OverviewThe Manufacturing Operations IT Services Manager is responsible for leading and supporting the systems and services that enable manufacturing operations across production facilities in the US and Canada. This role partners closely with Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, and site leadership to ensure systems used in the operations are reliable and meet business objectives for the sites.
The position oversees manufacturing applications, shop floor systems, system integrations, and IT service delivery while driving continuous improvement, operational excellence, and technology innovation throughout the manufacturing environment.
ResponsibilitiesManufacturing Systems Leadership- Ensure manufacturing applications, including MES, ERP production modules, Quality Management Systems, and shop floor automation platforms are supported effectively.
- Ensure IT Infrastructure provides high availability and performance of manufacturing systems supporting production, quality, and other applications used by manufacturing operations.
- Collaborate with other regional managers and directors to develop and execute technology roadmaps supporting manufacturing and digital transformation strategies that are aligned at the global level.
- Collaborate with plant leadership to identify process improvement opportunities through technology solutions.
IT Service Delivery & Support- Lead IT support services for manufacturing facilities, ensuring timely resolution of incidents and service requests.
- Participate in global incident management team.
- Drive problem management and root cause analysis for recurring operational issues.
Operational Technology (OT) & Infrastructure- Support manufacturing equipment connectivity, industrial networks, PLC interfaces, SCADA systems, and IIoT solutions.
- Partner with Engineering and Automation teams to maintain secure and reliable OT environments.
- Ensure integration between plant floor systems and enterprise applications.
- Collaborate with IT Infrastructure teams to ensure IT/OT infrastructure needs are met.
Project & Program Management- Lead manufacturing technology projects from requirements gathering through implementation and support.
- Ensure successful deployment and adoption of new technology solutions.
Cybersecurity & Compliance- Collaborate with IT Security and local site Engineering teams to ensure security controls and best practices for manufacturing and OT environments.
- Collaborate with IT Infrastructure and Security teams to ensure that vulnerability assessments, efforts are effective and not disruptive. Ensure that disaster recovery planning, and business continuity are effective with appropriate levels of risk management that the sites require for continued operations.
- Support audit activities related to manufacturing systems and controls.
Data & Analytics- Colloborate with the Business Excellence teams to enable operational reporting, KPI dashboards, and manufacturing performance analytics.
- Support initiatives involving smart manufacturing, predictive maintenance, and digital manufacturing technologies.
- Promote data governance and data quality standards across manufacturing systems that are maintained at the site level.
People Leadership- Lead, mentor, and develop IT professionals supporting manufacturing operations for a team of upto 4 members across the US and Canada regions.
- Foster a culture of customer service, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
- Build strong relationships with manufacturing, quality, engineering, and site leadership.
QualificationsEducation- Bachelor's degree preferred but not required in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Operations Management.
Experience- 8+ years of experience in manufacturing IT, operational technology, or industrial systems environments.
- 5+ years of leadership experience managing technical teams and service delivery.
- Experience supporting manufacturing plants, production systems, and enterprise applications.
- Proven experience leading digital transformation and manufacturing technology projects.
Technical Skills- Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
- ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, etc.)
- Quality Management Systems (QMS)
- Industrial automation and control systems
- SCADA, PLC, and industrial networking
- Data analytics and visualization platforms
- Cybersecurity and OT security frameworks
- ITIL Service Management practices
Key Competencies- Strategic Leadership
- Business Partnership
- Manufacturing Process Knowledge
- IT Service Management
- Project & Program Management
- Continuous Improvement
- Problem Solving & Decision Making
- Change Management
- Communication & Stakeholder Management
- Team Leadership & Talent Development
Success Measures- Manufacturing system uptime and reliability
- Production-impacting incident reduction
- SLA performance and customer satisfaction
- Project delivery performance (scope, cost, schedule)
- Adoption of digital manufacturing initiatives
- Team engagement and development
