Operational IT Manager

Swatch Group; Marin-Epagnier; Remote; CHF 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Swatch Group is seeking a senior IT Operations Manager to lead the Industrial IT function in a high-tech manufacturing environment in Switzerland. You will oversee reliability, security, and delivery of MES and equipment integration systems, aligning IT projects with manufacturing priorities.

You will manage a team, coordinate external partners, and drive governance, risk, and continuous improvement to minimize downtime and technical debt while delivering on time and within budget.

Qualifications

• Experience leading IT Operations in a high-tech manufacturing environment.
• Ability to plan and deliver multiple IT projects (MES, RMS, CMMS, APS).
• Strong collaboration with IT Architect and cross-functional teams.
• Excellent governance, risk management, and change management skills.
• Familiarity with ISA-95, MES and shopfloor IT concepts.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the IT Operations team to enable high performance.
• Define and enforce IT Operations governance including incident, problem, and change management.
• Ensure stable, secure, and reliable MES and equipment integration in production.
• Manage external partners and system integrators ensuring SLA and cost control.
• Drive continuous improvement to reduce incidents and downtime.

Skills

IT Operations leadership

PMI project management

Agile methodologies

MES/ISA-95 knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT or Engineering

Tools

PMI framework

Agile tooling

Job description

Job description

In this management position, you are responsible for the operational excellence, reliability, security, and delivery of Industrial IT systems and projects supporting a high-tech manufacturing environment.

Reporting to the IT Manager, you manage Industrial IT by planning, coordinating, and delivering multiple parallel initiatives, while ensuring stable day-to-day operations and the controlled evolution of systems in alignment with business and manufacturing priorities.

Tasks & Responsibilities :

• Lead, support, and develop the IT Operations team through acting as a facilitator to enable highly skilled professionals to perform effectively and sustainably over time
• Create the conditions for durable performance through clear objectives, trust, prioritization, and sound workload management
• Ensure stable, secure, and reliable operations of Manufacturing Execution Systems (ISA-95 Level 3) and equipment integration systems (Level 2) in a production-critical environment
• Define, implement, and enforce IT Operations governance, including incident, problem, and change management
• Guarantee clear responsibilities and interfaces between ISA-95 layers, between MES (L3), automation systems (L2), and business systems (L4)
• Act as the Operational IT counterpart for Manufacturing, Engineering, and Quality on all topics related to MES, shopfloor IT, and equipment integration
• Manage multiple concurrent operational IT projects impacting manufacturing systems (e.g. MES, RMS, CMMS, APS), ensuring prioritization, capacity management, risk control, and on-time delivery, using PMI and Agile best practices
• Review and challenge technical and architectural choices related to software solutions, interfaces, and infrastructures, in close collaboration with the IT Architect
• Centralize and structure operational communication and change requests
• Manage and monitor external partners and system integrators involved in MES and equipment integration, ensuring SLA compliance, service quality, and cost control
• Identify operational and delivery risks impacting manufacturing systems and drive continuous improvement to reduce incidents, downtime, and technical debt