We went live a year ago and a member of our leadership team has repeatedly stated that we need to hire an “ERP Specialist”. I have tried explaining that the ERP is a very broad and deep peice of software and there is no single position that can do it all. In fact, even Epicor categorizes thier consultants by Finance, Operations, Projects, and Technical management. My question for you wonderful people is:
What ERP roles or titles do your companies have and what are the associated repsonsibilities for those roles?
I’m hoping your responses clarify how more mature users have grouped ERP work. This, in turn, would inform our internal organization around ERP responsibilities and our recruituing efforts. Thanks!
I’ve held two positions where I’ve done exactly this.
I knew the product from end-to-end, did all of the customizations, and all of the server maintenance and configuration. They are out there.
I feel that the answer is based on the size and complexity of your deployment - especially when we talk about 3rd party products, API integrations, and the like.
I’ve done the same as Hannah for 20+ years but I have a developer for the Configurator and an app specialist for the semi-integrated 3rd party stuff. But I’m also the DBA and BI person. It can be done, but I only have about 30 people to interact with regularly.
No current official specialist, but unofficially it’s me.
An IT admin that handles the server, security, hardware and software deployment.
A consultant that can help with most anything as needed.
In the past we had a full time “ERP specialist” (her title) for a couple years after we implemented.
We’ve outsourced more difficult customizations in the past.
It depends on how much yall want to get done in how much time.
If it is mostly ongoing maintenance and relatively minor tweaks, one person should be able to handle it. Coding ability is very useful but not necessarily required. Give all the resources he/she needs… eg allow hiring outside help as necessary.
If yall are planning a massive overhaul with a deadline, then a contracted team with experience in your industry would be in order.
Great point. I’d say it’s a less technical implentation, no APIs. But we are interested in the kind of expertese that COULD BE out there. For example, what COULD WE ask for? Just technical expertise in cusotmizations and database management? Or are there people who will work the entire operations side of your bussines in the ERP from beginning to end? If the later exsits, what is the job title?
I oversee our entire ERP from backend dev to front end changes. My current job title is Information Systems Manager, but could easily be ERP Specialist/ERP Manager/ERP Admin. It really depends what you are specifically hiring for. Either way, they need to know databases, and preferably Epicor. I knew nothing about Epicor before I started here but others in the org knew the operations and how we use it very well! I learned from them how we use it, and then dug through the data base and attended Insights for more learning and networking. Hope this helps!
I would go with what the others have said -
ERP Administrator
ERP Application Engineer
ERP Application Specialist
But I would plan on outsourcing things like heavy customization, API stuff, etc. As Hannah will attest, I’m sure, once you’re deep into the coding (old or new) and spend enough time on it, you tend to get out of touch with your users and the processes, so I’d separate it at that level.
Your Admin is also your support person, but your developer should not be your support person. Call me old fashioned, but this combination has served us so very well for 20+ years. My developer (albeit an employee for us, but just as easily a consultant) is happier being shielded from everything but the purely development meetings, and my users are happier talking with me who remembers “the last time it did this” kind of problems.
What is going to be the roles end goal? Are they there to maintain or improve the system? Knowing what you are looking for will help drive the position.
Like everyone else, my position title has been varied and did not actually describe what I did. At my core I am a Business Analyst who has learned enough technical tricks to fake it. But I know nothing about the back-end IT stuff.
I think you need to define what the person will be doing and determine the position that way.
This will either be me (especially with Insights at some point), or I’ll change roles entirely and have to hire the “new me” who I’d like to have the skills I lack.
A highly technical ERP person managing database, security, customizations, etcetera. Primarily IT focused ERP tasks.
A manufacturing/operation focused person understanding the resource planning, inventory, potentially financial aspects of operations, and overall system flow/logic of the ERP to ensure the system is “setup correctly”.
This is kinda where we are: we contract out cusotmizations. But Epicor needs so much cusotmization because there is little in the way of out of the box reporting (thier words) that is customer specific. So I am unsure if the demand for cusomtization, reporting, and more will really ever wane enough that it doesnt make sense to just rbing that role in house, and beef it up with other technical ERP tasks likes system upgrades and what not.
We’re up and running, so this would be a long term goal/position. It would be a planned position where we encoprorate the day to day stuff with the identification and gradual progression of new functionality.
Unrelated note: I know everyone’s ad delivary is different but I just gotta laugh at this anymore. I can’t have a conversation with you folks without google’s ad dominance believing I’m male and trying to cater to what it believes is within my demographic’s “interest”:
Call me old fashioned, but this combination has served us so very well for 20+ years. My developer (albeit an employee for us, but just as easily a consultant) is happier being shielded from everything but the purely development meetings, and my users are happier talking with me who remembers “the last time it did this” kind of problems.
