Application Manager, Functions Technology

Role Title: Application Manager, Functions Technology

Location: Liverpool

Contract: 12 month FTC

Hiring Manager: Director, Digital & Functions Technology

Working pattern: Hybrid

About the Role

 Purpose Accountable for the stable, secure and well-controlled operation of the Functions application portfolio. Leads the application team, manages key suppliers and partners with Functions stakeholders to improve service performance, deliver change safely and strengthen long-term application management capability.

Portfolio scope Enterprise applications supporting Rathbones corporate Functions; allocation may change in line with business priorities.

Key interactions Functions leaders and business owners across Finance, People, Risk, Compliance and central functions; Technology Service, Architecture, Cyber Security, Delivery and other Application Managers.

External interactions: strategic application and service suppliers, implementation partners, auditors and specialist advisers.

Priorities

• Maintain a current view of application health, risk, ownership, support arrangements and supplier performance.
• Stabilise priority services and address recurring incidents and problems.
• Strengthen service governance, controls, reporting and escalation.
• Clarify accountability across business owners, engineers, suppliers and Technology teams.
• Own a prioritised improvement roadmap and embed sustainable working practices across the portfolio.

What you’ll be responsible for

Principal accountabilities

• Own service performance, operational resilience and lifecycle management across the Functions portfolio.
• Lead the application team and coordinate matrixed contributors and suppliers.
• Ensure risks, controls, access, audit actions and remediation are actively managed.
• Govern suppliers against service, commercial and contractual obligations.
• Ensure change enters service with clear ownership, support, documentation and operational readiness.
• Provide concise MI on service health, risk, expenditure, change and priorities.
• Service ownership and operational resilience
• Own the operational health, availability, performance and support model of the Functions application portfolio.
• Maintain clear application ownership, service documentation, support routes, recovery expectations and dependency maps.
• Lead major incident response, problem management and corrective action; reduce recurrence and operational disruption.
• Ensure capacity, currency, lifecycle, vulnerability and resilience concerns are visible and actively managed.
• Risk, control and governance
• Operate applications in line with Technology policies, security requirements and regulatory obligations.
• Maintain effective controls for access, change, data, supplier oversight and evidence; address audit and risk actions promptly.
• Maintain a clear portfolio risk view, with accountable owners, treatments, target dates and escalation of material issues.
• Provide accurate MI and concise reporting on service performance, risk, control, cost and improvement priorities.
• Supplier and commercial management
• Own day-to-day relationships with key application and service suppliers.
• Track performance against service levels and contractual obligations; lead service reviews, escalations and improvement plans.
• Support renewals, commercial decisions and contract changes with clear evidence of service, risk, value and future need.
• Ensure third-party dependencies, responsibilities and exit or continuity considerations are understood.
• Change, delivery and service transition
• Partner with business and delivery teams to shape and prioritise application change.
• Ensure releases and projects meet operational-readiness requirements before entering service.
• Confirm ownership, support, monitoring, documentation, controls, training and supplier arrangements before go-live.
• Coordinate small change and continuous improvement across the portfolio without compromising service stability.
• Stakeholder partnership and matrix leadership
• Build trusted relationships with senior Functions stakeholders and translate business priorities into clear technology actions.
• Work with other Application Managers to apply consistent standards, controls, MI and service-management practices.
• Coordinate cross-portfolio dependencies and escalations with Technology Service, Architecture, Cyber Security and Delivery.
• Act as a clear escalation point and communicate decisions, risks and trade-offs directly.
• Team leadership and capability development
• Set clear accountabilities, priorities and performance expectations for the application team and matrixed contributors.
• Coach colleagues, address capability gaps and create effective operational routines and knowledge sharing.
• Maintain a no-blame, high-accountability culture focused on learning and continuous improvement.
• Own an agreed improvement roadmap and maintain documented operating practices, risks and decisions across the portfolio.

About you

If you meet some of these criteria and are excited about the role, we encourage you to apply

• Enterprise business applications and SaaS operating models.
• Practical application of ITIL-based service management.
• Application integrations, data flows, identity, access and security dependencies.
• Risk, control and audit requirements in a regulated environment.
• Supplier, contract and commercial management.
• Major incident, problem, change and service-transition leadership.
• Strong judgement, prioritisation and senior stakeholder influence.
• Clear, concise reporting and evidence-based decision making.

Professional experience and qualifications

• Led a material portfolio of enterprise applications and multidisciplinary support teams.
• Managed strategic suppliers, service performance and contractual obligations.
• Owned major incidents, operational risks, remediation and service improvement.
• Delivered operational readiness and transition for business and technology change.
• Experience in a regulated or strongly controlled environment.
• ITIL certification desirable; equivalent practical experience accepted.

Measures of success

• Critical Functions applications meet agreed service, security and control expectations.
• Material risks and recurring incidents have clear owners and credible remediation plans.
• Suppliers are governed against service, commercial and contractual commitments.
• Change transitions into service with agreed ownership, support and documentation.
• Stakeholders receive clear reporting on service health, risk, cost and priorities.