IT Manager (Manufacturing Operations)

Lumentum; Towcester; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Caswell UK site is seeking an experienced IT Manager (Manufacturing Operations) to lead the IT and MES environment supporting manufacturing operations.

You will own MES reliability, 24x7 production support, and the site MES modernization roadmap, working with Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Automation and broader IT teams.

The role requires 10+ years in MES/manufacturing IT and 5+ years leading technical teams, with strong leadership, incident management and change management skills.

Qualifications

• 10+ years' experience with MES, manufacturing applications, or manufacturing IT.
• 5+ years leading MES or application support teams.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing processes, MES workflows, equipment integration, and data.
• Experience supporting mission-critical systems in 24x7 manufacturing.
• Strong incident management, troubleshooting, change management, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Experience leading MES upgrades, migrations, modernization, or transformation programs.
• Knowledge 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 and production support.
• Lead and develop the MES IT team, providing direction and career development.
• Manage major incidents, root-cause analysis, change management, and disaster recovery.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Automation, and IT to deliver MES solutions.
• Maintain technical, operational, cybersecurity, and support standards.
• Lead MES upgrades, migrations, and modernization initiatives.
• Develop and execute the site's MES technology roadmap.
• Manage internal and external technical resources, vendors and partners.
• Ensure knowledge transfer and reduce dependency on legacy technologies.

Skills

MES leadership

Manufacturing IT

Team leadership

Incident management

Change management

Stakeholder management

Data & integrations

Cybersecurity

ITIL awareness

Tools

PROMIS / VAX / VMS

Oracle SQL

Linux

ERP integrations

ITIL practices

Job description

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.

• 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.