IT Manager 2

Lumentum Operations LLC; Towcester; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Lumentum is seeking an IT Manager (Manufacturing Operations) for its Caswell UK site in Towcester. You will lead the MES and manufacturing IT services, drive reliability for 24x7 production, and guide the MES IT team.

The role partners across Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, and IT to deliver robust MES solutions and a modernization roadmap. You will require 10+ years in MES/manufacturing IT with 5+ years in team leadership, plus strong incident/change management and cross-functional

Qualifications

• 10+ years' experience working with MES, manufacturing applications, factory automation, or manufacturing IT.
• 5+ years' experience leading MES or application support teams.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, MES workflows, equipment integration, and data.
• Experience supporting mission-critical systems in a 24x7 manufacturing environment.
• Strong incident management, troubleshooting, change management, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Experience leading MES upgrades, migrations, modernization, or transformation programmes.
• Good understanding of databases, system integrations, infrastructure, and IT/OT environments.
• Strong people leadership and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Own the site's MES and manufacturing IT services, ensuring reliability, availability, performance, and effective production support.
• Lead and develop the MES IT team, providing technical direction, coaching, resource planning, and career development.
• Manage major incidents, root-cause analysis, change management, disaster recovery, and business continuity.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Automation, and IT to translate business requirements into effective MES and manufacturing IT solutions.
• Maintain appropriate technical, operational, cybersecurity, and support standards.
• Lead MES upgrades, migrations, integrations, and modernization initiatives.
• Develop and execute the site's MES technology roadmap, balancing immediate manufacturing needs with longer-term transformation.
• Manage internal and external technical resources, vendors, and technology partners.
• Ensure effective knowledge transfer and reduce dependency on critical legacy technologies and individual specialists.

Skills

MES

Manufacturing IT

Incident management

Stakeholder management

Team leadership

ITIL

Tools

PROMIS / VAX / VMS

Oracle SQL

Linux

Job description

It's fun to work in a company where people truly BELIEVE in what they're doing! We're committed to bringing passion and customer focus to the business. If you like wild growth and working with happy, enthusiastic over-achievers, you'll enjoy your career with us! IT Manager (Manufacturing Operations) – Caswell UK We are seeking an experienced IT Manager (Manufacturing Operations) to lead the IT and Manufacturing Execution System (MES) environment supporting manufacturing operations at our Caswell UK site. The role will have overall responsibility for the reliability, availability, support, and continuous improvement of manufacturing IT and MES, while leading the site MES IT team. You will work closely with Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Automation, Infrastructure, and wider IT teams to ensure reliable 24x7 production support and deliver the site's longer-term MES modernization strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the site's MES and manufacturing IT services, ensuring reliability, availability, performance, and effective production support.
• Lead and develop the MES IT team, providing technical direction, coaching, resource planning, and career development.
• Manage major incidents, root-cause analysis, change management, disaster recovery, and business continuity.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Automation, and IT to translate business requirements into effective MES and manufacturing IT solutions.
• Maintain appropriate technical, operational, cybersecurity, and support standards.
• Lead MES upgrades, migrations, integrations, and modernization initiatives.
• Develop and execute the site's MES technology roadmap, balancing immediate manufacturing needs with longer-term transformation.
• Manage internal and external technical resources, vendors, and technology partners.
• Ensure effective knowledge transfer and reduce dependency on critical legacy technologies and individual specialists.

Experience & Qualifications

• 10+ years' experience working with MES, manufacturing applications, factory automation, or manufacturing IT, ideally within semiconductor or high-tech manufacturing.
• 5+ years' experience leading technical, MES, or application support teams.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, MES workflows, equipment integration, and manufacturing data.
• Experience supporting mission-critical systems in a 24x7 manufacturing environment.
• Strong incident management, troubleshooting, change management, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Experience leading MES upgrades, migrations, modernization, or transformation programmes.
• Good understanding of databases, system integrations, infrastructure, and IT/OT environments.
• Strong people leadership and communication skills.

PROMIS / MES Experience

PROMIS MES experience is highly desirable, particularly experience with PROMIS on VAX/VMS, including Datalink, Interactive Scripts, ODS, and VMS/DCL scripting. However, PROMIS experience is not essential. Candidates with strong experience managing and supporting other MES platforms in complex manufacturing environments are encouraged to apply. Proven MES experience, combined with strong manufacturing knowledge, technical leadership, and the ability to learn new platforms, will be equally valuable.

Desirable Experience

• PROMIS / VAX / VMS
• Oracle SQL and manufacturing databases
• Linux and modern server environments
• MES integration with ERP, Quality, Engineering, Automation, and other manufacturing systems
• MES modernization and legacy-system transformation
• Manufacturing cybersecurity / OT environments
• ITIL or similar service-management practices
• Semiconductor, wafer fabrication, electronics, or high-tech manufacturing

The Ideal Candidate

We are looking for a strong manufacturing IT and MES leader, not someone limited to a single platform. You will combine technical expertise, operational ownership, people leadership, and strong business partnership to keep manufacturing running reliably today while helping shape the technology of tomorrow. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Lumentum is illuminating the networks of tomorrow with advanced photonic technologies that enable AI, data centers, telecom, industrial, and sensing applications. As AI accelerates the global demand for bandwidth and energy efficiency, we deliver the building blocks that keep data moving reliably, efficiently, and at massive scale. Our optical products support AI and compute infrastructure, cloud and DCI environments, metro and long-haul networks, while our lasers drive breakthroughs in precision manufacturing and sensing. For nearly five decades, Lumentum has been at the intersection of light and innovation.

What began as a vision with JDS Uniphase to harness the power of photonics has evolved into a global force driving the communication infrastructure of tomorrow. At Lumentum, we’re building more than a business— we’re building a team of passionate innovators whose drive to collaborate, create, and connect the world fuels everything we do. We are part of the AI technology revolution and we are illuminating the path forward.

Headquartered in San Jose, California, we operate worldwide through a network of R&D, manufacturing, and sales locations.