Position: IT Enterprise Solutions Engineer - ERP
Position Type: Full time
Department : Information Technology
Location: Salt River, Cape Town, South Africa
Experience: 7+ years with a degree in Information Technology/Systems
Company Description:
Watchmaker Genomics is a global life sciences company with R&D and production facilities in Cape Town, South Africa, and headquarters in Boulder, Colorado. Our team is driven by a passion for innovation and a commitment to collaboration, creativity, and scientific rigor. We believe that the intersection of biology, engineering, and computer science offers exciting opportunities to develop novel technologies that advance research and enhance human health. We leverage our enzyme engineering and computational biology capabilities to develop products that support high-growth applications in genomics, molecular diagnostics, and personalized medicine.
Position Description:
Watchmaker Genomics is inviting applications for an on site, full time position of an IT Enterprise Solutions Engineer - ERP in our Cape Town office. This position reports to the Director of Global IT, will own the full lifecycle of our Epicor Kinetic ERP platform and its integrated application estate, and will play a pivotal role in facilitating effective communication and collaboration between the IT department and various business units within our organization. This role is responsible for understanding business needs, aligning technology solutions, and ensuring the successful implementation, stabilization, optimization, and utilization of our ERP, MES and other related systems to support the achievement of our strategic goals, including planning and executing new phased rollouts of modules, integrations, sites and entities. The IT Enterprise Solutions Engineer - ERP will be a key advocate for leveraging technology to enhance operational efficiency and drive business outcomes.
The role extends to overseeing system architecture design and integration planning. By collaborating closely with IT architects, technical teams, and external partners, this individual ensures that the enterprise system’s architecture is robust, scalable, and aligned with the organization’s technology strategy. Moreover, their expertise in integration design guarantees seamless data exchange between internal and external systems, fostering efficient workflows and enhancing business operations. Beyond design, the role owns the day-to-day operation of the ERP platform and its integration estate, including environment and release management, security and access administration, data operations, reporting and controlled document output, and incident management through stabilization and hypercare periods.
The successful candidate will thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced working environment and contribute directly to our company culture and success. This position will offer unique challenges, learning and growth including the opportunity to implement global solutions. The role supports both our Boulder (US) and Cape Town (South Africa) sites across time zones, with periodic travel for phased rollouts and on site support weeks, and after-hours availability during cutover windows, hypercare periods and month end.
Responsibilities:
Business Requirements Analysis
- Collaborate with business stakeholders to gather, analyze, and document enterprise system requirements based on functional and operational needs;
- Translate business needs into actionable technology solutions and system configurations;
- Provide expert advice and guidance to business units on how to best leverage chosen systems to streamline processes, enhance efficiency, and achieve business objectives;
- Identify opportunities for process improvements and recommend enterprise software solutions.
System Architecture Design
- Collaborate with IT architects and technical teams to design the overarching architecture of enterprise systems to be implemented in the organization;
- Ensure that the system architecture aligns with the organization's long term technology strategy and supports scalability, reliability, and security;
- Provide input and recommendations for technology stack, database design, and infrastructure components;
- Liaise with solution architects to align enterprise system architecture with broader enterprise architecture principles.
Integration Definitions, Planning, and Design (Internal and External)
- Define integration requirements for connecting ERP systems with other internal systems such as MES, CRM, and financial systems;
- Collaborate with cross functional teams to identify integration touchpoints and data exchange needs;
- Design integration workflows, data mapping, and transformation processes;
- Evaluate integration technologies and tools to select the most suitable solutions for seamless data flow;
- Develop integration plans, including timelines, resource allocation, and testing strategies;
- Collaborate with external partners, vendors, and third-party systems to define integration requirements and protocols;
- Ensure data security, integrity, and compliance standards are maintained throughout the integration process;
- Monitor and troubleshoot integration issues, and work with relevant teams to implement timely resolutions;
- Establish documentation for integration processes, data flows, and troubleshooting procedures;
ERP Platform and Environment Lifecycle Management
- Administer the Epicor Kinetic environment estate, including LIVE, TEST and DEV environment management and refreshes, backup and restore verification, and version and patch management aligned to tested baselines;
- Maintain deployment registers for customizations, BPM directives, Epicor Functions and configuration changes, and monitor scheduled processes and system agent health;
- Operate monitoring and alerting for applications, databases, print and integration services.
