Director, IT Applications

Director, IT Applications Hot Job Fully Remote • Remote - Corp - Tustin, CA 92782 Apply Overview Position Type Full Time Category Information Technology Apply Description Drive Technology Innovation and Build High-Performing Teams at Liberty Dental Plan Are you a strategic technology leader who excels at developing people, partnering with the business, and delivering enterprise applications that drive measurable results? Liberty Dental Plan is seeking a Director, IT Applications to lead a critical portfolio of business applications while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement. Reporting to the VP, Application Development , this highly visible leadership role combines technology strategy, operational excellence, and people leadership. You will help shape the future of our application landscape, strengthen business partnerships, and guide a talented team responsible for delivering reliable, secure, and scalable solutions that support our members, clients, and organization. About the Role The Director, IT Applications is responsible for leading the delivery, support, maintenance, and ongoing evolution of enterprise applications across assigned business areas. This role ensures applications meet business needs, service level commitments, quality standards, and security requirements while supporting operational performance and organizational growth. The ideal candidate brings a combination of healthcare payer industry knowledge, strong people leadership capabilities, business acumen, and experience managing vendor relationships and enterprise application portfolios. Location: Remote Reporting Relationship: VP, Application Development What You'll Do Technology Strategy & Application Leadership Lead the delivery, support, maintenance, and optimization of critical business applications. Serve as the product owner for assigned application platforms, establishing strategic priorities, modernization initiatives, and technology roadmaps. Partner with business leaders to understand requirements, identify process bottlenecks, and recommend technology solutions that improve efficiency and productivity. Balance business priorities, operational stability, modernization efforts, and technical debt reduction. Guide application strategy and influence technical direction in partnership with technical teams and stakeholders. Operational Excellence Ensure applications meet agreed-upon service level expectations for availability, performance, incident response, and production support. Oversee release planning, production readiness, ongoing maintenance, and enhancement activities. Maintain strong controls around data integrity, compliance, security, and system management. Monitor application health, technical debt, and remediation efforts while communicating risks and progress to leadership. Identify and proactively address operational and delivery risks to ensure successful outcomes. Support audits, client reviews, regulatory inquiries, proposal responses, and new client implementation activities. Vendor & Stakeholder Management Build and maintain strong relationships with vendors, business leaders, and cross-functional partners. Manage third-party resources and consulting relationships to support delivery and operational objectives. Partner with compliance, security, infrastructure, architecture, governance, and business operations teams to ensure alignment and execution. Navigate competing priorities effectively while maintaining strong stakeholder relationships and transparency. People & Team Leadership Lead, coach, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of technology professionals. Create an environment where employees feel supported, empowered, and accountable for results. Establish clear expectations and provide ongoing performance feedback and development opportunities. Foster collaboration, trust, continuous learning, and professional growth. Delegate effectively while developing future leaders and building organizational capability. Recognize and celebrate team contributions while maintaining a high-performance culture. What You'll Bring Required Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business, or a related field. 10+ years of experience in IT applications, application support, systems delivery, or a related discipline. 5+ years of people leadership experience. Strong understanding of application delivery, support, operations, and service level management. Experience with software development lifecycles, release management, production support, and application maintenance practices. Experience managing vendors, budgets, resources, operational risks, and delivery governance. Ability to build trusted relationships with business leaders, technical teams, and external partners. Strong communication, problem-solving, decision-making, and leadership skills. Preferred Qualifications Healthcare payer experience, including Medicare and/or Medicaid environments. Dental payer experience strongly preferred. Experience supporting delegated healthcare models and healthcare operations. Experience with Health Solutions Plus (HSP) and healthcare payer administration platforms highly preferred. Experience participating in audits, regulatory reviews, RFP responses, and client-facing initiatives. Experience with Agile delivery methodologies. Familiarity with Azure, APIs, web portals, management information systems, and database technologies. Experience collaborating with Scrum Masters and Project Managers. Experience with DevOps practices and modern application delivery approaches. Previous experience working with Conduent or similar healthcare technology partners is a plus. What Success Looks Like Successful candidates will be able to: Build strong partnerships across business and technology teams. Develop and retain engaged, high-performing employees. Deliver reliable, secure, and business-focused technology solutions. Balance competing priorities while maintaining operational excellence. Drive innovation and modernization without losing focus on stability and service quality. Lead with integrity, sound judgment, and a commitment to organizational success. Why Join Liberty Dental Plan? At Liberty Dental Plan, we believe our people are our greatest asset. We are committed to creating an environment where employees can grow professionally, contribute meaningfully, and make an impact. You'll join a collaborative organization where leadership is measured not only by results, but by the ability to develop talent, strengthen relationships, inspire innovation, and create lasting business value. As the Director, IT Applications, you'll have the opportunity to influence enterprise technology strategy, lead meaningful transformation initiatives, mentor future leaders, and help advance solutions that support the health and well-being of the communities we serve. Ready to make a lasting impact? Apply today and help shape the future of technology at Liberty Dental Plan. Qualifications Location Our employees are distributed in office locations in multiple markets across the United States. We are unable to hire or allow employees to work outside of the United States. What Liberty Offers Happy, healthy employees enhance our ability to assist our members and contribute more actively to their communities. That’s why Liberty offers competitive and attractive benefit packages for our employees. We strive to care for employees in ways that promote wellness and productivity. Our first-class benefits package supports employees and their dependents with : Competitive pay structure and savings options to help you reach your financial goals. Excellent 401(k) retirement benefits , including employer match, Roth IRA options, immediate vesting during the Safe Harbor period, and access to professional financial advice through Financial Engines. Affordable medical insurance , with low-cost premiums for employee-only coverage. Liberty subsidizes the cost for eligible dependents enrolled in the plan. 100% employer-paid dental coverage for employees and eligible dependents. Vision insurance with low-cost premiums for employee-only coverage and dependents. Company-paid basic life and AD&D insurance , equal to one times your base salary, with options to purchase additional supplemental coverage. Flexible Spending Accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses. Voluntary benefit programs , including accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity insurance. Long-term disability coverage. Expansive wellness programs , including company-wide wellness challenges, BurnAlong memberships, and gym discounts. Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support mental health and well-being. Generous vacation and sick leave policies, with the ability to roll over unused time. 10 paid company holidays. Tuition reimbursement for eligible educational expenses. Remote or hybrid work options available for various positions. Compensation In the spirit of pay transparency, the base salary range for this position is $150,000 - $200,000 a year, not including fringe benefits or potential bonuses. At Liberty, your final base salary will be determined by factors such as geographic location, skills, education, and experience. We are committed to pay equity and also consider the internal equity of our current team members when making final compensation decisions. Please note that the range listed represents the full base salary range for this role. Typically, offers are not made at the top of the range to allow for future salary growth. Liberty Dental Plan commits to maintaining a work environment that acknowledges all individuals within the workplace and will continue to engage in practices that are inclusive of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We strive to have every person within the organization have a sense of belonging while encouraging individuals to unleash their full potential. Liberty will leverage diverse perspectives in building high performance teams and organizational culture. Liberty Dental Plan will continue to strengthen and develop external partnerships by providing equitable health care access and improving population health in the communities we serve. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment, recruitment, promotions, and transfers, as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements. Sponsorship and Relocation Specifications Liberty Dental Plan is an Equal Opportunity Employer / VETS / Disabled. No relocation assistance or sponsorship available at this time.