IT Director

JonnyPops•Plymouth, MN

9d•$145,000 - $175,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Information Technology is a newly created leadership role at JonnyPops, responsible for continuing the building and leading of the IT function as the company scales. This role owns IT strategy, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and enterprise systems across our corporate offices in Plymouth and our manufacturing facility in Elk River. The Director of IT will serve as the company’s technology partner — ensuring our systems are reliable, secure, integrated, and positioned to support JonnyPops’ continued growth. This is a fast paced and high-impact role with cross-functional reach. You’ll partner closely with Finance, Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, HR, and GTM to ensure every team has the tools and connectivity they need to operate with excellence. You’ll report to the CFO and be a key contributor to JonnyPops’ company-wide AI adoption initiatives. You will be responsible for managing and leading the talented team of technology professionals who bring the IT function to life for the JonnyPops organization.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field; equivalent experience considered
10+ years of progressive IT experience, with at least 3–5 years in a Director-level or senior leadership role with direct reports; candidates coming from an IT Manager background should demonstrate a clear track record of expanding scope, strategic ownership, and people leadership
Experience managing IT Managers or senior technical staff (not just individual contributors)
Experience in a manufacturing, distribution, or CPG environment strongly preferred
Demonstrated experience owning and presenting technology strategy and budget to executive leadership
8+ years of progressive IT experience with at least 3 years in a leadership or director-level role
Strong working knowledge of ERP systems (NetSuite experience a strong plus), cloud platforms, and SaaS application management
Proficiency with Microsoft 365 administration (SharePoint, Teams, Azure AD, Entra ID)
Experience with network infrastructure, endpoint management, and IT security frameworks
Familiarity with manufacturing plant technology environments (OT/IT convergence, MES platforms such as RedZone) a plus
Understanding of EDI, WMS, and supply chain data integration practices
Demonstrated experience with AI tools, automation platforms, and driving technology adoption across a non-technical workforce
Strong team leader who can hire, develop, manage and coordinate a team of IT professionals
Strong communicator who can translate technical complexity into clear recommendations for non-technical partners and leadership
Sound financial acumen: capable of building business cases, managing IT budgets, and prioritizing investments effectively
Ownership mentality: thrives in a lean, fast-moving environment where you’re building the function as much as running it
Adaptable and resilient with strong organizational skills; comfortable managing competing priorities with urgency and calm
Collaborative team player who lives the JonnyPops values: Integrity, Masterful Growth, Excellence, Team Work, Fact-Based Decisions, Alignment, and Service and Contribution

Nice To Haves

Candidates coming from an IT Manager background should demonstrate a clear track record of expanding scope, strategic ownership, and people leadership
Familiarity with manufacturing plant technology environments (OT/IT convergence, MES platforms such as RedZone) a plus

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a scalable IT strategy aligned with JonnyPops’ growth trajectory, EOS operating model, and company / business unit rocks
Partner with ELT and department leaders to prioritize technology investments and roadmap planning. Support technology evaluations and road mapping with business leaders to maximize strategic return on technology investments
Develop and lead a high-performing IT team; manage internal staff and external vendors / managed service providers
Own the IT budget, contract negotiations, vendor relationships, and technology spend governance
Champion the company’s AI adoption initiative — partnering with department leaders to embed AI tools and automation into business processes to drive measurable productivity gains while ensuring responsible data governance and security.
Oversee and optimize JonnyPops’ core enterprise systems, including: NetSuite (ERP and HRIS), RedZone (manufacturing MES / OEE platform), Microsoft 365 (SharePoint, Teams, Outlook), and various Business Applications.
Own integration strategy across systems — reducing manual data entry, closing gaps between disconnected platforms, and improving data reliability and flow across the business
Ensure system access provisioning, permissions governance, and onboarding/offboarding procedures are consistent and secure across all platforms
Oversee technology implementation and integration projects with both internal and external stakeholders to ensure delivery of objectives on-time and on-budget.
Manage and maintain network infrastructure, endpoints, and hardware across Plymouth (corporate) and Elk River (manufacturing) locations
Own cybersecurity strategy, risk assessment, incident response planning, and security awareness training
Ensure business continuity, disaster recovery planning, and data backup processes are in place and tested
Oversee cloud infrastructure, server environments, and connectivity between corporate and plant locations
Ensure the Elk River manufacturing facility’s OT (operational technology) environment — including plant-floor networks, vision systems, and production equipment connectivity — is secure, stable, and supported
Serve as the technology partner to Operations and Manufacturing; support RedZone rollout, adoption, and troubleshooting on the production floor
Ensure reliable IT/OT connectivity at the Elk River facility to support production, quality, maintenance, and supply chain operations
Partner with Supply Chain and Finance on EDI connectivity, WMS, ERP, and inventory data accuracy
Oversee helpdesk support and ensure all ~300+ employees have reliable technology to do their best work
Manage device provisioning, software licensing, and IT onboarding/offboarding processes in partnership with HR
Communicate clearly and collaborate with non-technical stakeholders; translate technical complexity into plain-language recommendations and business cases
May assume additional duties as necessary
Ensure IT systems that support food safety and quality operations — including RedZone (MES / OEE), NetSuite (ERP / traceability), and FSQA-related data integrations — are reliable, secure, properly maintained, and available to support uninterrupted production and regulatory compliance
Partner with the FSQA team to support audit readiness — ensuring technology systems, access logs, data integrity controls, and electronic records meet SQF, HACCP, and FDA requirements; assist in timely response to audit requests involving IT-managed data or systems
Protect the integrity of food safety and quality data — establish and enforce access controls, change management procedures, and data governance practices that prevent unauthorized modification of records related to production, lot traceability, and quality holds
Ensure OT / IT network security at the Elk River facility safeguards production systems and plant-floor connectivity; work with Operations and FSQA to ensure that cybersecurity measures do not create gaps in food safety monitoring or traceability
Support business continuity and disaster recovery planning with specific consideration for food safety-critical systems; ensure that recovery time objectives (RTOs) for production and FSQA systems reflect the operational risk of downtime in a food manufacturing environment
Actively model and promote food safety culture — understand and uphold JonnyPops’ food safety standards when planning and executing technology projects, vendor integrations, and system changes that touch production or quality operations