Functional Implementation Manager (UK Hours)

MRI Software is seeking an experienced Functional Manager to lead and develop a high-performing team of Functional and Technical Consultants within our Professional Services organisation.

This role is responsible for driving delivery excellence, client success, operational performance, and employee development across the consulting team. Working closely with regional and global Professional Services leaders, the Functional Manager will translate strategic priorities into consistent execution, ensuring high-quality delivery outcomes while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

The successful candidate will balance people leadership, delivery oversight, utilisation management, capability development, and client engagement to support both the immediate needs of the business and the long-term growth of the Global Delivery Centre

Please note that this role requires working UK business hours (Monday to Friday, 09:00 – 17:30 BST/GMT) to support the global team.

We understand the need to provide a flexible working environment partnered with team collaboration and socialisation. Therefore, we operate a hybrid working model with 3 days of working from home per week. This role is based in the Cape Town office.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop a team of Functional and Technical Consultants.
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings, performance reviews, and career development discussions.
• Create and maintain individual development plans that support capability growth, career progression, and succession readiness.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous learning, and high performance.
• Identify and develop future functional and technical leaders through coaching, mentorship, and stretch assignments.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, workforce planning, and retention initiatives.
• Drive employee engagement and create an environment where individuals can thrive and grow.

Delivery Oversight & Client Success

• Provide leadership and oversight across consulting engagements to ensure successful delivery outcomes.
• Ensure projects are delivered to agreed scope, quality standards, timelines, and client expectations.
• Partner with Project Managers, Delivery Leaders, and key stakeholders to proactively manage project risks, dependencies, and escalations.
• Act as an escalation point for delivery-related challenges, supporting teams in resolving complex client and operational issues.
• Maintain high levels of customer satisfaction through consistent delivery excellence and proactive stakeholder engagement.
• Promote a client-centric culture focused on delivering measurable business value.

Resource Planning & Operational Management

• Monitor project pipelines, consultant workloads, and resource allocation to optimise utilisation and delivery effectiveness.
• Drive utilisation, productivity, and operational performance across the consulting team.
• Support capacity planning, workforce forecasting, and resource management activities.
• Ensure accurate completion of timesheets, project updates, forecasting, and operational reporting.
• Monitor key performance indicators including utilisation, billability, delivery quality, customer satisfaction, employee engagement, and project performance.
• Identify and implement opportunities to improve operational efficiency and scalability.

Capability Development & Consulting Excellence

• Build and maintain consulting capability across both Functional and Technical disciplines.
• Identify skills gaps and implement targeted development plans aligned to current and future business needs.
• Promote knowledge sharing, cross-training, and continuous professional development.
• Support the creation, adoption, and continuous improvement of implementation methodologies, delivery frameworks, templates, and best practices.
• Ensure consultants remain current on MRI products, industry trends, and emerging technologies.
• Drive consistency and quality across all consulting engagements.

Strategic Leadership & Collaboration

• Partner with regional and global Professional Services leaders to support organisational objectives and strategic initiatives.
• Collaborate with Product Management, Support, Customer Success, Sales, Revenue Operations, and Project Management teams to improve client outcomes and delivery effectiveness.
• Act as a trusted advisor to Professional Services leadership on team capability, performance, risks, and opportunities.
• Contribute to the ongoing growth and maturity of the Global Delivery Centre.
• Support the development of new service offerings, delivery models, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Promote knowledge sharing and alignment across global teams to ensure consistency in delivery standards and client experience.

Commercial & Business Contribution

• Contribute to forecasting, budgeting, workforce planning, and performance tracking activities.
• Support revenue and utilisation targets through effective resource management and delivery oversight.
• Partner with leadership to identify opportunities for growth, efficiency, and operational improvement.
• Support business initiatives aimed at improving customer outcomes, consultant productivity, and service delivery performance.

Success Measures

Success in this role will be measured through:

• Team utilisation and productivity
• Delivery quality and project success
• Customer satisfaction and client feedback
• Employee engagement and retention
• Consultant capability growth and development
• Forecasting and resource planning accuracy
• Operational efficiency and continuous improvement outcomes
• Leadership effectiveness and succession readiness

Required Experience & Skills

Required

• 5+ years' experience within Professional Services, Consulting, Implementation, or Client Delivery environments.
• 3+ years' experience in a formal people leadership role, or demonstrated experience leading consulting, technical, or project delivery teams.
• Strong understanding of software implementation lifecycles, consulting methodologies, and professional services delivery models.
• Experience managing client relationships, escalations, and complex delivery challenges.
• Experience coaching and developing consultants across functional and/or technical disciplines.
• Demonstrated ability to balance people leadership, operational management, utilisation, and delivery responsibilities.
• Strong communication, stakeholder management, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

Preferred

• Experience operating within a global delivery environment.
• Experience leading Functional and Technical consulting teams.
• Experience with resource planning, forecasting, utilisation management, and workforce planning.
• Experience within enterprise software, SaaS, PropTech, ERP, Financial Services, or related technology environments.
• Project Management, Agile, Change Management, Leadership, or relevant industry certifications.

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Information Systems, Technology, Commerce, or a related field preferred.
• Equivalent professional experience will also be considered.

Leadership Competencies

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Leadership through influence and accountability
• Strong coaching and mentoring capability
• Client-centric decision making
• Strategic and commercial thinking
• Operational excellence
• Effective stakeholder management
• Collaboration across global teams
• Continuous improvement mindset
• Strong execution and delivery focus

We’re obsessed with making this the best job you’ve ever had!

We want our teams to love working here, so we’ve created some incredible perks for you to enjoy:

• We want our staff to love working here, and so we’ve created a few unique perks such as office brea