IT Applications Specialist - Product Lifecycle - Aldi Inc

Our National IT Services department supports every part of our organization – from Finance and Project Management to Logistics, Operations, Warehouse and more. Our team of IT managers, analysts, specialists and service desk technicians drive innovation and lend their expertise to our people across the entire company, building careers that are both challenging and rewarding.

In this role as an IT applications specialist, you will work with business partners, solutions analysts, and IT managers, and be responsible to develop, maintain and support technology applications within the National IT Buying team. This team has core responsibilities in the national buying area including product and supplier lifecycle, tendering, and contracting, pricing and promotions, master data, and more.

The ideal candidate will provide support for projects and applications with a focus on product lifecycle, including the produce commodity. As ALDI continues to improve software systems, it will be vital to rapidly learn and become a subject matter expert with these systems, applications, and processes.

To be successful in this role, the candidate must have an understanding of supply chain processes, be a self-starter, collaborator and possess strong analytical skills. With this position comes a 6-week training plan and on the job shadowing that will allow you to understand the day-to-day responsibilities.

Position Type: Full-Time
Work Location: Aurora, IL
This role is eligible to participate in ALDI’s Hybrid Work Program, which allows remote work up to 3 days per week (i.e., work remotely up to 3 days per week; work in-office at least 2 days per week).

Duties and Responsibilities:
Must be able to perform duties with or without reasonable accommodation.

• Escalates incidents and requests to appropriate internal personnel leaders or external vendors when further expertise is required. 
• Recommends process improvements for area of responsibility.
• Resolves incidents and requests in a timely manner; documents work and resolution steps within service management tool.
• Participates in the overall Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) service management processes for software and hardware solutions.
• Assists or coordinates with national and international project delivery, including documentation, testing, training, and deployment for software or hardware solutions.
• Collaborates with team members and communicates relevant information to direct leader.
• Complies with ALDI privacy and security requirements and policies if job responsibilities include possible access to confidential and/or sensitive information.
• Other duties as assigned.

Job-specific Competencies:
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Consistently demonstrates the Mindsets, ALDI Acts Competencies and Professional Skills (M.A.P.) as outlined for the role.
• Gives attention to detail and follows instruction.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Effective time management; maximizes productivity.
• Prepares written materials to meet purpose and audience.
• Develops and maintains positive relationships with internal and external parties.
• Ability to interpret and apply company policies and procedures.
• Ability to understand overall data flow from user specifications considering all input and output, hardware, software and the operating environment. 
• Proficient with office productivity software. 
• Develops and maintains positive relationships with internal and external parties.
• Prepares written materials to meet purpose audience. 
• Ability to define specifications from user requirements.  

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree or a combination of education and experience providing equivalent knowledge required.
• Experience with Product Lifecycle is preferred.
• Knowledge and experience with enterprise software: SAP: S/4 HANA, Ariba, MDG, Informatica P360 (a plus).
• Experience with Produce Tendering Platform (a plus).
• Experience in Jira, Confluence, and ServiceNow (a plus).
• Experience with SQL (a plus).

Physical Requirements:

• Work may be performed in an office, remote office or a combination of both where a computer and office equipment may be used as needed to perform duties.
• Regularly required to sit, reach, grasp, stand and move from one area to another.
• Constantly and repeatedly use keyboard/mouse.
• Occasionally required to push, pull, bend, lift and move up to 25 lbs.

Travel:

• International & Domestic travel required.
• Up to 10%.

ALDI offers competitive wages and benefits, including:

• 401(k) Plan
• Company 401(k) Matching Contributions
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• PerkSpot National Discount Program

In addition, eligible employees are offered:

• Medical, Prescription, Dental & Vision Insurance
• Generous Vacation Time & 7 Paid Holidays
• Up to 6 Weeks Paid Parental Leave at 100% of pay
• Up to 2 Weeks Paid Caregiver Leave at 100% of pay
• Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Life, Dependent Life and AD&D Insurance
• Voluntary Term Life Insurance

ALDI is committed to equal opportunity for all employees and applicants. As a proud Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE), we do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, religion, sex, sexual stereotyping, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, pregnancy (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), or any other protected characteristic. Employment may be contingent upon ALDI's receipt of an acceptable and job-related drug test, motor vehicle report, and/or reference check, as applicable and permissible by law.