Head of Technology Strategy & AI (Equity/ESOP)

Haviland Enterprises, Inc.; Grand Rapids (MI); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity ownership (ESOP)

Profit-sharing bonus

Company 401(k) match

Generous vacation

Job summary

Haviland Enterprises, Inc. in Grand Rapids, MI seeks a Director of Business Technology to own the company’s technology direction, roadmap, and AI/data strategy.

You will lead and grow the internal IT team, supervise budget planning, and partner with executives to drive cross-functional initiatives across production, inventory, sales, and finance. The ideal candidate has 8+ years in IT leadership within manufacturing or distribution, strong ERP and data architecture knowledge, and the ability to

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in IT, business systems, data, technology transformation, or technology leadership roles, with demonstrated experience managing teams and driving cross-functional technology initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to operate at both a strategic and hands-on technical level.
• Experience leading technology initiatives that require collaboration across multiple business functions.
• Strong understanding of enterprise systems, technology architecture, integrations, data, cybersecurity, and IT operations.
• Practical experience evaluating, implementing, or supporting artificial intelligence technologies and business use cases.
• Demonstrated ability to understand complex business processes and translate business requirements into technology solutions.
• Strong leadership, communication, project management, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to nontechnical audiences.
• Ability and willingness to work on-site and travel occasionally to other company locations.
• Experience within a manufacturing and/or distribution environment preferred.
• Experience with ERP-driven organizations and an understanding of areas such as production, inventory, supply chain, sales, and finance preferred.
• Experience with data architecture, system integration, analytics, or data warehouse initiatives preferred.
• Experience in leading or developing IT professionals preferred.
• Experience working with third-party technology, cybersecurity, data, or implementation partners preferred.
• Proficient in MS Office Suite, ERP systems, and other applications/systems; Chempax experience is a plus.
• Entrepreneurial, with high levels of energy and self-motivation.
• Ability to read, write, speak, and understand English.
• Resilient, resourceful, and optimistic, with strong organizational and prioritization skills and the ability to effectively multi-task and manage time and resources to achieve individual and company goals and objectives.
• Ability to perform the essential functions of the position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

Responsibilities

• Own execution of the Company’s technology roadmap end to end — sequencing initiatives, managing the annual budget and investment plan, and deciding when external expertise or technology partners are needed.
• Build deep working knowledge of the Company’s operations by working hands-on with department leaders to surface workflows, pain points, and improvement opportunities.
• Own change management, education, and adoption for major technology initiatives, and build department leaders’ capacity to implement and own their own technology-enabled process improvements.
• Own post-implementation performance — building business cases with the VP of Finance, establishing adoption metrics, and using implementation results and feedback to continuously improve outcomes.

Skills

IT leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic thinking

Data architecture

ERP systems

AI technologies

Project management

Communication

English proficiency

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field

Tools

Chempax

MS Office Suite

ERP software knowledge

Job description

Haviland Enterprises, Inc. in Grand Rapids, MI seeks a Director of Business Technology to own the company’s technology direction, roadmap, and AI/data strategy.

You will lead and grow the internal IT team, supervise budget planning, and partner with executives to drive cross-functional initiatives across production, inventory, sales, and finance. The ideal candidate has 8+ years in IT leadership within manufacturing or distribution, strong ERP and data architecture knowledge, and the ability to