IT Operations Manager

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop, and manage IT operations staff, including Help Desk Analysts, Network Administrators, and System Administrators.
• Establish clear service expectations for plant and corporate support, ensuring rapid response to production-impacting issues.
• Recruit, train, coach, and evaluate team performance to build a high-performing IT organization.
• Foster a customer-focused culture that prioritizes production continuity and employee support.
• Partner with production, maintenance, quality, retail and engineering teams to align IT systems with operational needs.
• Support plant floor devices such as label printers, scanners, and industrial PCs.
• Minimize downtime through rapid issue resolution and proactive system monitoring.
• Direct daily IT operations, including ticket management, escalation processes, and workflow prioritization—particularly for production-critical issues.
• Establish and monitor service level agreements (SLAs) with an emphasis on plant and retail uptime and responsiveness.
• Oversee vendor and third-party support services to ensure performance expectations are met.
• Maintain IT documentation, SOPs, and training materials for both technical teams and plant users.
• Oversee plant, retail and enterprise network infrastructure, including segmented manufacturing networks, wireless systems, and remote access.
• Implement and enforce cybersecurity controls to protect both IT and OT environments from threats (e.g., ransomware, unauthorized access).
• Monitor network performance and security events, ensuring rapid response to incidents.
• Maintain secure configurations for firewalls, switches, and industrial network devices.
• Oversee backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity plans, with a focus on minimizing business disruption.
• Ensure compliance with cybersecurity best practices relevant to the business (e.g., NIST, CIS controls, or similar frameworks).
• Evaluate and recommend technology solutions that improve efficiency, automation, and data visibility.
• Review and approve system changes, configurations, and upgrades to ensure minimal business disruption.
• Drive standardization across business systems to improve scalability and supportability.
• Manage lifecycle of IT assets, including hardware, and software licensing.
• Lead IT projects supporting business updates, equipment implementations, system upgrades, and automation initiatives.
• Collaborate with continuous improvement teams to identify technology solutions that enhance productivity, reduce waste, and improve reporting.
• Track and report project progress, risks, and outcomes to leadership.
• Stay current with emerging technologies in manufacturing (Industry 4.0, IoT, automation, data analytics).
• Oversee procurement of IT equipment, technology, and services.
• Manage vendor relationships, contracts, and service agreements to ensure reliability and value.
• Ensure IT systems support compliance with Quality, HACCP, GMP, and Food Safety standards.
• Maintain system security and data integrity for traceability, audits, and reporting requirements.
• Support audit readiness by ensuring proper documentation, system controls, and reporting capabilities.
• Align IT processes with regulatory requirements impacting manufacturing operations.
• Work closely with leadership, department heads, and corporate stakeholders to assess and prioritize technology needs.
• Facilitate cross-functional meetings to align IT initiatives with business goals.
• Provide visibility into IT performance, risks, and improvements to executive leadership.
• Translate technical concepts into business focused solutions for non-technical stakeholders.
• Provide 24/7 support for critical production systems as needed.
• Identify operational risks and implement corrective actions to prevent disruptions.
• Affirmative action statement: Equal employment opportunity is the policy of this company and its subsidiaries/affiliates. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.

Requirements

• Must be able to speak, read and write in English.
• 5–10+ years of IT experience, including leadership in a manufacturing or industrial environment.
• Experience supporting infrastructure systems.
• Strong knowledge of networking, cybersecurity, and infrastructure in both IT and OT environments.
• Experience in highly regulated environments (e.g., food manufacturing, GMP, HACCP).
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced, production-driven environment.
• Education: Must have a High School Diploma or a G.E.D. Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).