IT Manager

Company: West Paw
Location: Bozeman
Posted on: May 27, 2023

Job Description:

At West Paw, our goal is to be "Dog's Best Friend". We do this by making things dogs love and by caring about how we make the things dogs love - from our own factory in beautiful Bozeman, Montana. The talented, dog-loving, sustainability driven team at West Paw designs, manufactures, markets and ships high quality, planet and people conscious dog products to over 40 countries and 6000 retailers. Our products are proudly made by us in our eco-friendly facility in Bozeman, and we pride ourselves on products that are safe, durable and made responsibly. Beyond dogs, we care about people and the planet too. At West Paw, we envision a world where business success is friendly to people and the planet. We're eco-friendly in our materials and manufacturing choices and people-friendly in our business choices. We're West Paw, a proud Certified B Corp and Dog's Best Friend -. To be the best fit for us, we actively seek purpose-driven candidates that embrace the love of dogs, a curiosity to understand and passion for our vision of a better society and environment. Our best days at work often involve sharing a great dog experience that brought connection and joy.
Position Overview
We're looking for an experienced IT Manager to take on leadership and ownership of our IT functions. The IT Manager is a full time, salaried position that oversees and administers company databases, platforms, technology, hardware, and supports IT strategies. This role also provides hands-on technical assistance to company users of various hardware or software systems and identifies IT enhancements to improve business performance and support future business needs. This position oversees several external contractors and may eventually supervise direct reports.
Essential Responsibilities

• Drive a highly organized, cross-functional IT project management function that owns projects from beginning to end, including: strategic alignment with business goals, project scope definition, budget creation, roadmap development, timeline communication, ongoing task management, cross-departmental coordination, and obtaining stakeholder buy-in.
• Leverage strong, proven communication skills while building a responsive customer service environment founded on clear, consistent correspondence with stakeholders and thorough documentation, in support of both minor IT service requests and major projects.
• Draw from prior system rollout experience to implement West Paw's first ERP system, a critical investment in our IT systems needed to unlock West Paw's long-term growth.
• Function as a subject matter expert on our systems, including those externally focused to support our Revenue teams-Company Website (westpaw.com), EDI payments, HubSpot, IP Phone System-and internally focused to support our Operations teams-FileMaker Pro, QuickBooks, BambooHR, Box.
• Lead the strategic direction and long-term growth of the IT department, including the management and development of all team members and external contractors
• Streamline IT architecture, server infrastructure, application deployment, and data accessibility to ensure that our operating model is user-friendly and sound with minimal downtime.
• Ensure exceptional technical help desk service/support for West Paw employees including issues with software, hardware, personal devices and database.
• Strengthen company performance by delivering IT Training that improves employee efficiency/effectiveness in using our technical tools & applications.
• Contribute to employee experience through proactive setup of individual desktop equipment & software upon hire or refresh including setup, troubleshooting, repair, testing and training.
• Protect the company through ensuring we have a sound security strategy including backups, encryption, and restore/recovery of data.
• Manage cross-functional transparency, communication and workflow through maintenance, troubleshooting, programming, continuous improvement and innovative solutions in our internal database.
• Embody West Paw Core Values in all work interactions, tasks, and decisions: Create Joyful Connection, Grow for Good, Humanize Business, Be Real, Solve for Tomorrow.
• Uphold West Paw's Passion in all work endeavors: We build connection to create opportunity.
• Champion West Paw's Niche in all work decisions: Create sustainable pet products that bring joy.
• Other duties as assigned. Essential Ability, Knowledge, and Skill Requirements
  • Advanced IT and computer skills including server and database client management, financial software, word processing software, spreadsheet software, internet research, and email.
  • Effective communication skills, in both oral and written form, including strong active listening skills.
  • Strong mechanical skills and hardware knowledge.
  • Excellent training, teaching, and coaching skills.
  • Excellent critical thinking and problem solving skills to analyze information and evaluate results to choose the best approach or solution.
  • Strong organization and ability to use time in a productive manner.
  • Strong attention to detail and accuracy in completing tasks.
  • Able to maintain strict confidentiality. Education and Experience Requirements
    • Bachelor's degree or equivalent related experience
    • 10 years of IT-related experience with progressive responsibilities
    • ERP implementation experience highly preferred
    • Project Management experience highly preferred
    • Experience with Ecommerce Platforms (e.g. Shopify), best-in-class ERP systems for SMEs (e.g. SAP ByDesign), HubSpot, and QuickBooks preferred
    • Supervisory or personnel management experience preferred Environmental and Physical Requirements
      • Typically located in an indoor area with the possibility of mild discomfort from factors such as dust, material particles, temperature extremes, loud noise and bright lights.
      • Frequent periods are spent standing or sitting in the same location with some opportunity move about.
      • Frequent use of a computer, keyboard, and mouse.
      • Occasional lifting of objects up to 36 inches from floor level, and weighing up to 30 lbs.
      • Occasional lifting of objects up to 84 inches from floor level, and weighing up to 50 lbs.
      • Occasional travel for training up to 2 times per year. Company Culture and Benefits
        West Paw is a small family-owned business with a strong history and new growth ahead. Through our diversified workforce, with most of us in one facility, we celebrate a collaborative, hardworking team. Our success stems from our values, our vision and purpose, and our willingness to learn and grow. We leverage Open Book Management allowing all employees to become better business people and to understand how they can further business success. We invest in financial literacy and transparency to engage employees to contribute to our current financial condition and future plans.
        Our team is united in our quest for a cleaner planet, healthier communities, safe and happy pets, and transparent business practices. Everyone from production to sales to accounting and beyond rallies around our mission with a shared sense of purpose and pride. Our culture is built on relationships - with each other, our customers, our pets, our community, and our planet.
        The joy of our work comes from sharing in success with people who are passionate about pets, contribute to our culture, appreciate a fast-paced atmosphere, share our values and further our vision.
        We are proud to offer a variety of benefits that meet the diverse needs of our team:
        • Three medical plan options, with one that is 100% company-paid for the employee. Dependents are eligible to participate.
        • Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account options.
        • Dental, Vision, Life, Accident, and Disability insurance options.
        • Paid Time Off for volunteering, wellness, and new parents.
        • A Safe Harbor 401(k) plan that provides a 4% company match on a 5% employee contribution.
        • 4 1/2 day work week (half-day Fridays year-round!).
        • Employee Wellness and Financial Assistance Resources through Mutual of Omaha and HoneyBee.
        • On-Site Ergonomic and Physical Therapy services
        • Discounts on West Paw products!
          West Paw is committed to the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity and to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. If you are interested in applying for employment with West Paw and are in need of accommodation or special assistance to navigate our website or to complete your application, please send an e-mail with your request to our People and Culture team (hr@westpaw.com). West Paw encourages each of our team members to understand, accept, and celebrate differences among people. That includes different personalities, lifestyles, work styles, education, and experience. We also welcome and embrace people of all races, ethnicities, ages, religions, physical abilities, sexual orientation, gender identities, and genders at West Paw. If you're not sure that you meet 100% of the requirements posted above, but may bring value to the team, please apply anyway! We'd love to talk to you.

Keywords: West Paw, Bozeman , IT Manager, IT / Software / Systems , Bozeman, Montana