The Director of Information Technology (IT) is responsible for the strategy, delivery, and continuous improvement of enterprise and plant technology services across a multi‑site manufacturing footprint in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Reporting to the President, this role leads a team of senior managers, managers, and IT professionals and partners closely with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, HR, and Sales to ensure secure, reliable, and scalable technology that supports safety, uptime, productivity, cybersecurity, and customer requirements.
Key Responsibilities
IT Strategy, Leadership & Governance
- Develop and execute a multi‑year IT roadmap aligned with business objectives, plant performance targets, and customer/regulatory requirements
- Establish IT governance for portfolio prioritization, architecture standards, change management, and operational excellence
- Serve as an executive advisor to senior leadership on technology, cyber risk, and digital manufacturing initiatives
- Lead cross‑functional steering committees and communicate plans, risks, and outcomes clearly
ERP, Business Applications & Integration
- Own ERP strategy and execution, including selection, upgrades, support, and optimization across Finance, Purchasing, Inventory, Production, Quality, EDI, and Shipping
- Ensure strong application lifecycle management from requirements through post‑go‑live support
- Drive integration across ERP, MES/plant systems, engineering tools, customer portals, and HR systems
- Oversee EDI, customer connectivity, labeling, and traceability solutions typical of automotive supply chains
- Establish master data governance, data quality controls, and standardized processes across sites
Infrastructure, Network, Cloud & End‑User Computing
- Ensure reliable, secure, and standardized infrastructure across plant and corporate environments
- Oversee servers, storage, virtualization, and cloud platforms, including lifecycle and capacity planning
- Own identity and access management, endpoint management, and collaboration platforms
- Maintain standards for workstations, mobile devices, shop‑floor technology, printing/labeling infrastructure, and OS patching
- Coordinate with site engineering teams on cabling, expansions, and facility technology needs
Cybersecurity, Risk Management & Compliance
- Establish and maintain an enterprise cybersecurity program covering policy, awareness, and technical controls
- Implement and monitor security technologies including vulnerability management, endpoint protection, email security, logging/monitoring, segmentation, and secure remote access
- Lead incident response planning, execution, and remediation
- Partner with Operations and Engineering to secure OT environments while preserving uptime and safety
- Ensure compliance with privacy, customer, contractual, and regulatory requirements, including audits and third‑party risk assessments
- Exposure to ISO 27001, IATF, and TISAX is considered an asset
Service Desk, Helpdesk & Field Support
- Deliver responsive end‑user support across office and manufacturing environments
- Implement IT service management practices including ticketing, SLAs, knowledge management, and root‑cause analysis
- Oversee asset and configuration management for hardware, software, and critical plant devices
- Develop training programs and cybersecurity awareness initiatives
Data, Reporting & Analytics
- Deliver enterprise reporting and analytics to support operational KPIs (OEE, scrap, downtime), financial reporting, and customer performance
- Establish data governance practices for ownership, definitions, access, and quality
- Enable self‑service analytics while maintaining security and a single source of truth
Manufacturing Systems (OT) & Digitalization
- Support plant systems such as MES, production reporting, quality systems, barcode/RFID, and traceability solutions
- Ensure secure data flow between machines and enterprise applications
- Govern OT vendor access, change control, backups, and documentation
- Lead digital manufacturing initiatives such as paperless processes, real‑time dashboards, and IoT use cases
Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery & Reliability
- Design and maintain backup, recovery, and disaster recovery solutions
- Establish and test business continuity plans with site leadership
- Implement monitoring and reliability practices to minimize downtime
Vendor Management, Budgeting & Procurement
- Own IT operating and capital budgets, including forecasting, cost optimization, and ROI analysis
- Manage vendors and service providers with defined performance metrics
- Negotiate contracts, manage renewals, and ensure licensing compliance
- Standardize technology purchasing across sites while accommodating regional requirements
People Leadership & Organizational Development
- Lead, mentor, and develop a high‑performing IT organization
- Establish performance expectations, career paths, and skills development plans
- Promote a culture of customer service, accountability, and continuous improvement
- Ensure appropriate staffing models and on‑call coverage for manufacturing operations
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in IT, Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience
- 10+ years of progressive IT leadership experience, including managing managers
- Experience supporting multi‑site manufacturing environments (automotive supply chain strongly preferred)
- Strong ERP and business process integration experience
- Solid knowledge of infrastructure, networking, and cybersecurity fundamentals
- Experience leading enterprise initiatives, vendor relationships, and technology budgets
- Strong executive‑level communication and stakeholder management skills
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with MES, SCADA, labeling, traceability, and IoT platforms
- Cybersecurity certifications (e.g., CISSP, CISM)
- Experience supporting EDI and automotive customer requirements
- Exposure to cross‑border operations in North America and Mexico
- Familiarity with Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement practices
Travel & Work Conditions
- Regular travel required across Canada, the U.S., and Mexico
- Availability outside standard hours to support critical incidents, cutovers, and plant events
This posting is for an existing vacancy with the organization.
AI may be used to screen, assess or select applicants for the position.
