Formations Inc. is a leading supplier and manufacturer of decorative and functional interior building products, with over 35 years of success supporting design, millwork, and building materials industries across Western Canada. We're a stable, well-respected organization with a tenured team and a family-first culture — we work hard, move quickly, and deliver results, while genuinely prioritizing balance, well-being, and long-term career growth.
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Reports To: Director, Human Resources / Finance (transitioning to VP, Corporate Services)
Direct Reports: Not Applicable
About the Role
We're looking for a Manager, Information Technology & Business Systems to own Formations' technology strategy, our ERP and core business systems, and our relationship with our external Managed Service Provider (MSP). As the senior-most technology role at Formations, you'll function as our head of IT — not by staffing a help desk, but by directing the MSP that handles day-to-day support, and focusing your own time on strategy, the ERP, business intelligence, and making sure technology spend delivers real value as we grow.
You'll partner closely with Operations, Manufacturing, Finance, and Corporate Services leadership to build a technology roadmap, get full value from our ERP and connected systems, and bring data and dashboards into how we run the business. This is a hands-on, builder role for someone who enjoys ownership and wants to see their decisions directly shape how Formations operates.
Key Responsibilities
Technology Strategy & Department Leadership
- Builds and maintains a multi-year technology roadmap tied to Formations' growth plan, drawing on input from Operations, Manufacturing, and Corporate Services, and brings clear, costed recommendations to leadership.
- Prepares the IT/Business Systems operating and capital budget, forecasting and controlling technology spend in line with business priorities.
- Defines, tracks, and refines KPIs that show whether technology is delivering value, including system performance and availability, data accuracy, support effectiveness, and ERP and process efficiency.
- Stays current on developments and trends in emerging technologies and brings new ideas forward to leadership.
- Builds expert-level knowledge of the software used across manufacturing, sales reporting, scheduling, accounting, payroll, and related business systems.
- Establishes and manages relationships with external IT consultants, the MSP, and technology suppliers as resources for Formations.
- Prepares periodic reports and presents progress on technology priorities to leadership.
IT & Business Systems / ERP Management
- Acts as the internal owner of the ERP and connected business systems (accounting, payroll, sales, warehouse, and production), accountable for getting full value from them rather than only keeping them running.
- Directs and oversees the external MSP, which delivers day-to-day monitoring, maintenance, patching, backups, and infrastructure support; acts as the escalation point for staff.
- Diagnoses and resolves ERP workflow, configuration, and training issues; writes the business case and leads the rollout when the company adds an ERP module.
- Owns and continuously improves Formations' SharePoint environment for document management, internal communication, and team collaboration.
- Builds the reporting and dashboards leadership needs to run the business on data rather than manual spreadsheets.
- Owns the company's security posture, data protection, and disaster recovery (DR) plan, including tested backups and recovery objectives.
- Develops and maintains IT policies and standards covering architecture, security, acceptable use, purchasing, and service delivery.
- Owns MSP and vendor governance, holding providers to agreed service levels and benchmarking contracts and pricing.
- Leads technology projects end to end, with proper planning, change management, training, and post-implementation review.
- Manages upgrades and changes to Formations' phone systems (landline and cellular).
- Conducts internal staff training on systems and promotes effective, responsible use of technology.
What You Bring
- 7+ years in IT, including 3+ years leading IT or business systems at a small or mid-sized company.
- Hands-on ownership of an ERP system (e.g., NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, Epicor, Sage, SAP Business One, or similar).
- Strong, hands-on SharePoint skills, including administering and configuring SharePoint for document management, collaboration, and intranet or portal use.
- Strong change management skills, with a demonstrated record of leading staff through technology and process change and driving adoption.
- Experience managing third-party providers/MSPs and technology vendors and contracts.
- Comfort building business cases, budgets, and cost/benefit analyses.
- Working knowledge of IT security, backup, and disaster recovery practices.
- Proven ability to translate business needs into technology solutions and to communicate clearly with non-technical leaders.
- Experience in manufacturing or distribution is an asset.
- Experience leading an ERP implementation or major upgrade is an asset.
- Familiarity with business intelligence/reporting tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) is an asset.
- Relevant certifications (e.g., ITIL, PMP, CompTIA, or security certifications) are an asset.
- Self-starter who thrives owning a function end to end in a growing, fast-moving organization.
What We Offer
- Competitive compensation package with 100% company sponsored health and dental benefits
- A generous flexible benefit program, including options for:
- Health Spending Account (HSA)
- Personal Spending Account (PSA)
As part of our selection process, shortlisted candidates will be invited to complete a TRAITS Assessment. Participation in this assessment is mandatory to be considered for the role. We look forward to reviewing your application!
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