Digital Applications Manager

Challenge Manufacturing; Grand Rapids; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Challenge Manufacturing seeks a Manager, Digital Solutions & Development to lead a team delivering enterprise applications, Azure DevOps governance, and BI platforms across OT. This player-coach role sets development standards, drives DevSecOps maturity, and ensures scalable, secure digital solutions for manufacturing operations.

You will partner with OT Automation, SMS/MES, IT, and business stakeholders to advance digital transformation initiatives and oversee governance of Fabric, Power BI,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in CS/IS/Eng.
• 3+ years of people leadership in software teams.
• Strong Azure DevOps, Git, CI/CD, SDLC, and DevSecOps experience.
• Experience leading development of web apps and enterprise solutions.
• Experience establishing governance, standards, and release management.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, SQL, APIs, and modern architectures.
• Manufacturing/OT environment familiarity (MES, IIoT).

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of software and BI developers.
• Own Azure DevOps administration, governance, and standards.
• Establish Git workflows, CI/CD pipelines, and release processes.
• Develop SDLC and DevSecOps standards ensuring quality and security.
• Lead development of internal apps, tools, reporting platforms.
• Oversee API integrations across systems.
• Govern Microsoft Fabric and Power BI platforms.
• Drive governance, architecture reviews, and technical quality.
• Translate requirements with stakeholders into scalable solutions.
• Manage backlogs, priorities, and delivery commitments.

Skills

People leadership

Azure DevOps administration

Git workflows

CI/CD pipelines

SDLC

DevSecOps

Power BI governance

Microsoft Fabric

API integrations

Stakeholder management

Data governance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Software Engineering, Engineering, or related field

Tools

Azure DevOps

Power BI

Microsoft Fabric

SQL

Job description

The Manager, Digital Solutions & Development leads the team responsible for enterprise application development, Azure DevOps governance, software delivery practices, Microsoft Fabric administration, Power BI governance, and digital solution delivery across the Operational Technology organization. This is a player-coach leadership role responsible for establishing development standards, governing Azure DevOps, driving DevSecOps maturity, and delivering scalable, secure, and supportable digital solutions.

The role leads a team of developers while partnering closely with OT Automation, SMS/MES, IT, and business stakeholders to support Challenge Manufacturing's digital transformation initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of software developers, BI developers, and future data architecture resources.
• Own Azure DevOps administration, governance, standards, and adoption across Operational Technology teams.
• Establish and govern Git workflows, repositories, branching strategies, pull request standards, CI/CD pipelines, and release processes.
• Develop and maintain software development lifecycle (SDLC) and DevSecOps standards that ensure quality, security, and traceability.
• Lead development of internal web applications, business tools, reporting platforms, and digital solutions.
• Oversee API-based integrations between manufacturing, business, and third-party systems.
• Govern Microsoft Fabric and Power BI platforms, including standards, lifecycle management, security, and supportability.
• Drive development governance, architecture reviews, and technical quality across all team deliverables.
• Establish standards for application architecture, documentation, testing, deployment, and support.
• Partner with OT Automation, SMS/MES, IT, and business stakeholders to translate requirements into scalable digital solutions.
• Manage development backlogs, priorities, resource allocation, and delivery commitments.
• Support data governance, access control, audit readiness, and compliance requirements including IATF and ISO standards.
• Monitor and improve development performance through deployment metrics, platform adoption, solution quality, and user satisfaction.
• Manage vendor relationships and third-party technical integrations.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, innovation, and operational excellence.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Software Engineering, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 3+ years of people leadership experience leading software development or technical teams.
• Strong experience with Azure DevOps administration, Git workflows, CI/CD pipelines, SDLC, and DevSecOps practices.
• Experience leading development of web applications, enterprise solutions, integrations, or digital products.
• Experience establishing development governance, coding standards, release management processes, and technical best practices.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, SQL, APIs, and modern application architectures.
• Manufacturing industry experience with familiarity in MES, Ignition, IIoT, and Operational Technology environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience as a software developer, technical lead, architect, or development manager.
• Azure DevOps Administrator certification or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience implementing enterprise DevOps governance programs.
• Experience leading Microsoft Fabric or enterprise analytics platforms.
• Experience supporting multi-site manufacturing operations.
• Experience with ISO, IATF, IEC 62443, or similar governance/compliance frameworks.
• Experience driving digital transformation initiatives in manufacturing environments.