Senior Manager Digital and Automation

Mackinnon Bruce; New Jersey; On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Mackinnon Bruce is seeking a Senior Manager for Digital and Automation to lead a global Plant & Automation team across 90+ manufacturing sites. The role blends people leadership with delivering digital manufacturing solutions including MES, warehousing, automation and robotics to enhance stability and scalability.

The successful candidate will coach a team of 18 employees and 5-6 external staff, manage incidents per ITIL, and partner with senior leaders to shape investments and the manufacturing

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Manufacturing, Engineering, Information Technology or a related field.
• Approximately 10+ years of experience in manufacturing technology/plant automation/IT-OT.
• Proven success leading global technical teams in complex manufacturing environments.
• Strong coaching, delegation and people-development skills with distributed teams.
• Deep expertise in MES, warehousing, ACM, batch management, SCADA, DCS, PLCs, automation or robotics.
• Strong executive presence and the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
• Experience improving operational performance through incident management and ITIL.
• Ability to lead with a credible, leadership-led approach.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop a global Plant & Automation team across 90+ plants.
• Set vision and priorities, delegate effectively and build organizational capability.
• Balance demand, capacity and resources across incidents, enhancements and initiatives.
• Build relationships with manufacturing stakeholders and support US operations.
• Influence leadership on priorities, investments and the technology roadmap.
• Oversee delivery of digital manufacturing solutions across MES, warehousing, automation and robotics.
• Strengthen ITIL incident management, root-cause analysis and proactive prevention.
• Support site cybersecurity initiatives for manufacturing tech assets.
• Advance digitalisation and standardisation across a varied tech landscape.
• Drive adoption of technologies delivering measurable business value.

Skills

People leadership

Coaching & development

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Manufacturing/Engineering/Information Technology or related field

Tools

MES

SCADA

DCS

PLCs

Robotics

Batch management

Warehousing systems

ACM

Job description

Our client is a global leader within health, nutrition and beauty with a global presence. As part of continued development and innovation they are hiring a Senior Manager for Digital and Automation.

This position leads a global Plant & Automation team supporting digital manufacturing across 90+ manufacturing plants. The team comprises approximately 18 employees and 5-6 external staff, including professionals working remotely and at manufacturing sites.

People leadership is central to the position, accounting for approximately 70-80% of the role. The successful candidate will develop talent, establish clear priorities and build a collaborative, high-performing team.

Alongside team leadership, the role provides senior oversight of digital manufacturing delivery, balancing operational support with strategic initiatives. It partners with senior business and technology leaders to shape investments and the global manufacturing technology roadmap.

Travel:

Approximately 5-10%. Frequent travel is not anticipated.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop a global Plant & Automation team, fostering accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement and high performance.
• Set a clear vision, objectives and priorities for the team, delegating effectively and developing organisational capability.
• Balance demand, capacity and resources across incidents, enhancements and strategic initiatives.
• Build strong relationships with manufacturing stakeholders, with an initial emphasis on understanding daily operations and supporting US manufacturing.
• Influence senior business and technology leaders through trusted recommendations on priorities, investments and long-term manufacturing technology roadmaps.
• Oversee the delivery of digital manufacturing solutions across MES, warehousing, automation and robotics to improve operational stability, efficiency and scalability.
• Strengthen operational discipline through P1/P2 incident management, ITIL practices, root-cause analysis and proactive problem prevention.
• Support site cybersecurity initiatives and help ensure manufacturing technology assets are secure.
• Advance digitalisation, modernisation and greater standardisation across a varied manufacturing technology landscape.
• Encourage the adoption of technologies and practices that deliver measurable business value.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Manufacturing, Engineering, Information Technology or a related field.
• Approximately 10 or more years of relevant experience in manufacturing technology, plant automation, IT/OT or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated success leading and developing global technical teams, including employees and contractors, within complex manufacturing or industrial environments.
• Strong coaching, delegation and people-development skills, with experience managing distributed teams across sites and regions.
• Deep expertise in relevant digital manufacturing technologies, such as MES, warehousing, ACM, batch management, SCADA, DCS, PLCs, automation or robotics.
• Strong executive presence and the ability to influence senior stakeholders, manage competing priorities and communicate effectively across organisational levels.
• Experience improving operational performance through incident management, ITIL disciplines, root-cause analysis, service delivery and continuous improvement.
• Ability to combine technical credibility with a leadership-led approach to managing specialists and delivering outcomes.
• Flexibility to collaborate across global time zones and undertake occasional travel.
• A strong interest in digital transformation, innovation and manufacturing performance. No specific industry background is required, provided the candidate brings relevant manufacturing and IT/OT experience.