Corporate Area Technical Manager

Packaging-Corporation-of-America; Lake Forest (IL); On-site; USD 130,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Paid vacation

Paid holidays

Medical/dental/vision coverage

401k with employer match

Job summary

Packaging Corporation of America is seeking a Corporate Area Technical Manager in Lake Forest, IL to lead DCS hardware, tuning, and control system optimization across PCA facilities. You will coordinate with mill teams, corporate technology, and IT to ensure robust, secure, and reliable control systems.

The role emphasizes ownership, proactive problem solving, and staying current with instrumentation and cybersecurity best practices across legacy and modern platforms.

Qualifications

• Broad technical expertise across DCS hardware platforms (Honeywell, ABB Bailey, Emerson DeltaV, Rockwell).
• Ability to tune and optimize control systems and instrumentation.
• Experience programming DCS logic and managing control system projects.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical support for DCS, QCS, PLC, and drives systems across mills.
• Lead or coordinate planning for system updates and reliability improvements.
• Promote best practices in control system design, cybersecurity, and lifecycle management.

Skills

Distributed Controls Systems hardware

Control Tuning

Instrumentation

DCS programming of logic

Project Management

Process Optimization

Job description

1 W Field Ct, Lake Forest, IL 60045, USA

Job Description

As a Fortune 500 company, Packaging Corporation of America (PCA) is an ideas and solutions company. Our corrugated packaging business seeks to be the leader in helping our customers — large and small — package, transport and display products of all kinds. Our white paper business delivers Paper With Purpose by providing the highest level of customer service and operational excellence. We have approximately 15,000 team members in more than 100 locations in the United States that strive to meet the local needs of our customers. Our mission is to serve the needs of our customers, today and tomorrow, with products and services that exceed expectations for performance and environmental responsibility.

The Corporate Area Technical Manager oversees and supports the configuration of DCS logic, installation of DCS hardware, process tuning, and optimization of existing control strategies. These operating systems function in an environment where uptime expectations exceed 99%, making equipment integrity and control system reliability essential. A failure within the control system can result in catastrophic equipment damage, production losses, and significant revenue impact.

Process control systems in manufacturing environments depend heavily on Distributed Control Systems (DCS), deployed across both physical and virtual platforms. Across PCA facilities, these systems represent a broad and varied installed base, ranging from recently commissioned modern platforms to legacy DCS systems that have reliably supported operations for decades. Examples include Foxboro IA, ABB Bailey Net90, Emerson DeltaV, Honeywell TDC 3000 and Experion, and Rockwell systems. These platforms operate across a combination of proprietary and open networks, run continuously in 24/7 production environments, and present distinct challenges in operations, reliability, cybersecurity, and optimization

As these systems become increasingly interconnected, the reliability of both field hardware and DCS components becomes increasingly critical. PCA requires robust, resilient installations that extend from instrumentation, motors, and final control elements to operator interfaces, process historians such as PI and IBA, and business systems used for production planning. Designing and maintaining this level of integration requires creativity, practical experience, and deep technical knowledge of control system hardware, software, and instrumentation practices necessary to build dependable and resilient DCS environments.

The Corporate Area Technical Manager will support each mill in maintaining, improving, and sustaining its DCS systems. This role will serve as a resource for best practices and as a key liaison among mill teams, Corporate Technology specialists, and Corporate IT professionals. Responsibilities include:

• Provide technical support to Corporate and mill teams responsible for DCS, QCS, PLC, and drives systems
• Identify, recommend, and deliver DCS training opportunities for control system engineers and technicians
• Engage early in capital project development to ensure proper specification and supportability of control system equipment
• Establish DCS lifecycle management expectations to inform capital planning and long-term system reliability
• Support corporate control system audits, assessments, and improvement initiatives
• Partner with Operations, IT, and Controls organizations to develop and promote control system best practices
• Lead or coordinate planning activities for system updates, upgrades, and reliability improvements
• Travel as needed to support capital projects, reliability initiatives, troubleshooting efforts, and system upgrades
• Develop practical and creative solutions to improve cybersecurity posture on legacy control system platforms
• Stay current on supplier advisories, known issues, knowledge base articles, software updates, and emerging risks
• Ensure DCS initiatives remain aligned with risk management, production continuity, and operational resilience

The successful candidate will demonstrate broad technical expertise (10+ yrs) and practical experience across key areas, including:

• Distributed Controls Systems hardware (Honeywell, ABB Bailey, Emerson Delta V, or Rockwell)
• Control Tuning
• Instrumentation
• DCS programming of logic
• Project Management
• Process Optimization

PCA mills have systems provided by Honeywell, ABB, Emerson, and Rockwell. The ideal candidate will have previous experience with these or other process control systems. PCA expects the Corporate Area Technical Manager to have a high level of ownership and accountability, and to be highly pro-active.

Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively are essential. The Corporate Area Technical Manager serves as a trusted resource for mill Process Control personnel and must be adept at listening to site concerns, communicating best practices, and applying a service-oriented mindset to help mill teams succeed. The ideal candidate will be curious, innovative, and committed to staying current with the latest instrumentation, DCS technologies, cybersecurity threats, and industry best practices

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Starting salary range for position: $129,500-$185,000
• Bonus: Annual – Based upon individual contribution and overall, Company performance.
• Paid Vacation: Three (3) weeks per calendar year. Pro-rata Vacation during the initial year of hire based upon start date within the calendar year.
• Paid Holidays.
• Within the first 30 days of employment, an employee (and their dependents) is eligible to enroll in certain benefit coverages -- medical, dental, and vision – and are automatically enrolled in life, AD&D, and disability coverages.
• Upon hire, an employee is automatically enrolled in the 401k plan. The plan offers both pre-tax and Roth contribution options along with employer provided matching contributions.
• Disclaimer: The Compensation and Benefits information in this posting represents PCA's good faith and reasonable estimate of what it may pay for this position. The Company reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.

PCA is an Equal Opportunity Employer

1 W Field Ct, Lake Forest, IL 60045, USA