Digital Manufacturing Solution Architect

The Digital Manufacturing Solution Architect designs scalable digital solutions for manufacturing operations to enable operational excellence in direct areas through digitalization. This position will serve as the key interface between business and IT for demand management, evaluating and harmonizing business needs from a governance and technical perspective.

As such, this candidate must be a competent IT counterpart for the Chief Operating Officers, Digital Transformation Officers, and Plant Managers in translating identified business demands into efficient IT/OT solutions. The Digital Manufacturing Solution Architect coordinates demands from various business units for the IT, facilitates testing potentials in agile proof-of-concepts, and supports creation of scalable, compliant, and economically viable services together with the target Service Tower.

Your Role & Responsibilities

• Design efficient IT / OT solutions as standardized, reusable OT Blueprints to improve manufacturing processes, collaborating with business counterparts (e.g., Chief Operating Officers, Plant Managers, Digital Transformation Officers) and IT specialists/functions (e.g. Service Towers, T&T and Enterprise Architecture Management).
• Evaluate and harmonize business demands from a governance and IT/technical perspective, identifying opportunities to leverage existing services or consolidate similar requirements.
• Act as a connecting link between business and IT, guiding stakeholders through the demand management process while ensuring solution designs meet requirements and adhere to IT/OT standards.
• Facilitate testing potentials through agile proof-of-concepts to ensure efficiency and effectiveness of proposed solutions.
• Ensure solutions leverage existing IT/OT Services and follow all standards and policies to optimize operational excellence and Business Continuity in manufacturing.
• Collaborate within IT, especially Service Towers, their T&T, and with other relevant departments to ensure alignment of solution designs with overall IT strategy, infrastructure, security, and compliance requirements.
• Develop reusable solution architectures and roadmaps for implementing scalable digital manufacturing solutions, creating OT Blueprints that align with business objectives.
• Support the implementation teams in the rollout of digital solutions, ensuring proper delivery of functional, commercial, operational, and secure solutions.

Your Skills & Strengths

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field.
• Proven experience as a Solution Architect, IT/OT Systems Designer, Demand Manager, or Technical Solution Developer in a digitalization or manufacturing environment.
• Strong knowledge of digitalization technologies and methods relevant to manufacturing, such as IIoT, data analytics, AI, automation, and digital twins, with emphasis on creating standardized and reusable solution designs.
• Understanding of IT/OT standards, policies, and security requirements as well as methodologies such as Lean, Six Sigma, and Agile approaches.
• Experience collaborating in cross-functional teams and with manufacturing processes in the automotive industry, focusing on technical solutions for optimization and digitalization.
• Ability to create OT Blueprints that balance functional requirements with commercial viability, operational efficiency, compliance, and security.

Competencies

• Communicate effectively in a global environment.
• Strong verbal and written communication.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work well in teams.
• Strong work ethic and attention to detail.

Do you have any questions?
GERDA.APPLETON@MAHLE.COM
+27 31 719-76 39