Functional Application Manager (Functioneel Beheer)

ABOUT BRUNEL

Founded in 1975, Brunel has developed into an international group with 12,000 employees and a turnover of €1.4 billion. We deliver Project and Consulting Solutions, Workforce Solutions and Global Mobility Solutions that transform global projects in Renewables, Conventional Energy, Mining, Life Sciences, Future Mobility, Industrials & Technology and many other sectors.

Brunel is listed on Euronext Amsterdam NV and is included in the Amsterdam Small Cap Index (AScX). The organisation has grown into a renowned global brand with more than 120+ offices in over 40 countries on 6 continents. The head office of Brunel International is located in Amsterdam.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Brunel is looking for a proactive and business-oriented Functional Application Manager to join our Global IT & Digital team. In this role, you act as the bridge between business stakeholders, end users, vendors and IT teams. You are responsible for the day-to-day functional management of key business applications and ensure these systems continuously support and improve business processes.

The ideal candidate combines strong analytical skills with a service-oriented mindset and enjoys translating business requirements into practical application solutions.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Functional Application Management

• Manage and maintain business-critical applications throughout their lifecycle.
• Configure, optimize and support application functionality based on business requirements.
• Ensure application configurations remain aligned with business processes and governance requirements.
• Perform impact analyses and coordinate functional changes and releases.

Business Support & Incident Management

• Act as the primary point of contact for functional application-related questions and issues.
• Provide second-line and third-line support for complex incidents and service requests.
• Investigate recurring issues and identify sustainable solutions.
• Monitor application performance and proactively identify improvement opportunities.

Stakeholder Management

• Work closely with business users, process owners, product owners and vendors.
• Gather, analyze and document business requirements.
• Translate business needs into functional specifications and user stories.
• Facilitate communication between business and technical teams.

Change, Testing & Continuous Improvement

• Coordinate functional testing, user acceptance testing (UAT) and release validation.
• Support implementation of new functionalities and application enhancements.
• Identify opportunities for process optimization and automation.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives within supported applications.

Documentation & Governance

• Maintain functional documentation, work instructions and knowledge articles.
• Ensure proper documentation of configurations, processes and system changes.
• Support compliance, audit and security requirements where applicable.
• Contribute to application governance and service management processes.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Education

• Bachelor's degree

Experience

• 3+ years of experience in Functional Application Management, Application Support or Functional Consultancy.
• Experience supporting enterprise business applications.
• Proven experience working with business stakeholders and translating requirements into solutions.
• Experience with incident, problem and change management processes.

Technical Competencies

• Understanding of business processes and application lifecycle management.
• Experience with application configuration and functional administration.
• Knowledge of IT Service Management (ITIL) principles.
• Experience with ERP, CRM, HR, Recruitment or similar business applications is considered an advantage.
• Experience with testing methodologies and release management.

Personal Competencies

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• Customer-focused and service-oriented mindset.
• Ability to prioritise and manage multiple activities simultaneously.
• Proactive, self-starting and results-driven.
• Strong documentation and organisational skills.
• Team player with the ability to work in an international environment.

What Success Looks Like

• Stable and well-supported business applications.
• High user satisfaction and timely resolution of incidents.
• Efficient adoption of new functionality and process improvements.
• Well-documented and governed application landscape.
• Strong collaboration between business and IT stakeholders.

Preferred Experience (nice to have)

• Experience with recruitment, ERP, workforce management or project-based business applications.
• Experience working in an international organisation.
• Knowledge of Microsoft 365, Power Platform or integration platforms.
• Familiarity with Agile and DevOps ways of working.

INTERVIEW PROCESS

Two interviews and an online assessment

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU

• Competitive base salary.
• Hybrid & flexible working – 3 days in the office.
• Coaching and mentoring through weekly check-ins.
• Friendly, collaborative & supportive team environment.
• Laptop and smart phone with Microsoft powered IT tools.
• Benefits; including pension scheme, group health insurance, 26 paid vacation days with the option to buy up to 40 vacation days per year, travel allowance scheme, bicycle lease plan, gym discount.
• Through the Brunel Academy - Brunel's learning & development programme - you have every opportunity to continue to develop yourself, both professionally and personally.