VP, Application Services

Job Description

Ingram Content Group (ICG) is hiring a VP Application Services join our IT team in our LaVergne, TN (greater Nashville area) headquarters.

This individual Provides executive-level product, technical, and strategic leadership across Ingram Content Group’s software engineering, software architecture, data engineering, and artificial intelligence teams. Accountable for the full technology product lifecycle, from design and development through deployment, operations, and continuous improvement, ensuring that platforms and products deliver measurable business outcomes. Partners with senior business leaders to define and execute platform roadmaps that advance ICG’s competitive position in the global book supply chain. Translates complex technical strategy into clear business value and drives organizational alignment across a matrixed engineering portfolio

Want to help explore and build new ways to deliver content to the world?

At Ingram, our Technology team is blazing a trail by providing content distribution services to thousands of publishers with key initiatives around business intelligence, machine learning, continuous integration and omnichannel.  We support diverse people and technology that highlights innovation through SaaS platforms, metadata, cloud, and containerization.  Our teams are agile, and emphasize authenticity, creativity, and transparency upon a fact-based foundation. 

The world is reading, and it is our goal to connect as many people to the content they want in the simplest ways.  If you are an IT professional who strives to deliver results through collaborative partnerships, understands what drives business, and enjoys working in a connected culture, we can’t wait to meet you!

The ideal candidate will have the following minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent
• 10 years of experience in a technical leadership role managing diverse engineering teams in a matrix organization
• 8 years of early career experience with hands on coding in at least 2 of the following languages: C++, Java, C#, Ruby, Angular, Bootstrap, Python
• 8 years of experience with SOA, integration, big data management including MDM.
• 5 years of experience with SaaS based products, including product and engineering experience
• 5 years of experience with Business Intelligence, Data Visualization, Machine Learning, Predictive / Prescriptive Analytics

Key Responsibilities:

• Establishes and maintains the technical strategy and application architecture that provides for the growing demands of the business
• Owns and advances the engineering culture, including developer experience, AI-assisted development tooling, engineering productivity metrics, and talent practices that attract and retain high-performing technologists.
• Develops and presents compelling technology investment cases to executive audiences, translating engineering strategy into business impact terms including ROI, risk, and competitive differentiation.
• Monitors the evolving technology landscape, including AI/ML, cloud, and industry trends, and integrates relevant developments into the engineering strategy and roadmap with appropriate speed and discipline.
• Understands the current application portfolio and determine risk and future direction consistent with the overall long-term IT strategy
• Owns the operational excellence and on-time delivery of the applications portfolio through disciplined processes, clear metrics and accountable teams
• Works with external third parties to assess partnership opportunities and define external requirements
• Set the engineering standards for architecture, quality and delivery, and hold teams accountable to them
• Provides leadership in the recruitment, development and retention of a high-performing team, in accordance with budgetary principles and personnel policies
• Contribute actively at the senior leadership level, driving both strategic and tactical initiatives across the company
• Knowledge of modern data-platform engineering at scale, lakehouse architecture, data mesh principles, data-product ownership and the modern data stack, with production experience standing up pipelines and governed data products that the business relies on.
• Ability to provide AI/ML leadership through to production, demonstrated experience leading AI/ML product initiatives, including working knowledge of large language models, generative and agentic AI, model evaluation, and responsible-AI governance frameworks.
• Knowledge of Cloud-native, high-scale application architecture, event-driven and API-first patterns, microservices, message streaming, containerization, infrastructure-as-code and cloud security best practices on Azure and/or GCP, proven in a transaction-intensive, near-100%-uptime environment.
• A solid understanding of Service-Oriented Architecture and API products.
• Working familiarity with modern object-oriented and web languages such as .NET, Java and Python
• Demonstrated ability to scale and manage developer-productivity programs, including AI-assisted development tooling and platform engineering, across teams of 50+ engineers.
• Experience building and implementing actionable business intelligence metrics, dashboards and analytics to support all functional areas of the business.
• Ability to apply scaled agile delivery frameworks (SAFe, LeSS, etc.) across a portfolio of teams.
• Demonstrated experience improving operational reliability in a transaction-intensive, 100%-uptime environment.
• Experience effectively managing offshore development relationships and contracts.
• Strong knowledge of big-data management, data visualization and building business intelligence capabilities, plus an understanding of custom-built SaaS solutions, machine learning and predictive analytics.
• Knowledge of leading-edge technologies in the publishing industry (on-demand printing, eBooks, digital libraries, etc.) is helpful but not required.
• Executive presence and business translation, the gravitas and communication skill to present funded technology investment cases to the C-suite in terms of ROI, risk and competitive differentiation, and to command trusted relationships with major customers. This is a defining requirement, not a nice-to-have.
• Builds and retains elite engineering talent and culture, a proven track record attracting, developing and retaining high-performing technologists and owning the developer experience.
• Uses influence and knowledge rather than position or title to communicate and gain support for ideas, business plans and initiatives.
• Possesses strong business and financial acumen, return on invested capital, customer strategy, strategic thinking, and managing profit-versus-growth decisions.
• A decisive change-driver with strong operational judgment, does not hold back in determining what needs to be done and drives the change through

Additional Information

Perks/Benefits:

• A highly competitive compensation package with generous benefits beginning first day of employment for Medical/Prescription Drug plans, HSA, Vision, Dental and Health Care FSA.
  • 20 vacation days & 12 sick days accrued annually and 3 personal days
  • 401K match, Life and AD&D, Employee Assistance programs, Group Legal, & more
  • Wellness program with access to onsite gym and basketball court for associates
• Encouraged continued education with our tuition reimbursement program
• Financial and in-kind opportunities to engage with non-profits in your community
  • Company match program for United Way donations
  • Volunteer opportunities and in-kind drives for non-profits throughout the year
• Take breaks or brainstorm in our game room with ping pong & foosball
• Casual Dress Code & Flexible Schedules (per team)

The world is reading, and Ingram Content Group (“Ingram”) connects people with content in all forms. Providing comprehensive services for publishers, retailers, libraries and educators, Ingram makes these services seamless and accessible through technology, innovation and creativity. With an expansive global network of offices and facilities, Ingram’s services include digital and physical book distribution, print-on-demand, and digital learning. Ingram Content Group is a part of Ingram Industries Inc. and includes Ingram Book Group LLC, Ingram Publisher Services LLC, Lightning Source LLC, Ingram Library Services LLC, Tennessee Book Company LLC, Ingram Content Group UK Ltd. and Ingram Content Group Australia Pty Ltd. 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, work related mental or physical disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or genetic information.

• EOE-Race/Gender/Veterans/Disabled
• We participate in EVerify.
• EEO Poster in English 
• EEO Poster in Spanish