Director IT, Manufacturing Applications & Shop Floor (Manufacturing)

RESPONSIBILITY LEVEL: 

The role is accountable for the overall strategy, delivery and performance of Manufacturing Applications & Shop Floor Experience platforms across the company. The objective of the role is to provide reliable, modern technologies for manufacturing sites across the globe to enable 24x7 operations improving the daily experience for shop floor employees in operator, supervisor, maintenance and quality roles. In turn, elevating the performance of the plants.

Responsibilities include selecting technologies to fulfill business capabilities, leading development, configuration and Level 3 support. This role executes transparent IT processes for full solution lifecycle and drives continuous improvement in solution performance, reliability, compliance, and efficiency. Proactively drives solution usage and simplification with digital product managers and IT business partners. Develops and executes solution roadmaps that align to business strategy and enable improvement in plant KPIs. Continuously studies Clarios operations and external benchmarks to build manufacturing expertise. This position manages team members and delivers via outsource partners located across the globe. The role is based in a corporate headquarters but is expected to spend significant time at manufacturing, distribution and recycling facilities.

This role combines business strategy and industry best practices to recommend application technology that is strategically aligned and business value focused. Works with cross-functional product teams and IT business partners in translating business need into actionable products and project improvements. Ensures successful plan, build, test, and run of integrated Manufacturing Systems capabilities and services.  Drives continuous improvement to stabilize/rationalize existing manufacturing application landscape and plan necessary upgrades to remain in support.

As a member of the Global Applications leadership team, this role needs to set the appropriate tone at the top. The position requires a leader who leads by example, is competent, confident, perseverant, inspirational, influencing, disciplined and dependable. In addition, this individual needs to be highly collaborative, a strong communicator and continuous improvement minded. The ability to deliver while anticipating issues and thinking strategically is required. 

The position requires a demonstrated ability to manage a diverse portfolio of requests, quickly mediate between competing priorities, and work effectively with IT colleagues, contractors, and business management both within and across reporting relationships, business units and geographic regions.

Finally, this leadership role is responsible for the management, development and engagement of its people, including the hiring of staff, their instruction, coaching and evaluation.

DUTIES:

Application Strategy & Portfolio Management

Proactively engage with Operations leaders, IT business partners, applications team peers and external partners to create and evolve the Manufacturing Applications & Shop Floor Experience strategy for the enterprise. Ensure continuous advancement of business capabilities while simplifying the technical landscape over time. Manage a portfolio of current, compliant, supported manufacturing applications and platforms the business can rely on. Research and experiment with new technologies to inform strategy and roadmaps.

Shop Floor Experience

Working with Operations leadership and regional IT business partners, establish feedback mechanisms to understand the technology use cases, journeys and pain points within the manufacturing shop floor environment. Use this to inform roadmaps and investments. Acting as a digital catalyst, propose new technologies and user experiences that eliminate pain points and improve the daily experience on the shop floor. Bring the “art of the possible” to modernize the shop floor in line with Clarios' Future Factory ambitions.

Application Delivery “BUILD”

Lead the technical design, development, testing and implementation of manufacturing applications & shop floor experience platforms, ensuring utilization of solution development lifecycle management processes, inside both agile and waterfall initiatives. Provide internal and external staffing to meet the needs of the approved PoC, product and project portfolio along with small enhancements.

Application Transition & Resiliency

Plan for and manage the transition of all new manufacturing applications and application changes to the central application support “RUN” team. Ensure proper stability of new solutions for successful transition to steady-state operations. Provide 24x7x365 Level 3 application support services for all manufacturing services. Responsible for maintaining and testing system compliance, user access, security role design, application data backups and recovery in line with overall Clarios application practices. Hold team members accountable for proper, timely support of systems and restoration of service. Lead root cause analysis of failures and ensure implementation of permanent corrective actions.

Team Management

Responsible for hiring and professional development of staff. Selects, develops, coaches, and reviews associates/employees and contingent workers. Conducts interviews, individual performance and development plan reviews, other supervisory interactions and proposes salary increases. Foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation displaying Clarios company values.

Vendor Management

Acts as primary contact with Manufacturing Application(s) account teams to understand application provider strategy and roadmap, licensing and escalation paths as needed. Work with procurement to achieve best platforms at best cost.

Departmental

Researches and recommends system development priorities, project estimations, resolves procedural problems, assists with formulating departmental policy and procedures, recommends new or revised standards, procedures, and policies around areas of responsibility. Participates in budgeting and long-term planning, implements long-term plans, uses non-traditional/creative approaches to problem-solving, recommends new or revised standards, policies, etc. in areas of responsibilities.

TYPICAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategy & Portfolio Management

• Define and lead the Manufacturing Systems workstream within the Clarios Future Factory strategy. This includes internal and external study and benchmarking, industry relations and bringing the outside-in software perspective.
• Lead the specification of current and desired state Manufacturing Applications & Shop Floor Experience landscape, identification of gaps to desired state, research and selection of new technologies.
• Maintain application roadmaps, monitor lifecycles and drives overall Manufacturing Application & Shop Floor Experience portfolio management.
• Investigate and propose techniques to improve resiliency and reduce cost within the Manufacturing applications landscape.

Shop Floor Experience

• As a member of the Future Factory leadership team gather feedback and identify enterprise level initiatives to improve operations.
• Use data-collection and observation methods to collect current state experiences and build a backlog of technology opportunities.
• Participate in empathy interviews and design thinking workshops to identify improvements.
• Lead the infrastructure team in specifying in-plant hardware, hosting, identity, network and security requirements to achieve optimal experience.

