IT Infrastructure & Applications Lead

Celestica; Fort Worth, Arlington, Dallas (TX, TX, TX); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A manufacturing services company is seeking an IT Infrastructure/Applications Lead in Fort Worth, Texas. This hands-on role entails managing strategic IT initiatives and overseeing the local IT team while ensuring the stability of production-critical systems. Candidates should have 5+ years of IT experience, including manufacturing, and possess strong leadership and technical skills. The position emphasizes both strategic oversight and active problem-solving in a factory setting.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in Information Technology with at least 2 years in manufacturing.
• Experience with Electronics Manufacturing Services or Contract Manufacturing.
• Strong financial and business acumen.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct supervision and management to the on-site IT team.
• Establish long-term plans for the site’s IT function.
• Develop and manage departmental budgets.
• Negotiate and manage external service providers.
• Lead the system analysis, design, development, and support.

Skills

Team Leadership

Strategic Planning

Financial Oversight

Vendor Management

Troubleshooting

System Integration

Compliance

Security Management

Negotiation

Conflict Resolution

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or IT

Tools

ERP (SAP, Oracle)

Virtualization Tools

Job description

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We are seeking a highly experienced and versatile IT Infrastructure/Applications Lead to serve as the single point of accountability for all Information Technology services and personnel at our manufacturing site. This is a hands‑on working manager role that requires a unique blend of strategic leadership, budget management, people management, and deep technical expertise. This Lead will personally ensure the stability of all production‑critical systems (SMT, MES, ERP) while driving the strategic roadmap and managing the local IT team.

Key Responsibilities

• Team Leadership: Provide direct supervision, coaching, and management to the on‑site IT team (Infrastructure and Applications), including performance reviews, compensation input, and hiring decisions.
• Strategic Planning: Establish long‑term plans and goals for the site’s IT function, ensuring alignment with corporate IT architecture strategies and overall site operational objectives.
• Financial Oversight: Develop, manage, and oversee departmental budgets (OpEx and CapEx) for all local IT investments, services, and external vendors.
• Vendor Management: Negotiate with and manage external service providers, ensuring that vendor performance meets contractual Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

Operational Excellence & Technical Authority

• Production Uptime (Hands‑on): Serve as the highest escalation point and personally engage in resolving Tier 3 technical issues to ensure maximum uptime of the Shop Floor Control (SFC), MES, and SMT line connectivity.
• System Integration: Lead the system analysis, design, development, and support for key Global Systems (ERP, PLM) and local manufacturing applications, managing the interfaces between shop floor hardware and corporate systems.
• Infrastructure Health: Oversee and troubleshoot the site’s entire IT infrastructure, including servers, high‑availability data networks (LAN/WLAN), and production‑critical hardware.
• Compliance & Security: Implement and enforce corporate IT security policies, manage disaster recovery planning, and ensure all site IT systems adhere to regulatory and corporate standards.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Experience: 5+ years of relevant experience in Information Technology with a least 2 years within manufacturing and preferably 1+ years within the Electronics Manufacturing Services or Contract Manufacturing Sector. Experience working with and negotiating with from shop floor thru to senior management and also with customers and suppliers.

Technical Acumen

• Manufacturing IT: Shop Floor Control (SFC), MES applications, and their integration with ERP (e.g., SAP, Oracle).
• Infrastructure: Advanced knowledge of server administration, virtualization, and complex network troubleshooting in a factory setting.
• Application Development Life Cycle and technical analysis for system integration.
• Business Skills: Strong financial and business acumen, with the ability to manage budgets, negotiate contracts, and align IT strategy with manufacturing goals.
• Soft Skills: Excellent leadership, communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills, with a proven ability to interact effectively from the shop floor through to senior management.
• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Physical Demands & Work Environment

This position requires a dynamic work style that blends office‑based strategy with hands‑on shop floor presence.

• Office Environment: Extended periods of sitting, sustained visual concentration on a computer monitor, and repetitive manual movements (data entry) are required for administrative and strategic duties.
• Manufacturing Environment (Required): Regular and frequent movement throughout the manufacturing plant is required to personally supervise and troubleshoot critical systems. Occasional exposure to noise, operating machinery, and other factory conditions is expected.
• Availability: Must be able to respond to and resolve critical IT incidents that impact production, which may require on‑call availability outside of standard business hours.

Notes

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees are held accountable for all duties of the job. Job duties and the % of time identified for any function are subject to change at any time.

Seniority level: Mid‑Senior level

Employment type: Full‑time

Job function: Manufacturing and Information Technology

Industries: Manufacturing, IT System Operations and Maintenance, and Appliances, Electrical, and Electronics Manufacturing