Corporate Area Technical Manager

PCA • Tomahawk, WI

7d • $129,500 - $185,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

As a Fortune 500 company, Packaging Corporation of America (PCA) is an ideas and solutions company. Our corrugated packaging business seeks to be the leader in helping our customers — large and small — package, transport and display products of all kinds. Our white paper business delivers Paper With Purpose by providing the highest level of customer service and operational excellence. We have approximately 15,000 team members in more than 100 locations in the United States that strive to meet the local needs of our customers. Our mission is to serve the needs of our customers, today and tomorrow, with products and services that exceed expectations for performance and environmental responsibility.

People • Customers • Trust
The Corporate Area Technical Manager oversees and supports the configuration of DCS logic, installation of DCS hardware, process tuning, and optimization of existing control strategies. These operating systems function in an environment where uptime expectations exceed 99%, making equipment integrity and control system reliability essential. A failure within the control system can result in catastrophic equipment damage, production losses, and significant revenue impact.

Process control systems in manufacturing environments depend heavily on Distributed Control Systems (DCS), deployed across both physical and virtual platforms. Across PCA facilities, these systems represent a broad and varied installed base, ranging from recently commissioned modern platforms to legacy DCS systems that have reliably supported operations for decades. Examples include Foxboro IA, ABB Bailey Net90, Emerson DeltaV, Honeywell TDC 3000 and Experion, and Rockwell systems. These platforms operate across a combination of proprietary and open networks, run continuously in 24/7 production environments, and present distinct challenges in operations, reliability, cybersecurity, and optimization.

As these systems become increasingly interconnected, the reliability of both field hardware and DCS components becomes increasingly critical. PCA requires robust, resilient installations that extend from instrumentation, motors, and final control elements to operator interfaces, process historians such as PI and IBA, and business systems used for production planning. Designing and maintaining this level of integration requires creativity, practical experience, and deep technical knowledge of control system hardware, software, and instrumentation practices necessary to build dependable and resilient DCS environments.
The Corporate Area Technical Manager will support each mill in maintaining, improving, and sustaining its DCS systems. This role will serve as a resource for best practices and as a key liaison among mill teams, Corporate Technology specialists, and Corporate IT professionals.

Requirements

• Broad technical expertise (10+ yrs) and practical experience across key areas, including:
• Distributed Controls Systems hardware (Honeywell, ABB Bailey, Emerson Delta V, or Rockwell)
• Control Tuning
• Instrumentation
• DCS programming of logic
• Project Management
• DCS Upgrades
• Process Optimization
• Project Budget estimations
• Various Microsoft applications – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc..
• Previous experience with Honeywell, ABB, Emerson, and Rockwell systems or other process control systems.
• High level of ownership and accountability
• Highly pro-active
• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to collaborate effectively
• Adept at listening to site concerns, communicating best practices, and applying a service-oriented mindset
• Curious, innovative, and committed to staying current with the latest instrumentation, DCS technologies, cybersecurity threats, and industry best practices

Responsibilities

• Provide technical support to Corporate and mill teams responsible for DCS, QCS, PLC, and drives systems
• Identify, recommend, and deliver DCS training opportunities for control system engineers and technicians
• Engage early in capital project development to ensure proper specification and supportability of control system equipment
• Establish DCS lifecycle management expectations to inform capital planning and long-term system reliability
• Support corporate control system audits, assessments, and improvement initiatives
• Partner with Operations, IT, and Controls organizations to develop and promote control system best practices
• Lead or coordinate planning activities for system updates, upgrades, and reliability improvements
• Travel as needed to support capital projects, reliability initiatives, troubleshooting efforts, and system upgrades
• Develop practical and creative solutions to improve cybersecurity posture on legacy control system platforms
• Stay current on supplier advisories, known issues, knowledge base articles, software updates, and emerging risks
• Ensure DCS initiatives remain aligned with risk management, production continuity, and operational resilience

Benefits

• Starting salary range for position: $129,500-$185,000
• Annual Bonus – Based upon individual contribution and overall, Company performance.
• Three (3) weeks of Paid Vacation per calendar year. Pro-rata Vacation during the initial year of hire based upon start date within the calendar year.
• Paid Holidays.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage (eligible within the first 30 days of employment).
• Life, AD&D, and disability coverages (automatically enrolled upon hire).
• 401k plan with pre-tax and Roth contribution options.
• Employer provided matching contributions for the 401k plan.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed