Job Information
ARAMARK IT Manager of Application Services - Catering Solutions in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Job Description
The IT Manager of Application Services ? Catering Solutions is responsible for the operational excellence, strategic advancement, and ongoing support of a portfolio of mission-critical catering and hospitality applications. This role leads a team that supports cloud-based, web, mobile, and remotely deployed solutions that enable catering, event-based, and hospitality operations across the organization.
This leader partners closely with Lines of Business (LOB) IT leadership, Front Line Service Managers, corporate functions, and third-party providers to ensure applications are reliable, secure, scalable, and aligned to business strategy. The role requires a strong balance of technical leadership, business acumen, people management, and strategic thinking.
ROLE DESCRIPTION
Application Portfolio Scope
The portfolio includes catering and event-based hospitality systems that support, but are not limited to:
Order entry and customer management
Recipe, menu, and product management
Event and operations management
Billing, escrow, and financial reporting
Forecasting, analytics, and metrics
CRM, consumer engagement, and experience platforms
Integrations supporting inventory, retail merchandise, loyalty programs, procurement, payment services, tax, and treasury
This role also oversees application integrations, interfaces, and data exchanges (master, reference, transactional, and metrics data). Due to the nature of our business, the role requires occasional after-hours and weekend support coverage.
Job Responsibilities
1. Support & Operations
Ensure stable, reliable, and secure application services
Lead incident management, root cause analysis, and problem resolution
Drive continuous improvement to reduce operational incidents and cost of poor quality
Maintain monitoring, performance tuning, resiliency, disaster recovery, and business continuity plans
Ensure compliance with architecture, security, regulatory, and software standards
Manage contracts, licenses, audits, vulnerabilities, and application risk
2. Requests & Enhancements
Manage demand intake and prioritization with business partners
Deliver enhancements, configurations, integrations, APIs, and reporting
Adhere to SDLC and quality assurance standards, including testing and user sign-off
Communicate releases and changes through formal release notes
3. Projects
Manage project portfolio to deliver on-time, on-budget, and on-value outcomes
Lead major enhancements, upgrades, re-platforming, and migrations
Oversee patching, service packs, security updates, and application expansions
Maintain project artifacts, governance documentation, and stakeholder communications
4. Service Transition
Lead application intake and readiness assessments
Identify and remediate transition gaps prior to production support
Develop and maintain operational runbooks
Integrate new applications into existing support frameworks
5. Strategy & Architecture
Define and maintain application roadmaps aligned to business and IT strategy
Manage platform lifecycle, technical debt, and compliance timelines
Collaborate with IT leadership and Enterprise Architecture on solution design
Evaluate emerging technologies and global deployment needs
6. Team Productivity & Leadership
Lead and develop a high-performing, agile team
Promote standardized processes, tools, and best practices
Optimize productivity through metrics, automation, and technology
Build future leaders through coaching, development, and cross-functional exposure
7. Financial & Business Value
Manage operating and capital budgets with strong financial controls
Ensure ROI for platform investments with executive sponsorship
Drive year-over-year productivity gains through automation, AI, and sourcing strategies
Manage third-party SLAs and vendor performance
Qualifications
Experience & Skills
5+ years of IT leadership and people management experience in a corporate environment
3+ years of product ownership or application leadership for hospitality or retail systems
Proven experience leading large, complex application portfolios and projects
Deep knowledge of IT Service Management (ITSM) and full SDLC
Strong project management, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills
Ability to balance strategic vision with tactical and operational execution
Proven success partnering with senior leaders, operations, vendors, and global teams
Experience developing application roadmaps with a focus on total cost of ownership and speed to market
Knowledge of food service, hospitality, facilities, or related regulated environments
Education
Bachelor?s degree from an accredited college or university
Concentration in IT or a related discipline preferred
Travel Requirements
Approximately 5?10% travel , including domestic and limited international travel, to support business units, vendors, and project initiatives
About Aramark
Our Mission
Rooted in service and united by our purpose, we strive to do great things for each other, our partners, our communities, and our planet.
At Aramark, we believe that every employee should enjoy equal employment opportunity and be free to participate in all aspects of the company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, pregnancy, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military status, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by applicable law.
About Aramark
The people of Aramark proudly serve millions of guests every day through food and facilities in 15 countries around the world. Rooted in service and united by our purpose, we strive to do great things for each other, our partners, our communities, and our planet. We believe a career should develop your talents, fuel your passions, and empower your professional growth. So, no matter what you're pursuing - a new challenge, a sense of belonging, or just a great place to work - our focus is helping you reach your full potential. Learn more about working here at http://www.aramarkcareers.com or connect with us on Facebook , Instagram and Twitter .