Application Delivery “BUILD”

• Provide work effort and cost estimates to business relationship and PMO teams as requested.
• Participate in solution ideation, high-level planning and participate in trade-off or prioritization efforts.
• Responsible for management of all internal and external 3rd party development and configuration of Manufacturing Applications & Shop Floor Experience Platforms.
• Responsible for qualification, selection and commercial agreements with external solution delivery parties following IT procurement policies.
• Work in collaboration with IT delivery teams to ensure compatibility of designs and consistent delivery practices.
• Ensure design and delivery of solutions compliant with IT General Controls and SOX.
• Responsible for overall quality of solution delivery and successful cutover and launch activities.

Application Transition & Resiliency

• Lead stabilization of new Manufacturing Applications & Shop Floor Experience platforms, plan and manage successful transition of operational support to steady-state operations RUN team, managed service provider.
• Provide Level 3 support services tailored to the needs of the business.
• Accountable for incident response and resolution of incidents escalated to Level 3 or above.
• Manage and challenge on-going application license, maintenance, subscriptions costs to find reduction opportunities on an annualized basis.
• Continuously analyze support incidents and recurring problems to recommend and implement corrective actions to reduce total volume and eliminate Major Incidents (P1).
• Responsible for long-term care and feeding of all Manufacturing Applications & Shop Floor Experience platforms. Establishment of health measurements and investment proposals to prevent inadvertent aging or failures.
• Responsible for annual IT SOX self-testing and remediation efforts for in-scope applications

Vendor Management

• Application Vendor Management – Engage with Manufacturing Application(s) account teams as primary Clarios contact.
• Application Delivery Vendor Management – Identify, select, negotiate, contract and manage delivery vendors.

Team Management

• Staff Management - Responsible for the professional development of staff. Responsible for hiring of staff personnel in area of responsibility. Conducts interviews, individual performance and development planning performance reviews, other supervisory interactions and proposes salary increases.

Departmental

• Financial Responsibilities - Participates in creating of department budget and quarterly forecasts. Responsible for consulting, salary, travel and training budgets in designated areas of responsibility.
• Employee Engagement – Contribute to and sponsor efforts to drive improvements in employee engagement.

                       

REQUIREMENTS/QUALIFICATIONS:

• BS Degree in Information Technology, Engineering or similar field.  MS Degree or MBA preferred.
• 10+ years' experience defining, implementing and supporting Manufacturing Applications with an emphasis on Productivity, OEE, Traceability, Asset Management, Product Engineering & Shop Floor Experience.
• 7+ years leadership experience managing technical delivery teams.
• Experience with MES, Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), Automation, Shopfloor Employee Experience, Product Engineering and Industry 4.0 software solutions.
• Experience with GE Proficy, Apriso, Maximo, ThermoFischer LIMS, SolidWorks or similar applications is a must.
• Experience building low-code no-code application leveraging platforms like Mendix or OutSystems.
• Experience implementing unified namespace (UNS) architectural pattern to organizes data from various sources, for easy access and consumability across an organization
• Familiarity with manufacturing tools such as:
  • Internet of Things (IoT) devices for real-time monitoring and data collection.
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) for predictive maintenance and process optimization.
  • Digital twins for virtual modeling and simulation of manufacturing processes.
• Experience launching and supporting applications in a 24x7x365 manufacturing environment.
• Experience with Vendor Management for both product and service vendors.
• Experience delivering withing structured Project Management methodologies in both waterfall and agile environments.
• Experience leading individual programs greater than $5M in size.
• Experience with managing in-house and contract staff; experience managing offshore contract and nearshore captive centers a MUST.
• Experience negotiating managed service and fixed-price delivery contracts.
• Action oriented, with the ability to understand and willingness to get into systems development details when warranted. “Do what it takes” attitude.
• Strong analytical skills with demonstrated ability to convert business needs into system requirements.  
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with Multi-lingual capabilities preferred.
• Demonstrated IT leadership skills with a proven track record of success.
• Willingness to travel internationally to support job responsibilities as required. (Approx. 20-30%)

What you get:

• Medical, dental and vision care coverage and a 401(k) savings plan with company matching – all starting on date of hire
• Tuition reimbursement, perks, and discounts
• Parental and caregiver leave programs
• All the usual benefits such as paid time off, flexible spending, short-and long-term disability, basic life insurance, business travel insurance, Employee Assistance Program, and domestic partner benefits
• Global market strength and worldwide market share leadership
• HQ location earns LEED certification for sustainability plus a full-service cafeteria and workout facility
• Clarios has been recogizned as one of 2024's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere. This prestigious recognition marks the second consecutive year Clarios has received this distinction. 

Who we are:
Clarios is the force behind the world's most recognizable car battery brands, powering vehicles from leading automakers like Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Honda, and Nissan. With 18,000 employees worldwide, we develop, manufacture, and distribute energy storage solutions while recovering, recycling, and reusing up to 99% of battery materials—setting the standard for sustainability in our industry. At Clarios, we're not just making batteries; we're shaping the future of sustainable transportation. Join our mission to innovate, push boundaries, and make a real impact. Discover your potential at Clarios—where your power meets endless possibilities.

We recognize that people come with a wealth of experience and talent beyond just the technical requirements of a job. If your experience is close to what you see listed here, please apply. Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is key to challenging the status quo. Therefore, we encourage people from all backgrounds to apply to our positions. Please let us know if you require accommodations during the interview process by emailing Special.Accommodations@Clarios.com. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and value diversity in our teams in terms of work experience, area of expertise, gender, ethnicity, and all other characteristics protected by laws in the countries where we operate. For more information on our commitment to sustainability, diversity, and equal opportunity, please read our latest report. We want you to know your rights because EEO is the law.

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