Integration Estate Operations
- Own daily interface health for finance, tax, banking, shipping and carrier integrations (Concur, FNB, JP Morgan, Avalara, QuickShip and others), including failed message alerting and retry and replay procedures;
- Maintain interface reconciliation reports and resolve exceptions with the responsible business owners;
- Manage integration credentials, endpoints, certificate and token renewal registers.
Security and Access Lifecycle
- Administer user provisioning, licensing, security groups, menu security and field level security, with periodic access reviews and segregation of duties checks;
- Control restricted tooling, manage service accounts and the secrets register, and maintain change logs on regulated tables.
Data Operations and Master Data Governance Support
- Execute controlled data loads and corrections (DMT) and support the data correction request process within agreed SLAs;
- Maintain data quality dashboards and cross references and coordinate with master data domain owners to keep the ERP the single source of truth.
Reporting and Controlled Document Output
- Develop and maintain the report catalog, BAQs and dashboards (SSRS), and manage the report request backlog;
- Control label templates and the printer estate, including customer specific variants, in line with approved masters and label control requirements.
Incident, Problem and Hypercare Management
- Operate severity-based triage with defined SLAs and escalation paths to vendor support and implementation partners;
- Define and verify hypercare exit criteria for every rollout and convert recurring incidents into permanent fixes and knowledge base content.
Cutover and Phased Rollout Execution
- Own cutover playbooks and runbooks, data load sequencing, dress rehearsals, go or no go gates, command center operation, staged restart plans, and offline transaction capture with same day back entry controls;
- Plan and deliver the phased rollout backlog across sites, modules and integrations, including future site or entity rollouts.
Project Management and Plan of Record
- Develop comprehensive project plans, timelines, and milestones for system initiatives, and maintain a single integrated plan of record with a RAID log, decision log and steering reporting cadence;
- Ensure every task, decision and risk has a named owner and keep all planning documents coherent with the plan of record.
Process Adherence and User Enablement
- Own daily controls routines at each site so process drift is visible immediately;
- Run the super user network, competency sign offs, refresher training driven by help desk patterns, and periodic on-site process health weeks.
Business Continuity and Downtime Procedures
- Maintain documented offline operating procedures with controlled same day back entry so customer shipments never go dark during planned or unplanned downtime;
- Verify backup and restore integrity on a schedule and maintain rollback and containment positions for major changes and rollouts.
Regulated Systems Compliance
- Maintain CSV validation evidence and change control for configurations, customizations and lot mask changes;
- Safeguard traceability, label and CofA integrity, and financial posting integrity in system design and operation.
Additional supporting responsibilities:
- User Support and Training:
- Provide ongoing user support, troubleshoot issues, and ensure efficient system usage.
- Deliver training sessions to help employees effectively navigate and utilize all the systems.
- Data Analysis:
- Utilize ERP system data to generate insights, reports, and dashboards that assist in data driven decision making.
- Vendor Relationship Management:
- Establish and maintain relationships with ERP vendors and external partners;
- Coordinate vendor support, manage software updates, and facilitate issue resolution.
- Risk Management:
- Identify potential risks associated with the ERP system, including security vulnerabilities and operational disruptions;
- Develop strategies to mitigate and address these risks.
- Innovation:
- Stay updated on industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices related to ERP systems;
- Propose innovative solutions to business challenges using the ERP system.
