IT Systems and Automation Specialist/Manager

We are hiring for an IT Systems and Automation Specialist/Manager to take over from our IT Manager and take hands-on responsibility for the effective operation, support and improvement of Summit's IT environment and business systems. You will keep colleagues productive, maintain secure and reliable services, and use automation and AI to improve how work is completed across the business. Reporting to the Operations Director, this role has no direct reports.

Support Summit's planned transition towards Dynamics 365 across its business functions. Work with departmental owners and implementation partners to translate requirements into solutions, support migration and adoption, and maintain continuity throughout the transition.

Business wide IT support and operational ownership

• Support office, field and operational teams with business applications, computers, mobile devices, email, printers, telephony, remote access and connectivity. Take requests from logging through troubleshooting to resolution, communicating progress and coordinating specialist assistance.
• Administer Microsoft 365 and its associated identity, access and collaboration services, including SharePoint and OneDrive, within agreed permissions and policies.
• Maintain an inventory of devices, software, licences, suppliers and renewals. Coordinate onboarding, role changes and leavers, with appropriate access approvals.
• Maintain oversight of networks, internet services, Wi-Fi, servers or cloud services and other infrastructure in use. Coordinate monitoring, maintenance and upgrades with suppliers as appropriate.
• Maintain updates, endpoint protection, backup checks and tested recovery arrangements. Support incident response and business continuity, escalating security risks promptly.
• Support departments with application configuration, data issues and reporting. Investigate recurring incidents, maintain support records and provide practical training.
• Track supplier performance and licence renewals, obtain quotations and recommend improvements within agreed budgets and purchasing approvals.

Collaboration and documentation

• Agree priorities, acceptance criteria and delivery plans with departmental owners. Explain options, costs and constraints clearly.
• Create user guides, train colleagues and maintain system diagrams, configuration records and support procedures.
• Keep credentials in approved company-controlled arrangements and recovery information accessible to authorised colleagues.
• Keep current with Microsoft, automation and AI developments. Recommend useful improvements and follow approved arrangements for handling business information.

Dynamics 365 across the business

• Support and develop Dynamics 365, including Business Central and future applications, understanding how departmental processes and information connect.
• Work with Sales, Customer Services, Engineering, Procurement, Warehouse and Finance to document requirements, identify gaps and shape a coordinated rollout plan.
• Assess applications with the implementation partner; the business will agree the final scope.
• Administer users, roles and permissions with the relevant business owner. Work with Finance on finance-related requirements and obtain its approval for changes affecting financial processes.
• Understand and document how Business Central connects with HubSpot, Solarvista, SharePoint and other systems. Work with suppliers to make data transfers reliable and reduce duplicate entry.
• Coordinate migration preparation, data mapping, cleansing, trial imports and validation. Support user acceptance testing, training, cutover planning and post-launch support with business owners and suppliers.
• Coordinate changes, updates and partner-delivered extensions. Test in an appropriate non-production environment, obtain business acceptance and plan releases and recovery before live changes.

Automation and practical use of AI

• Translate process requirements into maintainable solutions using suitable configuration, Power Automate, Logic Apps, approved connectors or APIs. Assess licensing, security and support implications before implementation.
• Identify and trial useful AI applications, such as document retrieval, enquiry classification, drafting and extraction of information. Validate outputs and retain appropriate human approval for consequential actions.
• Build monitoring, exception handling and clear ownership into automated workflows. Investigate failed actions and confirm that the intended business outcome has been achieved.

Essential experience and skills

• Substantial hands-on Dynamics 365 experience in administration, configuration, support or implementation. Able to explain the applications worked with and how they supported connected business functions, rather than experience solely as an end user.

• Broad IT support: Microsoft 365, identity, permissions, devices, connectivity, infrastructure, security and recovery.

• Implementations, upgrades, integrations or migrations: requirements, testing, documentation, adoption and ongoing support.

• Business automation, ideally Power Automate/Logic Apps: connectors, APIs, data mapping and failure handling.

• Practical AI use: demonstrate a use case, output checks, data protection, access controls and human oversight.

• Systematic troubleshooting, prioritisation and clear user/supplier communication.

Desirable experience

Business Central, Sales, Customer/Field Service, Dataverse, Power BI, HubSpot/Solarvista, ERP/CRM integrations, engineering/distribution, Microsoft qualifications.

Authority and specialist support

No direct reports. Coordinate suppliers within budgets/change controls; owners retain business/process/data decisions. Escalate specialist work.

Priorities/Success

Map systems/access; secure continuity; review issues/integrations; plan Dynamics transition. Reliable support, tested changes, training/adoption and less manual work.

Hours Mon-Thurs 8.30-5pm Fri8.30-2.30pm. WFH days by agreement with Line Manager.