Position SummaryReporting to the Director of Retail Systems for North America, the Senior Manager, Business Relationship Management (BRM) serves as the strategic bridge between the Retail Systems IT organization and key business units across Store Operations, Point of Sale (POS), Payments, and Fuel systems. This role is accountable for cultivating trusted partnerships with business stakeholders, translating complex operational needs into actionable IT strategies, and ensuring technology investments deliver measurable business value.
Operating within a large-scale retail environment, the Senior Manager BRM leads a team of Business Relationship Managers and acts as a key advisor to IT leadership and business stakeholders. This role demands a balance of deep technical fluency, business acumen, and exceptional relationship management skills to drive alignment, accelerate delivery, and champion continuous improvement across mission-critical retail technology domains.
Key ResponsibilitiesStrategic Business Partnership- Serve as a key IT liaison and trusted advisor for business leaders across Store Operations, POS, Payments, and Global Fuel business teams.
- Build and maintain strong, long-term relationships with department heads and senior business stakeholders to deeply understand business strategy, objectives, and pain points.
- Develop and maintain Business Relationship Plans for each domain, aligning IT capabilities and roadmaps to business priorities.
- Represent the voice of the business within Retail Systems planning, governance, and investment forums.
IT Demand & Portfolio Management- Work with Retail Systems leadership to manage and prioritize the demand pipeline across all assigned domains, balancing business urgency, technical feasibility, and resource constraints.
- Partner with Solution Architects and Product Owners to translate business requirements into technology initiatives, user stories, and project charters.
- Track and communicate portfolio health, risks, and benefits realization to both business and IT leadership.
- Lead business case development for new IT investments, including ROI analysis, risk assessment, and value metrics.
POS & Store Operations- Act as the IT relationship owner for all POS platform initiatives including terminal hardware lifecycle, software upgrades, self-checkout, and in-lane systems.
- Partner with Store Operations to identify technology-driven opportunities that improve cashier efficiency, reduce shrink, and enhance the customer checkout experience.
- Oversee the IT roadmap for store connectivity, back-office systems, and workforce management tools in close collaboration with infrastructure and application teams.
Payments Technology- Partner with Payment business team on engagement for payment systems strategy covering in-store, contactless, mobile wallet, and emerging payment methods.
- Collaborate with Compliance stakeholders to ensure payment systems meet regulatory, security (PCI-DSS), and operational requirements.
- Facilitate cross-functional alignment on payment gateway changes, PIN pad refreshes, EMV compliance, and fraud management initiatives.
- Monitor industry trends in retail payments and proactively surface strategic opportunities to business and IT leadership.
Fuel Systems- Maintain a deep understanding of fuel forecourt technology including POS integration, pump controllers, wet-stock management, and loyalty redemption at the pump.
- Partner with Global Fuel Operations and Environmental Health & Safety to ensure systems remain compliant, reliable, and secure.
- Support business planning for fuel network expansion, site renovations, and technology refresh cycles.
- Manage vendor and OEM relationships specific to fuel technology in coordination with IT procurement and operations teams.
Team Leadership & Development- Lead, coach, and develop a team of Business Relationship Managers, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning.
- Set clear goals, conduct regular performance reviews, and provide development plans aligned to individual career growth and organizational needs.
- Build team capabilities in IT governance, agile delivery practices, stakeholder engagement, and retail technology domains.
- Model and promote a customer-centric mindset and solution-oriented approach across the BRM team.
Governance, Reporting & Continuous Improvement- Establish and maintain BRM operating cadences including business reviews, demand intake processes, and satisfaction surveys.
- Define and track KPIs for delivery performance, business satisfaction, and value realization within assigned domains.
- Identify and drive continuous improvement initiatives across BRM processes, tools, and engagement models.
QualificationsEducation- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or a related field, and/or 7 to 10 years of equivalent work experience.
Experience- 5+ years in a Business Relationship Management, IT Account Management, or equivalent strategic partnership role.
- 5+ years of leadership experience managing teams in complex, matrixed organizations.
- Direct experience in retail IT environments, with demonstrated knowledge of store operations technology, POS platforms, and payment systems. Required.
- Experience with fuel forecourt technology (Gilbarco, Wayne, Verifone, or equivalent) considered a significant asset.
- Proven track record of building trusted relationships with senior business stakeholders and translating strategy into IT delivery outcomes.
Technical Knowledge- Strong working knowledge of POS systems and equivalent enterprise retail platforms.
- Familiarity with payment processing ecosystems: acquiring banks, payment gateways, card networks, PIN pads, and PCI-DSS compliance frameworks.
- Understanding of fuel site technology: forecourt controllers, wet-stock monitoring, loyalty at the pump, and environmental compliance systems.
- Solid grasp of ITSM frameworks (ITIL), agile delivery methodologies (SAFe, Scrum), and enterprise architecture principles.
- Experience working with ERP, workforce management, and retail back-office platforms an asset.
Skills & Competencies- Exceptional stakeholder engagement and executive communication skills - both written and verbal.
- Strong business acumen with the ability to quickly understand retail operations, financial drivers, and competitive dynamics.
- Demonstrated ability to lead through influence in cross-functional environments without direct authority.
- High emotional intelligence; able to navigate ambiguity, manage conflict, and build consensus across diverse groups.
- Analytical mindset with experience in business case development, benefit realization tracking, and data-driven decision-making.
- Proficiency with portfolio and demand management tools (e.g., ServiceNow, Jira, Azure DevOps, or similar).
Working Conditions- In office 5 days a week work model:
- Estimated 15-20% travel
- May be required to support critical system events, major incidents, or deployment activities outside standard business hours.
- Fast-paced retail environment with seasonal peaks requiring flexibility and rapid response to changing business priorities.
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