Neptune Technology Group is a leading manufacturer of advanced water metering and utility management solutions, serving utilities and communities since 1892. With manufacturing operations across the US and Mexico and distribution reaching into Canada, Neptune is committed to precision, reliability, and sustainability in managing the world’s most critical resource: water.
Position Summary
As the Manager, Digital Technology Shared Services, you'll govern how technology enters and moves through Neptune's portfolio, and how Digital Technology's functional areas budget, manage vendors, and handle change. You'll own the intake and governance process for new technology across the organization, and coordinate budget and vendor management directly with each functional area's leadership.
The work runs horizontally even though the reporting line doesn't. You and your team set one standard for portfolio governance, AI governance, budget visibility, and how colleagues experience technology change, then carry it out in partnership with each functional area's leadership and the PMO.
You'll manage three Digital Technology Business Analysts, each embedded in one of Digital Technology's functional areas, who bring this standard into their day-to-day work.
This role reports directly to the Chief Information Officer, Digital Technology.
Core Objectives
Technology Portfolio Governance
- Own the intake and evaluation process for new technology entering Neptune's portfolio, including capability mapping and redundancy analysis, in partnership with each functional area's leadership.
- Maintain enterprise-level visibility into the technology portfolio and its dependencies.
- Lead rationalization initiatives that reduce redundant tools and spend, working with each functional area's operational owners.
- Apply COBIT and ITIL governance practices across the enterprise.
- Build and maintain the executive-facing portfolio dashboards and reporting.
- Oversee software asset and licensing governance as part of portfolio management; the Digital Technology Business Analysts handle detailed license administration alongside their functional area's operational leadership.
Budget & Vendor Management
- Coordinate the annual budgeting process and monthly variance tracking across Digital Technology's functional areas, with functional leadership and Finance.
- Manage executive-level vendor relationships, QBRs, and escalations for shared or enterprise-scale vendors, alongside functional area leadership.
- Own contract lifecycle management: renewal tracking, legal coordination, and the contract repository.
- Own governance-level visibility into technology total cost of ownership, including technology investment as a percentage of business revenue, with the CIO and functional area leadership.
- Direct the development of TCO models and business cases, drawing on Finance and technical resources rather than building the models directly.
- Oversee cloud FinOps governance, including cost optimization and spend visibility across cloud platforms; day-to-day execution stays with the functional area that runs cloud operations.
AI Governance
- Maintain an enterprise inventory of AI capabilities across Digital Technology's functional areas.
- Own intake and evaluation of new AI tools against Neptune's AI governance framework and acceptable use policy, with the security and compliance function.
- Track AI-related licensing, consumption cost, and value realization; support the AI governance committee with data and reporting.
Colleague Experience & Change Management
- Set the enterprise standard for how colleagues experience technology change, treating technology as an asset that makes the business better rather than a disruption to manage.
- Lead change management practice across Digital Technology: impact assessment, stakeholder communications, training, and adoption measurement, carried out at the functional level by the Digital Technology Business Analysts.
- Own the cadence of KPI and adoption reporting to Digital Technology leadership, turning usage and experience data into improvement decisions.
- Partner with each Digital Technology Business Analyst so change management and colleague experience work reflects one enterprise standard.
Process Governance & PMO Partnership
- Establish shared workflows, documentation standards, and governance processes so Digital Technology's functional areas work from common playbooks.
- Partner with the PMO to keep the line between program execution and cross-functional governance clear and current.
People Leadership
- Manage, coach, and develop the three Digital Technology Business Analysts.
- Set shared standards and ways of working for the team, in partnership with each functional area's leadership.
Requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, Engineering, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and 10+ years of relevant experience.
- Master's degree preferred.
Experience
- 7+ years in IT, including 3+ years in technology portfolio management, IT financial governance, or a comparable governance role.
- Experience managing technology portfolios across multiple functions or business units.
- People leadership experience.
- Experience negotiating vendor contracts and managing contract lifecycles.
- Background in IT financial governance, including working with TCO models and business cases to inform investment decisions.
- Change management experience at an enterprise or multi-team scale.
- Exposure to AI governance frameworks or AI tool evaluation is a plus.
Interpersonal Skills
- Strong executive communication skills, able to present portfolio, budget, and governance findings to senior leadership.
- A collaborative leadership style that builds consensus across functional teams and the PMO.
- Comfortable setting an enterprise standard while giving functional leaders room to apply it to their own team.
Technical Skills
- Expertise in technology portfolio management methodologies and tools (ServiceNow, LeanIX, Alfabet, Apptio, or similar).
- Working knowledge of software licensing models and enterprise contract structures.
- Ability to interpret financial analysis, TCO models, and executive dashboards to drive governance decisions; technical and analytics teams can handle hands-on model or dashboard development.
- Understanding of COBIT and ITIL frameworks applied at an enterprise level.
- Understanding of cloud economics and FinOps practices sufficient for governance-level oversight, not hands-on cloud engineering.
- Familiarity with AI/ML tools, platforms, and AI licensing models.
- Experience leading change management programs, including impact assessment, communications planning, and adoption measurement.
Preferred Qualifications
- Familiarity with IT governance frameworks such as COBIT or ITIL, or equivalent governance, risk, and controls experience.
- Familiarity with AI governance frameworks (NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001).
- A recognized change management credential (e.g., Prosci).
- PMP or similar project management certification.
- Background in water utilities, industrial manufacturing, or similar industries.
Location
Tallassee, AL or Duluth, GA.
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