drive standardisation across InfraDiv plants and business units
• Identify and implement opportunities for automation and operational efficiency
• Continuously improve application support models and processes
• Ensure lessons learnt are captured and applied to future initiatives

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• 10+ years in technology leadership roles, with extensive experience in application development, system architecture, and governance.
• Strong experience in enterprise application support and delivery
• Proven track record in managing teams and multiple applications
• Solid understanding of ITSM processes, including incident, problem, and change management
• Strong stakeholder management and vendor management skills
• Structured, detail-oriented, and governance-focused mindset
• Ability to balance operational stability with transformation and improvement
• Experience operating in regulated, operational, or infrastructure environments