Enterprise Applications COE Director
Full Time Permanent
CityWest IRE or Derby UK
The Role
This is a platform ownership role, distinct from the ERP programme delivery function which has its own dedicated lead. The CoE Director operates as the standards authority and value realisation engine: shaping how Dynamics 365 and the wider enterprise applications portfolio are used consistently across Uniphar, driving adoption and change, owning the continuous improvement backlog, and managing the long-term roadmap well beyond initial go-live. The ERP programme is an important context for this role — the CoE Director will be a key partner to it — but the purpose of this position is enduring: to make enterprise applications a genuine competitive capability for the Group. The right candidate will combine deep Microsoft Dynamics 365 expertise with the leadership presence to influence senior business stakeholders, the operational discipline to build enduring governance processes, and the commercial acumen to translate enterprise applications capability into measurable business outcomes.
Responsibilities
Centre of Excellence Build & Leadership
- Establish, design, and lead the Uniphar Enterprise Applications Centre of Excellence — defining its operating model, team structure, and ways of working.
- Recruit, develop, and lead a high-performing CoE team encompassing functional, technical, and change capability.
- Define the operating relationship between the CoE, divisional IT leads, and the ERP programme team — ensuring clear ownership, escalation paths, and a structured handover from programme to BAU.
- Build a culture of continuous improvement, shared learning, and knowledge management across Enterprise Applications practitioners throughout the Group, with particular depth in Dynamics 365.
Platform Governance & Standards
- Set and maintain the governance framework for Enterprise Applications, with Microsoft Dynamics 365 as a core platform, covering configuration standards, change control, release management and platform oversight.
- Ensure consistent standards and ways of working are applied across the Group, including within newly acquired or onboarded businesses.
- Provide clear direction on how the platform should be used and extended, protecting long-term integrity while enabling the business to move at pace.
- Lead the enterprise applications governance forum, giving senior stakeholders clear visibility of platform health, priorities, risks and roadmap decisions.
Adoption, Change & Value Realisation
- Lead the adoption strategy for Enterprise Applications across Uniphar, with particular focus on Microsoft Dynamics 365, covering training, enablement, communications and business change.
- Define and track the measures that show whether the platform is delivering value, including adoption, process improvement, data quality and business outcomes.
- Work with business leaders and Group Finance to show the impact of the platform and support the case for future investment and improvement.
- Make sure users at all levels have the skills, support and confidence to use the platform effectively in day-to-day operations
Continuous Improvement & Platform Roadmap
- Own and prioritise the Dynamics 365 continuous improvement backlog, balancing divisional requests, strategic priorities, and platform health needs.
- Manage Microsoft’s D365 release cycle, assessing the impact of new features and updates on Uniphar’s configuration and operational processes.
- Partner with Group Technology architecture to ensure Dynamics 365 evolves in alignment with the wider enterprise technology strategy.
- Identify and evaluate opportunities to expand D365 capability — including Power Platform, Copilot for Finance & Operations, and integrated analytics — to deliver incremental business value.
Data & Reporting Integrity
- Own enterprise application data governance: master data standards, data quality frameworks, and controls to ensure the integrity of financial and operational data within Dynamics 365 and connected systems.
- Ensure D365 remains the authoritative source of record for in-scope business processes, managing integrations with upstream and downstream systems accordingly.
- Work with the Group Data and Analytics function to ensure enterprise application data is available, reliable, and well-governed for reporting and AI use cases.
Vendor & Partner Management
- Own Uniphar’s strategic relationship with Microsoft in respect of Dynamics 365 licensing, roadmap alignment, and support escalation.
- Manage relationships with implementation partners and managed service providers supporting the enterprise applications portfolio.
- Ensure Uniphar extracts maximum value from its Microsoft licensing and support agreements, leveraging Group commercial frameworks where available.
Qualifications & Experience
- Significant experience (typically 12+ years) in enterprise applications or ERP-related roles, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership or platform ownership capacity.
- Deep, hands-on expertise with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (or Business Central), including design, governance, and continuous improvement at scale, Microsoft Power Platform and its integration with Dynamics 365 and understanding of D365 reporting and analytical tools.
- Proven track record building or leading a Centre of Excellence, platform governance function, or equivalent centre of expertise.
- Demonstrable success driving enterprise applications adoption and value realisation in a complex, multi-entity or multi-country organisation.
- Experience partnering with or overseeing a major ERP implementation programme, with accountability for post-go-live governance and adoption.
- Strong background in change management, business readiness, and stakeholder engagement at senior level.
- Familiarity with Azure DevOps for D365 ALM (application lifecycle management), CI/CD pipelines, and release management.
- Solid grasp of enterprise application data architecture, master data management, and integration middleware (e.g. Azure Integration Services, Logic Apps, Dataverse).
- Working knowledge of the wider enterprise applications landscape — CRM, HR/HCM, finance, EPM, and service management platforms — and how they integrate with a core ERP to deliver end-to-end business processes.
- Degree in Information Technology, Business, Finance, or a related discipline; Microsoft Dynamics 365 certifications or equivalent professional accreditation are advantageous.
Uniphar Background
Uniphar group is a rapidly expanding global healthcare services business with a proud heritage in Ireland. Since IPO in 2019, the group has grown both organically and through a series of strategic acquisitions, which continues to strengthen Uniphar’s international reach. With a workforce of over 3000 spread across Ireland, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Nordics, USA and Australia, Uniphar is a trusted global partner to pharma and MedTech manufacturers, working to improve patient access to medicines around the world.
Uniphar provides outsourced and specialised services to its clients, leveraging the strong relationships with 200+ of the world’s best known pharmaco-medical manufacturers across multiple geographies, enabled by our cutting-edge digital technology and our highly expert teams. Uniphar is organised into three key divisions; Supply Chain & Retail, Commercial & Clinical Med Tech / Pharma; and Product Access.
Please note that Uniphar is an equal-opportunity employer; we do not discriminate and welcome all responses.
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