Information Technology Manager for Operations and Non-Production Support

COUNTRY Financial serves about one million households and businesses throughout the United States. It offers a full range of financial products and services from auto, home and life insurance to retirement planning services, investment management and annuities.

COUNTRY Financial is seeking an IT Manager of Operations and Non-Production Support that has experience in development and automation capabilities, managed vendor relationships, and managed Production, QA, and UAT System Operations. Also, DevOps experience and experience in coordinating with application development teams for product rollout and future infrastructure planning.

Our IT Managers manage business application portfolios or technology development/support within the COUNTRY organization. Provides superior customer service to business or ITS peers by being responsive, developing a strong rapport, and delivering results. Evaluates opportunities and requirements with business and/or ITS partners, and identifies innovative ways to apply business applications and/or technology for competitive advantage. Responsible for the implementation of projects and support efforts to meet business or ITS objectives. Promotes solutions that are in the best interest of the entire organization. * Collaborating with business and/or ITS partners to provide service by building effective working relationships with business or ITS partners. * Acting as a relationship manager with business and/or ITS partners to assess needs and identify innovative ways to apply system changes and technology for competitive advantage. * Managing and developing staff by setting specific measurable objectives related to corporate vision and strategies, supporting and communicating objectives to employees, and monitoring employee progress and providing feedback on an ongoing basis. * Overseeing projects by ensuring project and support efforts meet business and ITS objectives and that efforts are completed on time, within budget and with high quality. * Manages the implementation and maintenance of disaster recovery plans and activities in assigned areas. Maintains current contact information for all employees in applicable areas and communicates with non-recovery employees during a disaster. * Protects the privacy of our customers’ data in the performance of job duties and operational activities. * Follows corporate policy and procedures related to the access, use, distribution, protection, and destruction of client and company confidential data. * Fostering the highest level of commitment among our people through transparent communication about business challenges, successes and results. * Creating an environment which encourages people to think, behave, take action, control work and make decisions autonomously to attain clear goals. * Taking personal responsibility for making tough decisions, meeting commitments and ensuring expected results are achieved.

* Skills may be acquired from college-level courses, formal information technology and insurance education, and experience with ITS and insurance company operations. Prefer background in insurance and/or finance/accounting/compensation systems. * Previous leadership experience. * Strong project management experience and coaching skills. Technical/development background preferred. * At least 5 years of directly-related work experience. * Possesses current knowledge of information technology concepts including application development, hardware platforms, operating systems, technical services, security, etc. * Possesses good understanding of insurance, financial services and Company operations. * Possesses strong project management and coaching skills. * Possesses staff development skills. * Ability to form effective partnerships with all levels of management. * Proven leadership in defining, developing, and supporting technical infrastructures or business applications. * Demonstrates continuous learning habits, especially the ability to learn and apply new technologies, architectures and methodologies. * Seeks and adapts to new challenges. * Demonstrates ability to communicate effectively and explain technical concepts to all levels of Company personnel. * Demonstrates ability to plan/conduct meetings and make oral and written presentations. * Demonstrates effective time/workload management skills. * Proven communication, interpersonal and collaboration skills to work effectively with various and diverse internal personnel and external contacts. * Effectiveness in working through conflict and ambiguity to meet the needs of business partners and customers. * Excellent critical thinking and analysis skills with the ability to define value, service and efficiency