Director of Digital Manufacturing

Pennex Aluminum Company•Leetonia, OH

1d•$1 - $1•Onsite

About The Position

Consider joining the Pennex family as a Director of Digital Manufacturing. The Director of Digital Manufacturing leads the digital manufacturing and shop-floor information systems strategy and execution, with primary accountability for IT initiatives related to Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and Quality Management Systems (QMS). Reporting to the VP of IT and based in Leetonia, Ohio, this role partners with senior leadership to ensure organizational alignment and sustained executive support for change. This leader partners with Operations, Quality, Engineering, and Corporate IT to ensure systems align with business goals, support day-to-day plant operations and quality control needs, and deliver measurable improvements in safety, quality, delivery, and productivity. Critically, this is a change leadership role as much as a technology role.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Engineering, Manufacturing, or a related field required; advanced degree preferred.
7 or more years of experience delivering IT solutions in a manufacturing environment; aluminum extrusion and/or metals processing experience strongly preferred.
5 or more years of hands-on experience implementing and supporting MES and/or QMS platforms, including integrations with ERP, automation/controls, and reporting/analytics tools.
Demonstrated leadership of cross-functional initiatives with operations and quality stakeholders, including requirements management, testing, training, and go-live stabilization.
Proven track record of driving technology adoption with frontline, hourly workforces in environments; experience in plant-floor-level relationship building required.
Strong understanding of manufacturing and quality processes and how MES/QMS systems support them (traceability, genealogy, SPC, NCR/CAPA, document control, audits).
Experience with system integration patterns and data flows across the plant floor (e.g., ERP, PLC/SCADA historians, label/printing, EDI/customer portals), including vendor coordination.
Proven project/program management skills (scope, schedule, budget, risk) and comfort working within Agile and/or hybrid delivery models.
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities; able to translate operational issues into actionable system/process improvements.
Exceptional change leadership skills — experience building trust with potentially skeptical operators and supervisors, translating frontline concerns into system improvements, and sustaining adoption through floor-level engagement over the long term.
Excellent communication skills, including the ability to present technical concepts and status to non-technical audiences and senior leaders.
Demonstrated “influence without authority” — the ability to align plant leadership, operations, and cross-functional stakeholders who do not report to this role.
Must be able to pass pre-employment physical and drug screen
Must be eligible to work in the United States, visa sponsorships are not available
Regular attendance required

Nice To Haves

advanced degree preferred
aluminum extrusion and/or metals processing experience strongly preferred
Formal OCM experience (ADKAR, Prosci, Kotter, or equivalent) strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Design and execute structured OCM programs including communication plans, training, floor-level engagement, and feedback loops to drive lasting adoption among operators, supervisors, quality technicians, and engineers. Apply formal OCM methodologies (e.g., ADKAR, Prosci, Kotter) to build sustainable behavior change, not just system go-lives. Build credibility and trust with frontline employees who may be skeptical of new systems or processes.
Own the roadmap, prioritization, and delivery of Pennex MES and QMS initiatives, including business case development, stakeholder alignment, and value realization.
Own the licensing management, vendor management, and coordination of application updates/patches for the MES and QMS packages used in the plants.
Lead process discovery and requirements gathering across production and quality processes (e.g., routing, labor reporting, downtime, scrap, SPC, nonconformance, corrective action), translating needs into IT system designs, configurations, and integration requirements.
Direct end-to-end implementation activities of new or significantly upgraded MES and QMS applications including vendor management, system integration testing, user acceptance testing (UAT), cutover planning, training, and communications to ensure successful adoption.
Serve as the primary IT leader for manufacturing and quality applications and related shop-floor technology needs; triage and resolve issues, coordinate with internal IT teams and vendors, ensure that Corporate IT department’s relevant policies, procedures, and governance are applied, communicate status to stakeholders, and drive root-cause prevention for recurring problems.
Lead, develop, and retain a team of 2 to 3 IT professionals. Set clear priorities aligned to the plant roadmap, provide coaching and feedback, and build team capability and accountability.