Head of Business Applications

Job Description

As Head of Business Applications, you will lead a high-impact department at the intersection of enterprise technology, business process excellence, and artificial intelligence. You will own the strategy, implementation, and continuous evolution of Brainlab's global application landscape — ensuring our core systems are scalable, compliant, and future-ready. As an experienced manager you steer, coordinate and support a group of senior team leads. Reporting directly to the leader of the Global IT Division, you will act as a trusted partner to business stakeholders and drive digital transformation across all functions. 

Areas of Responsibility 

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) 

• Set the strategic direction for the global SAP landscape (FI/CO, Controlling, and related modules), and guide the responsible team lead in translating that vision into operations 
• Support the ERP team lead in coordinating annual and interim financial close activities, ensuring IT systems consistently meet audit and compliance standards 
• Provide strategic oversight on SAP upgrade and migration decisions (incl. S/4HANA roadmap); act as the senior IT escalation point toward Finance, Controlling, and Legal stakeholders 

Human Capital Management 

• Define the HRM platform strategy and roadmap for SAP SuccessFactors 
• Act as executive sponsor in the partnership with HR leadership, enabling the team to digitize and optimize talent, performance, and payroll processes 
• Hold accountability for GDPR compliance and system integration standards; delegate operational enforcement to the responsible team lead 

Customer Relationship Management 

• Set the strategic vision for the Salesforce platform (Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, custom apps) and hold the platform team lead accountable for execution 
• Guide the team in driving adoption and automation initiatives across the commercial organization, ensuring measurable ROI 
• Govern cross-platform integration standards between Salesforce and ERP/PLM ecosystems at a strategic and architectural level 

PLM / ALM / R&D Tools 

• Define the strategic direction for PLM and ALM platforms, supporting the team lead in aligning the roadmap with R&D and Engineering priorities 
• Ensure the team maintains compliance with applicable regulatory frameworks (ISO 13485, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, MDR) by setting standards and reviewing team-level controls 
• Hold portfolio-level accountability for R&D-supporting tools and business-specific applications; steer prioritization and lifecycle decisions in collaboration with the team lead 

AI Platform & App Development 

• Serve as executive sponsor and strategic champion for Brainlab's internal AI platform; guide and support the team lead in driving development and rollout 
• Create the conditions for business units to successfully leverage AI/ML capabilities, removing obstacles and aligning resources across teams 
• Maintain strategic oversight of low-code/no-code and custom app development initiatives, ensuring architectural coherence and business alignment 

Qualifications

Education & Experience 

• University degree in Computer Science, Business Informatics, Engineering, or any related field 
• 10+ years of professional IT experience, with at least 5 years in a leadership role 
• Proven track record managing enterprise application portfolios in complex, international organizations 

Business & Technical Expertise 

• SAP Finance background is a strong plus 
• Deep understanding of business processes, digitalization and business-led, tech-enabled transformations 
• Strong understanding of enterprise integration patterns, APIs, and data architecture 
• Experience with AI/ML platforms, data analytics, and modern enterprise architecture paradigms 

Leadership & Business Acumen 

• Excellent people leadership skills with experience managing diverse teams 
• Strong ability to translate business requirements into technology strategies 
• Experience working closely with Finance and senior management — able to speak the language of business 
• Skilled in stakeholder management, prioritization, and executive communication 

Soft Skills & Mindset 

• Entrepreneurial, solution-oriented “drivers” mindset with a passion for digital innovation 
• Ability to coach and support direct reports / managers 
• High degree of integrity, accountability, and ownership 
• Business fluent in English and German 

Additional Information

• A mutually-supportive, international team
• Meaningful work with a lasting impact on medical technology
• 30 vacation days, plus December 24th and December 31st
• Flexible working hours as well as hybrid work model within Germany
• Bike leasing via cooperation partner "BikeLeasing"
• Parking garage and safe underground bike storage
• Award-winning subsidized company restaurant and in-house cafes
• Variety-rich fitness program in our ultra-modern 360m2 company gym
• Regular after work, team, and company events
• Comprehensive training and continuing education opportunities

Ready to apply? We look forward to receiving your online application including your first available start date and desired salary. 

Contact person: Leonie von Leoprechting