Required Experience:
- ERP Implementation and Support Experience: Hands on experience implementing, administering and supporting Epicor Kinetic is required or strongly preferred, including DMT, BAQs and dashboards, Application Studio, BPM directives, Epicor Functions, SSRS report development, and label engine experience (BarTender or equivalent). Experience with other major ERP solutions is beneficial but does not replace Epicor depth.
- Business Process Understanding: Strong familiarity with various business processes across different departments, such as finance, supply chain, manufacturing, and HR, is crucial. This helps in translating business requirements into effective technology solutions.
- Data Mapping and Transformation: Proficiency in defining data mapping, transformation, and conversion processes to ensure seamless data flow between systems. Experience with data manipulation tools and techniques is essential.
- Integration and Middleware Knowledge: Demonstrated experience with designing, implementing, and managing integrations between ERP systems and other applications using middleware solutions
- Project Management: Proven track record in managing projects, especially those related to ERP implementation, upgrades, or integration initiatives. Skills in defining project scopes, timelines, resource allocation, and risk management are important.
- Change Management and Training: Experience in change management strategies, including user training and adoption planning, to ensure smooth transitions during ERP implementations and updates.
- Vendor and Partner Collaboration: Experience in working collaboratively with external partners, third party vendors, and consultants to facilitate successful system integrations.
- Regulated Environment Experience: Experience in regulated manufacturing environments (ISO13485, GMP or CSV governed), including validation evidence, change control, traceability, label and CofA integrity, and audit support.
- Multi-Site and Multi Company ERP: Experience supporting multi-site, multi-company ERP operations with intercompany transactions across time zones.
- Finance Process Literacy: Working knowledge of posting rules, month end close support, bank and tax integrations, and reconciliation controls.
- Database and Integration Foundation: SQL Server administration (backups, recovery models, maintenance) and REST or OData integration experience.
The candidate must demonstrate the following skills:
- Strong understanding of
- business processes and operations;
- enterprise architecture principles, including integration patterns and best practices;
- Analytical and problem solving skills;
- Excellent organizational skills and outstanding attention to detail;
- Effective written, verbal and presentation and listening communications skills;
- Strong teamwork and collaboration skills;
- SQL Server administration, including backups, recovery and maintenance;
- REST and OData integration and API troubleshooting;
- BAQ, dashboard and SSRS report development;
- Data analysis and reconciliation;
- Stress and Time management.
The candidate must demonstrate the following personal attributes:
- Honest and trustworthy;
- Possess cultural awareness and sensitivity;
- Flexible and able to work long hours.
Qualifications and Education:
- 7+ years proven experience in a similar role, preferably with a focus on ERP systems, with a degree or diploma in Information Technology/Systems, or equivalent qualification from a recognized tertiary institution in Information Technology.
Additional information:
The position will contribute to enhancing the organization's efficiency, data driven decision making, and overall success by serving as a liaison between business units and the IT department and by owning the ERP platform through its full lifecycle. The role's emphasis on understanding business needs, aligning technology solutions, and promoting effective enterprise system utilization ensures the organization's enterprise software related initiatives are well executed and aligned with strategic objectives.
Application Requirements
To apply for the position, please submit the following in a PDF format:
- Letter of motivation (upload where it says cover letter)
- Resume or Curriculum vitae, highlighting relevant qualifications and experience
Applications without a Letter of Motivation will not be considered. Local candidates preferred.
If selected to participate in the interview process, the names and contact information of three professional references who are able to assess your suitability for the position in terms of the specified requirements will be requested.
To ensure your application is considered, please submit it by Friday, 28 August 2026. Please note that this position may close earlier if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
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WE ARE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER
Watchmaker Genomics is committed to being an equal opportunity employer and creating a culturally diverse environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability status, age, or veteran status or any other characteristics as protected by applicable law.
All applicants will be asked if currently eligible to work in South Africa; and if now or in the future will require visa sponsorship to continue working in South Africa.
This position may be subject to pre-employment checks, including driving history check, drug screening and a background check for any convictions directly related to its duties and responsibilities. All pre-employment checks will comply with all applicable laws.
