Senior Clinical Applications Manager – Technical and Functional Expertise

The Vaud Hospitals Federation IT ( FHVi ) is the preferred IT partner for more than 12 hospitals and regional healthcare institutions in the canton of Vaud. FHVi supports them in the many challenges of digital transformation in the healthcare sector and its main missions are to plan, design, implement and operate the information system of its members. There are more than 100 employees serving 10,000 users, with a fleet of over 7,000 workstations spread across around one hundred geographical sites and three cantons (VD, VS, FR).

The position is open to both women and men. For ease of reading, terms are only in the masculine form.

What if your technical expertise and your ability to solve complex problems directly contributed to the performance of hospital information systems?

As part of strengthening our team responsible for clinical information systems, we are looking for a Senior Applications Manager with solid technical and functional expertise, strong analytical skills and real autonomy in solving complex application issues.

This position is aimed at an experienced professional who enjoys understanding how applications work as a whole, investigating malfunctions, identifying their root causes and proposing concrete, reliable and business-appropriate solutions.

Your mission:

As a Senior Applications Manager, you are responsible for the technical and functional management of a portfolio of critical clinical information system applications, ensuring their availability, performance, security and evolution.

A true technical and functional reference, you intervene both in resolving complex incidents and in analysing business needs, application developments and feasibility studies.

You are capable of moving from a functional issue to an in-depth technical investigation, then to defining and implementing an appropriate solution.

You work closely with users from hospital institutions, internal IT teams and solution providers.

Your role is based on a balance between operational expertise, business understanding, technical autonomy and the ability to take a step back on proposed solutions.

Your main activities and responsibilities:

Application management and resolution of complex incidents

• Ensure the operational maintenance of applications within your scope and guarantee their availability, performance and reliability.
• Handle complex application incidents requiring in-depth analysis of functional and technical aspects.
• Investigate malfunctions independently, identify their root causes and implement sustainable corrective solutions.
• Analyse interactions and dependencies between applications, databases, servers, interfaces and technical components.
• Utilise databases, notably through advanced SQL queries, to analyse anomalies and identify corrective actions.
• Conduct initial technical investigations and request specialised expertise when necessary.
• Anticipate risks related to technological evolutions, incompatibilities and obsolescence of application components.

Technical expertise and system integration

• Understand application architectures and integration mechanisms between heterogeneous systems.
• Analyse data exchanges, interfaces and web services to identify and resolve interoperability issues.
• Read, understand and analyse existing code, notably in C#/.NET environments, to facilitate investigations and application developments.
• Utilise and adapt scripts, notably PowerShell, to automate certain operations or contribute to problem resolution.
• Address issues related to Windows application environments, databases and technical dependencies.
• Collaborate with development, infrastructure and interoperability teams to ensure coherence and maintainability of solutions.

Application evolution and business needs analysis

• Gather, analyse and challenge needs expressed by users and hospital institutions.
• Understand business processes as a whole and assess the impact of changes on users and interconnected applications.
• Translate operational needs into appropriate functional and technical solutions.
• Conduct feasibility analyses considering technical constraints, dependencies, costs, deadlines and risks.
• Propose pragmatic solutions, proportionate to needs and compatible with available resources.
• Participate in planning and implementing application developments, version upgrades and transformation projects.
• Organise technical tests and coordinate functional validations before production deployments.
• Contribute to application lifecycle management and continuous improvement.

Collaboration and user support

• Be a reference contact for business teams, IT teams and suppliers.
• Communicate with various stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, administrative teams and IT managers of institutions.
• Demystify technical issues and clearly explain the impacts of different options considered.
• Constructively challenge business requests and supplier proposals.
• Support users in evolving their practices and optimising application solutions.
• Document analyses, interventions and implemented solutions to promote knowledge sharing and service continuity.

Profile sought:

Education and experience

• Higher education in computer science (HES, EPF, university or equivalent training).
• Proven professional experience, ideally at least 8 to 10 years, in managing and evolving complex business applications.
• Significant background as an Application Manager, Product Owner, technical-functional expert or in an equivalent role involving strong operational and technical responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience in independently resolving complex incidents and managing the lifecycle of critical applications.
• Experience in a complex IT environment involving multiple applications, interfaces, technologies and stakeholders.

Initial experience in software development, complemented by a transition to application management, is particularly interesting.

Technical skills

• Advanced mastery of SQL, notably for complex queries, data analysis and manipulation, incident investigation and understanding stored procedures.
• Good understanding of application development, particularly in C#/.NET environments, with the ability to read and analyse existing code.
• Operational knowledge of PowerShell and scripting, enabling understanding, adapting or automating certain operations.
• Strong understanding of application architectures, web services, APIs and integration mechanisms between applications.
• Good knowledge of Windows environments and interactions between applications, servers, databases and technical components.
• Ability to analyse technical and functional impacts of changes, version upgrades and compatibility issues.
• Sensitivity to security, availability, performance and service continuity issues.

Professional skills and personal qualities

Beyond technical skills, we are primarily looking for a professional who stands out by:

• Excellent analytical and complex problem-solving skills: you know how to investigate methodically, identify root causes of malfunctions and propose relevant solutions.
• Strong autonomy: you are capable of managing an issue from start to finish, researching necessary information and mobilising the right resources.
• Real pragmatism: you know how to weigh different possible solutions considering their added value, cost, deadlines, risks and maintainability.
• A transversal vision: you understand interactions between business, functional and technical dimensions of an information system.
• Great versatility and strong adaptability: you are comfortable in varied environments and can quickly switch from one issue to another while managing priorities.
• Excellent interpersonal skills: you know how to adapt your communication to technical and non-technical interlocutors, demystify complex topics and constructively defend your recommendations.
• A critical mind and decision-making ability: you know how to question requests, propose alternatives and take a stand when necessary.

Knowledge of the healthcare sector

Experience in the hospital field or knowledge of clinical information systems is an appreciated asset but not essential.

We primarily value the solidity of your experience, your learning ability and your aptitude to work autonomously on complex business applications.

Candidates from other sectors with critical and highly integrated information systems are also encouraged to apply.

Languages

• French: excellent oral and written command.

Why join us?

• An expert position offering real autonomy and technical and functional responsibilities.
• A rich and diverse IT environment where your analytical skills and versatility will make a difference.
• The opportunity to work on critical applications having a direct impact on the operation of hospital institutions.
• Varied challenges combining technical investigations, business understanding and application developments.
• Close collaboration with IT experts and healthcare professionals.
• The opportunity to contribute to the reliability and transformation of hospital information systems.

What we offer you:

- A stimulating opportunity to evolve in the healthcare sector, a constantly evolving and meaningful field.

- The possibility to actively contribute to ambitious projects related to ongoing digital transformation.

- Attractive employment conditions, with regular salary progression adapted to responsibilities, in accordance with the statutes in force at FHV:

• 13th month salary.
• 25 days of holiday per year (30 days from age 50).
• Access to continuing education to support your professional development.
• Possibility of teleworking (40% under conditions).
• Subsidised on-site parking and easy access by public transport.
• Competitive social benefits.