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Associate Package Specialist 2026 - Application Operations

IBM

Marketing & Communications, Product, Operations

Baton Rouge, LA, USA

Posted on Jan 28, 2026

Introduction

About the Client Innovation Center (CIC)

IBM Consulting Client Innovation Centers (CICs) are high-delivery, team-based environments where technologists work onsite to build real solutions for real clients.

At CIC, associates collaborate closely with peers and experienced practitioners to design, build, test, and support enterprise applications at scale. Our delivery centers are built for learning through delivery, combining hands-on project work, structured training, mentorship, and teamwork to help early-career professionals develop strong technical foundations and grow with confidence.

This role is ideal for individuals who enjoy problem-solving, learning quickly, and working in an in-person, collaborative delivery environment.

In this role, you'll work in one of our IBM Consulting Client Innovation Centers (Delivery Centers), where we deliver deep technical and industry expertise to a wide range of public and private sector clients around the world. Our delivery centers offer our clients locally based skills and technical expertise to drive innovation and adoption of new technology.

Your role and responsibilities

The Associate Package Specialist is an entry-level role focused on supporting the implementation, configuration, and production support of packaged application solutions.

This role is not about being a packaged-solution expert on day one. It is about understanding how enterprise applications support business processes, learning how implementations are delivered, and contributing effectively within structured consulting teams.

Associates are expected to contribute to established delivery teams and progressively assume greater responsibility and ownership as their skills and experience develop.

As an Associate Package Specialist, you will:

Support packaged application implementations across phases such as requirements gathering, configuration, testing, deployment, and production support
Assist with application configuration, data migration activities, integrations, and environment setup
Participate in testing, validation, and defect resolution activities
Support production environments by helping analyze issues and contribute to resolution efforts
Work with functional and technical team members to help integrate packaged solutions into client business environments
Build consulting, business process, and packaged application expertise through structured training, mentorship, and hands-on delivery experience

Work Location & Onsite Expectations

This role is based in an IBM Client Innovation Center (CIC) and requires regular onsite presence at the assigned delivery center. Working onsite enables hands-on learning, real-time collaboration, and mentorship that support faster growth and stronger delivery outcomes.

Travel may be required for up to 60% of the time or 3 days per week (home on weekends), based on project requirements.

Work Authorization

IBM will not provide visa sponsorship for this position. Candidates must be eligible to work in the U.S. without current or future sponsorship requirements.

Required education

Bachelor's Degree

Preferred education

Master's Degree

Required technical and professional expertise

These qualifications are essential for success in the role.

Core Foundations

Ability to work effectively in a technology-driven consulting environment where tools, platforms, and client needs evolve over time
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to approach complex tasks using structured, logical thinking
Ability to learn new systems and technologies quickly and apply them in a delivery setting
Comfortable working onsite in a collaborative, team-based environment

Applied Experience

Exposure to enterprise or packaged applications through coursework, academic projects, internships, or work experience
Familiarity with basic concepts such as:
Business process flows
System configuration versus customization
Testing and validation

Business & Delivery Skills

Ability to translate business or functional requirements into system configurations and solutions, with guidance from senior team members
Clear written and verbal communication skills to support collaboration with technical and non-technical stakeholders

Technical & Platform Awareness

Familiarity with cloud computing concepts (e.g., hosting applications, environment setup, system integrations, basic cloud services) on at least one platform such as AWS, Azure, IBM Cloud, or Google Cloud, gained through coursework, labs, projects, or self-study

Candidates are not expected to be proficient in all listed technologies. Evaluation focuses on depth in at least one primary language and the ability to transfer foundational programming skills to new tools and frameworks.

