Head of Software Development (80 to 100%)

About the job

You take responsibility for the system without which no lorry leaves Pistor, and for the team that builds and operates it.

Pistor AG in Rothenburg/LU supplies bakeries-confectioneries, the gastronomy sector, and the healthcare market throughout Switzerland. The backbone of the business is "Piranha", the proprietary ERP based on Oracle. The current post holder is retiring. I am exclusively searching for their successor.

Head of Software Development (80 to 100%)

Your Role

• You are responsible for the further development and operation including crisis management of "Piranha" and its interfaces. How close this is is shown by a process example: orders come in until 14:00, and by 16:00 the delivery is at the producer. The operation is currently very stable, and it should remain so.
• You continue the ongoing modernisation programme: refactoring, documentation, migration towards Oracle APEX, replacement of Oracle Reports, archiving concept, automation.
• You lead the application development team both in terms of personnel and expertise and shape the generational change until 2028 with structured knowledge transfer.
• You manage change and release management, documentation, architectural principles, and security requirements, and you organise the on-call service together with system engineering.
• Prioritisation is regularly done jointly with the specialist departments. Technically necessary work is managed by IT itself: refactoring, documentation, and security are presented transparently but are not negotiable. This relationship with the specialist departments has developed over years. Maintaining it is part of the role.

Your Profile

• Experience in operating and further developing a business-critical core application, ideally a (ERP) proprietary development.
• Several years of leadership experience with direct personnel responsibility.
• Sound knowledge of development methodology, quality assurance, as well as change and release management.
• Experience with change initiatives, including against resistance.
• Higher education in computer science or business informatics (HF, FH, University) or equivalent qualification.
• Very good German, technical English, willingness for on-call duty.

Oracle and PL/SQL are not prerequisites but are certainly welcome. Process knowledge of trade and logistics is also beneficial. You must be able to read and assess code, but you do not have to write it.

Your Leadership Style

The team is experienced and works independently. Therefore, you lead through goals and framework conditions, not micromanagement. We are looking for someone who filters pressure instead of passing it on, respects established systems, but also initiates and implements changes.

Your Benefits

• You are part of the IT leadership team, which consciously leads IT as a unit and takes half a day every Thursday for this purpose.
• The decision for proprietary development has been made and supported with investments, horizon 2031 and beyond.
• About six months handover by the current post holder.

If you have any questions, you can reach me at 041 552 27 27 or by email or LinkedIn message.

I look forward to your application.