Executive Director Solution Development – DC Airports Veghel • Vanderlande

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About Vanderlande

Vanderlande is a global leader in logistics automation, empowering the world’s biggest retailers, airports and e-commerce giants. With more than 9,000 employees worldwide, we drive innovation across 3 domains: 

• Airports: delivering market-leading baggage handling systems and passenger solutions are active in more than 600 airports worldwide
• Warehousing: supporting major global e-commerce players and retailers in food, fashion, and general merchandise by dispatching billions of products daily
• Distribution: Powering the logistics behind the world’s biggest retailers, sorting over 52 million parcels every day through advanced automation solutions

Working at Vanderlande offers a unique opportunity to make a global impact, collaborating with world-leading retailers, airports, and e-commerce giants to drive innovation in logistics automation. As part of an innovative environment, you will be at the forefront of cutting-edge automation technology, helping to shape the future of supply chain solutions. Additionally, you will be part of a collaborative culture, working alongside a passionate and dynamic team dedicated to driving excellence and transforming the logistics industry.

Position Overview

The Executive Director of Solution Development is responsible for the systems engineering and systems integration of the Airports solutions under development in Vanderlande. The role cooperates closely with Business stakeholders to align development requirements and priorities across the E2E value chain. The role ensures that the various hardware and software development streams seamlessly work together to define and deliver the integrated and platform-based solutions that add value to Vanderlande’s customers.

This is a truly cross-value chain and cross department role with a high business impact, with the challenge to get all Business and Technology stakeholders on the same page to prepare and deliver their parts of the integrated solution, in such a way that the solution is fit-for-purpose, of high quality, and is delivered at a predictable pace.

The role needs communication and influencing skills at the highest level to steer and influence behaviour within the designated domains and to act as a strategic partner in the portfolio Board.

Key Responsibilities

Solution Leadership

• Represent the Technology organization in the governance and decision-making process for the domain solution portfolios.
• As a key contributor to the Portfolio Board, co-operate closely with the business partners from the Solutions Management and Operations teams to align solution development requirements and priorities across the E2E value chain.
• Ensure that the decisions and priorities of the Portfolio Board are executed flawlessly and according to plan by the hardware and software development teams in the Technology organization.
• Jointly define and own the multi-year solution development roadmap with your Business partners.
• Create and maintain relationships with senior and executive management in both the Business and Technology organizations to ensure that solutions under development are well-defined, complete, fit for purpose, and achievable.
• Provide guidance to the Business on how to ensure that solutions are fit for configure-to-order. This role needs to eliminate large amount the complexity for the Airports Domain team and the customer and assist in appropriate decision making

Solution Design & Development

• Lead the agile teams of systems engineers, architects, and integrators to define consistent and traceable platform solution requirements and designs, and to ensure a high-quality platform test and integration execution.
• Oversee the refinement of cross-cutting solution initiatives on the portfolio backlogs and make sure that these initiatives are decomposed seamlessly across the various hardware and software development streams.
• Implement a transparent platform release and configuration management approach with clear performance metrics that measure the performance, progress, and maturity of the abovementioned solution refinement, systems engineering and systems integration activities.
• Monitor and mitigate risks and opportunities in programs. Challenge technical solutions by participating in open-up meetings and WHIF meetings for the first-few deployments to ensure fast feedback look and to manage operational escalations.
• Provide guidance to the Business on application of platform solutions and engage with the customer for the technical ask. Provide needed visibility into the development process and readiness towards customer facing releases.

Technology Strategy & Execution

• Co-operate closely with the business partners to align solution development requirements and priorities across the E2E value chain. 
• Develop together with the Business for a multi-year development roadmap. Forecast budget, workload and act on resource constraints. Assure good alignment of development roadmap with customer pilots and projects.
• Allocate and request the correct budgets and defend if necessary, in the semi-annual R&D Steering Committee (RDSC) to make sure that the solution portfolio development is organized for success.
• Responsible for validating the customer solution together with stakeholders and help achieving operational and service readiness in first-few deployments 
• Ensure strategic initiatives such as Cyber Security, Sustainability are captured and incorporated in backlog with right priority
• Make sure programs are executed according to the Vanderlande Process map. Stimulate, initiate and manage continuous improvement projects.

Team Development

• Provide leadership and mentorship to solution development teams.
• You will lead a team of architects and testers/ integrators while working closely with engineering, product management, and business stakeholders to ensure scalable, high-performance, and secure solutions.
• Interact closely with the various hardware and software development streams so that the overarching solution requirements and designs are feasible and well-understood, and that the stream deliverables meet the platform integration standards. 
• Create and maintain relationships with senior and executive management in both the Business and Technology organizations to ensure that solutions under development are well-defined, complete, fit for purpose, and achievable. 
• Build a culture of trust and foster an agile way of working between Business and Technology teams to ensure a seamless delivery flow of value to our customers.

Key Qualifications & Experience

• More than 15 years of relevant working experience in multidisciplinary product development, with a technical master’s degree 
• You have a proven track record of success in leading global platform or product development programs that require coordination of multiple development streams across multiple locations.
• You have had leading roles in the field of systems design, system architecture, software engineering and/or systems integration of mission-critical software-intensive systems.
• You lead by inspiring and influencing others to rally behind your course. You are a firm yet emphatic person with strong leadership skills and strong business acumen.
• It is a plus if you have leadership experience with agile development at scale.
• It is a plus if you have domain knowledge of and experience in the Airports business.
• You are a team player with natural leadership skills and excellent communicative skills.

What we offer

In the challenging and responsible position as Executive Director Solution Development, you will have the chance to make a significant contribution to industry-leading projects and be closely connected to our dedicated people and customers at Vanderlande. We offer a position in an informal, international and professional working environment with a lot of scope for personal development. By joining our profitable and growing company, you will be able to reach your goals and focus on your future. 

This position offers a competitive salary range and benefits. Through exceeding performance expectations, you even have the possibility to grow outside of this scale. 

•    32 vacation days (16 statutory days and a flexible budget worth 16 days).
•    Flexible working hours.
•    A hybrid workplace (40% working from home and 60% in the office).
•    A Health & Wellbeing budget worth €300,- per calendar year.
•    Commuting allowance, including full reimbursement of travel by public transport.
•    Working from home allowance.

•    Short term incentives

•    Electric Lease car /in lieu compensation
•    Collective pension scheme and discount on additional health insurance.
•    On-site company health centres with a gym, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.
•    Vanderlande Academy and training facilities to boost your skills.
•    A variety in Vanderlande Network communities and initiatives.
•    And a great company restaurant and coffee bar with barista.

Your application

Are you interested in this position? Then apply now directly on our workday vacancy link with your resume and a short summary about your interest in this role.

PS: Due to process compliance, we cannot process email applications. Kindly use the correct vacancy link to apply for this vacancy.

Diversity & Inclusion
Vanderlande is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Qualified applicants will be considered without regards to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability status.