Senior Director I.T.

Waupaca Foundry, Inc.; Waupaca (WI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A manufacturing company in Wisconsin seeks a seasoned IT Executive to lead strategic planning and digital transformation. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in managing IT systems, developing data policies, and ensuring cybersecurity management. Responsibilities include leading a team of 33, handling an annual budget of $12 million, and innovating IT strategy in line with business goals. A strong background in ERP systems and exceptional leadership skills are required.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years leading an IT organization at an executive level.
• Minimum 7 years of enterprise platform delivery experience.
• Experience in IT infrastructure strategic planning and development.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a team of 33 resources.
• Evaluate emerging technologies for business applications.
• Oversee negotiation and administration of vendor contracts.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Strategic Planning

Cyber Security

Data Engineering

Project Management

Education

Bachelor's degree (Bachelor of Science)

Tools

Microsoft Power BI

SAP

Visual Studio

SharePoint

Job description

Directs IT as an enterprise resource, serving as a value creation engine rather than just a support function. Leads the visioning and strategic planning for digital and business transformation, ensuring the IT Roadmap aligns with the company’s overall strategic plan and is governed by the IT Executive Committee. Establishes IT as a value driver through the maturation of data policies, cybersecurity risk governance, and business continuity procedures. Manages a complex application environment (AS400 and SAP) while establishing technical priorities, standards, and procedures to ensure sufficient systems capacity for organizational needs.

• Lead the visioning and strategic planning process for the IT Department; ensure the IT Roadmap serves as a value-driver for all business areas.
• Establish and maintain productive partnerships with Business Unit Leaders to advance business processes and implement supporting technologies (Data, Analytics, AI) which improve cost position and competitive advantage.
• Partner with the IT Executive Committee (a cross‑functional team) to filter and prioritize IT demand, maintaining transparency of IT activities across the organization.
• Provide team members appropriate leadership, mentoring, and guidance to modernize capabilities in areas such as Data Engineering, Cyber Security, AI and Business Analysis.
• Keep abreast of emerging technologies (AI, Power BI, Fabric) and evaluate their potential application to address current business requirements or future growth.
• Develop and manage operating and capital IT budgets; measure and report the realization of financial and strategic outcomes for all initiatives.

Preferred Education/ Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree (Bachelor of Science)
• Minimum 5 years leading an IT organization at an executive level.
• Minimum 7 years of enterprise platform delivery experience (ERP or other large enterprise platforms).
• Minimum 5 years maintaining IT systems and familiarity with IT system related to manufacturing.
• In‑depth knowledge of cybersecurity frameworks and risk governance.
• Experience with Microsoft Power BI, Fabric, SharePoint, and Visual Studio.
• Exceptional leadership and communication skills; ability to produce board‑ready deliverables.
• Experience in IT infrastructure strategic planning and development, project management, budget and resource management and policy development.
• Experience in deploying strategy in IT realm with support for strategic initiatives in all areas.
• Manage multiple diverse demands by planning and prioritizing team assignments and managing resource constraints.

Qualifications/Skills

• Formulate and deploy long‑term strategic plans for acquiring and enabling efficient, cost effective, and secure information processing technologies.
• Manage the intake of programs and projects with related business cases, maturing the organization’s portfolio management discipline.
• Mature program, project, change management, and training delivery for seamless roadmap execution and implementation of large‑scale ERP platforms.
• Define and communicate project milestones, service level agreements, and resource allocation to the executive team, providing board‑ready deliverables and status reports.
• Establish and maintain an IT governance model, including data policies, taxonomies, and integration definitions.
• Direct research on potential technology solutions and implementations (including AI and machine learning) in support of new initiatives and procurement.
• Oversee the negotiation and administration of vendor, outsourcer, and consultant contracts; define deliverables and track quality and service levels.
• Develop, update, and periodically test disaster recovery and business continuity plans to ensure minimal service disruptions.
• Manage IT staffing, including recruitment of specialized technical talent, supervision, development, and high‑performance team building.
• Direct and manage multiplatform teams including SAP, .NET, and RPG; maintain competency in mixed application ERP functionality.
• Collaborate with Human Resources and business unit leaders to define and communicate IT policies and standards for end‑users.
• Lead and manage data visualization enhancements for the business.
• Deliver day‑to‑day IT user support.

About This Role

• This role will directly lead and manage a team of 33 resources and manage an overall annual budget of $12 million.
• With a growing business we are looking for someone that can not only run the current operations but continue to innovate with our business partners to drive value for our customers.

Waupaca Foundry is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability.

Persons with a disability needing assistance

with the application process,

please contact Human Resources at

Phone: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disabled and veterans.

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