Web, Cloud, and Platform Exposure

Exposure through coursework or projects to web development concepts, APIs, or application frameworks (e.g., RESTful services, Spring Boot, .NET Core, Flask/Django, Node.js, or similar)

Business & Delivery Skills

Ability to translate business or functional requirements into technical solutions, with guidance from senior team members
Comfortable working onsite in a collaborative, team-based environment
Strong willingness to learn, accept feedback, and continuously improve

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field

Preferred technical and professional experience

Experience working on system implementations or configuration projects
Exposure to packaged applications (e.g., ERP, HCM, CRM, or similar systems)
Familiarity with data migration concepts or integration workflows
Experience working in Agile or structured project delivery environments
Experience collaborating with others on team-based projects
Exposure to databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, DB2, or MongoDB
Exposure to analytics or data tools such as SPSS, SAS, Tableau, Hadoop, or Spark, depending on practice needs
Experience collaborating with others on team-based software projects

Emerging Technology Awareness

Familiarity with generative AI concepts, including basic modeling approaches, responsible use, and ethical considerations, gained through coursework, projects, or self-study

ABOUT BUSINESS UNIT

IBM Consulting is IBM’s consulting and global professional services business, with market leading capabilities in business and technology transformation. With deep expertise in many industries, we offer strategy, experience, technology, and operations services to many of the most innovative and valuable companies in the world. Our people are focused on accelerating our clients’ businesses through the power of collaboration. We believe in the power of technology responsibly used to help people, partners and the planet.

YOUR LIFE @ IBM

In a world where technology never stands still, we understand that, dedication to our clients success, innovation that matters, and trust and personal responsibility in all our relationships, lives in what we do as IBMers as we strive to be the catalyst that makes the world work better.

Being an IBMer means you’ll be able to learn and develop yourself and your career, you’ll be encouraged to be courageous and experiment everyday, all whilst having continuous trust and support in an environment where everyone can thrive whatever their personal or professional background.

Our IBMers are growth minded, always staying curious, open to feedback and learning new information and skills to constantly transform themselves and our company. They are trusted to provide on-going feedback to help other IBMers grow, as well as collaborate with colleagues keeping in mind a team focused approach to include different perspectives to drive exceptional outcomes for our customers. The courage our IBMers have to make critical decisions everyday is essential to IBM becoming the catalyst for progress, always embracing challenges with resources they have to hand, a can-do attitude and always striving for an outcome focused approach within everything that they do.

Are you ready to be an IBMer?

ABOUT IBM

IBM’s greatest invention is the IBMer. We believe that through the application of intelligence, reason and science, we can improve business, society and the human condition, bringing the power of an open hybrid cloud and AI strategy to life for our clients and partners around the world.

Restlessly reinventing since 1911, we are not only one of the largest corporate organizations in the world, we’re also one of the biggest technology and consulting employers, with many of the Fortune 500 companies relying on the IBM Cloud to run their business.

At IBM, we pride ourselves on being an early adopter of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and blockchain. Now it’s time for you to join us on our journey to being a responsible technology innovator and a force for good in the world.

IBM is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, or other characteristics protected by the applicable law. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.

OTHER RELEVANT JOB DETAILS

IBM offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits program. Eligible employees may have access to:

- Healthcare benefits including medical & prescription drug coverage, dental, vision, and mental health & well being

- Financial programs such as 401(k), cash balance pension plan, the IBM Employee Stock Purchase Plan, financial counseling, life insurance, short & long- term disability coverage, and opportunities for performance based salary incentive programs

- Generous paid time off including 12 holidays, minimum 56 hours sick time, 120 hours vacation, 12 weeks parental bonding leave in accordance with IBM Policy, and other Paid Care Leave programs. IBM also offers paid family leave benefits to eligible employees where required by applicable law

- Training and educational resources on our personalized, AI-driven learning platform where IBMers can grow skills and obtain industry-recognized certifications to achieve their career goals

- Diverse and inclusive employee resource groups, giving & volunteer opportunities, and discounts on retail products, services & experiences

We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable law.

This position was posted on the date cited in the key job details section and is anticipated to remain posted for 21 days from this date or less if not needed to fill the role.

The compensation range and benefits for this position are based on a full-time schedule for a full calendar year. The salary will vary depending on your job-related skills, experience and location. Pay increment and frequency of pay will be in accordance with employment classification and applicable laws. For part time roles, your compensation and benefits will be adjusted to reflect your hours. Benefits may be pro-rated for those who start working during the calendar year.

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