Manager, Engineering IT Systems

Woodward, Inc.•Fort Collins, CO

About The Position

The Manager, IT Engineering partners with stakeholders define, lead, and drive the integration of cutting-edge digital technologies and processes across the organization, ensuring seamless connectivity, data flow, and operational efficiency. This role is critical to enabling our Model Based Engineering (MBE) strategy to drive adoption of modern, technology-driven solutions while leveraging the digital thread to create a connected ecosystem for data and processes across the entire lifecycle of products, systems, or operations.

Requirements

Strategic Vision and Alignment: Ability to clearly convey complex ideas to both technical and non-technical audiences, ensuring alignment and understanding across all levels of the organization.
Skills to align technology initiatives with long-term business strategies ensuring investments deliver measurable value.
Strategic prioritization of projects, balancing immediate needs with future goals.
Focus on building relationships, leveraging expertise, and fostering trust while communicating strategically.
Leadership and Team Development: Proven ability to lead, mentor, and inspire cross-functional teams of IT professionals, engineers, and business stakeholders.
Mentorship and coaching skills to develop team members’ technical, analytical, and leadership skills.
Ability to foster a collaborative, accountable, and high-performing team culture while addressing team challenges constructively.
Skilled in setting clear goals to drive ownership and accountability, tracking progress through KPIs, and using feedback to continuously improve team performance and system outcomes.
Ability to manage underperforming employees.
Change Management and Transformation Leadership: Expertise in leading organizational change, particularly in rolling out or optimizing PLM, CAD, MBE, and HPC systems.
Ability to drive digital transformation initiatives, such as adopting model-based workflows or implementing HPC clusters for advanced simulations.
Skills to handle resistance to change by communicating the value of new tools and processes and ensuring smooth adoption.
Ability to drive ownership and accountability as part of change management.
Stakeholder Communication and Influence: Strong communication skills to bridge the gap between technical teams and non-technical stakeholders, such as executives or business leaders.
Ability to present complex technical concepts and system updates in a clear, concise manner to decision-makers.
Skills to build consensus, manage stakeholder expectations, and align teams toward shared goals.
Collaboration and Cross-Functional Leadership: Ability to foster collaboration between IT, engineering, manufacturing, and business teams to ensure alignment across the organization.
Leadership in breaking down silos and encouraging knowledge sharing to improve workflows and innovation.
Skills to mediate and resolve conflicts between departments or team members constructively.
Project and Program Management: Proficiency in managing complex projects.
Skills in project planning, timeline management, and resource allocation using methodologies like Agile, Scrum, or Waterfall.
Ability to manage project risks, budgets, and deliverables while ensuring team alignment and accountability.
Empathy and Emotional Intelligence: Strong emotional intelligence to lead with empathy, understanding the needs and challenges of team members and stakeholders.
Ability to motivate and engage teams, especially during periods of high stress or organizational change.
Skills to foster a positive and inclusive work environment where everyone feels valued and heard.
Process Optimization and Continuous Improvement: Leadership in identifying inefficiencies and bottlenecks and implementing improvements.
Focus on leveraging automation, digital tools, and best practices to streamline operations and enhance productivity.
Ability to align process improvements with business goals to maximize ROI and engineering efficiency.
Decision-Making and Problem-Solving: Confident in making informed decisions under pressure, balancing short-term needs with long-term strategy, and managing competing priorities effectively.
Strong analytical skills to troubleshoot issues in systems and implement timely solutions.
Strategic problem-solving to address long-term challenges and risks, ensuring sustainable success.
Manage multiple tasks effectively, ensuring that operational and support responsibilities are completed on time.
Knowledge of Industry Standards and Trends: Familiarity with industry standards and best practices, such as ISO 10303 (STEP), ASME Y14.41, and other PLM/MBE/CAD frameworks.
Awareness of emerging trends in digital transformation, such as digital twins, generative design, and cloud-based PLM solutions.
Leadership in integrating advanced technologies (e.g., AI/ML) into engineering processes to drive innovation.
Vision for Digital Transformation: Awareness of emerging trends in PLM, CAD, MBE, and HPC, including cloud-based solutions, generative design, AI/ML applications, and digital twins.
Understanding of industry standards (e.g., ISO 10303 [STEP], ASME Y14.41) and compliance requirements (e.g., ITAR, GDPR) relevant to engineering and HPC systems.
Ability to evaluate and advocate for innovation and align cutting-edge technology with organizational objectives.
Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related discipline is required.
Project management experience required.
This position requires use of information which is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). All applicants must be U.S. Persons within the meaning of the ITAR and EAR, or eligible to obtain all required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce. The ITAR defines a U.S. Person as a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident (i.e., 'Green Card holder'), or a protected person (e.g., asylee, or refugee).

Nice To Haves

7+ years of experience in IT and engineering system management preferred.
5+ years of experience in IT and engineering system management preferred.
3+ years of leadership or management experience, with a proven track record of leading cross-functional teams preferred.

Responsibilities

Platform Strategy & Development: Lead strategic planning for all engineering-related IT systems, including PLM, CAD, and Simulation platforms.
Work directly with Engineering leadership to establish consensus around tool selections and direction.
Drive consistent engineering tool usage across the enterprise to foster standard methods and data reuse.
Establish roadmaps for future Engineering tool directions to support Model Based Enterprise (MBE), Model Based Definition (MBD), Manufacturing Process Planning, and others to ensure seamless data flow across the enterprise including Quality and Manufacturing.
Lead the implementation of system improvements and strategies that support organizational goals, ensuring initiatives are well-communicated, properly resourced, prioritized, and effectively executed for the engineering environment.
Partner with leadership to align and evolve team capabilities in line with the strategic goals.
Operational Excellence: Monitor and optimize system performance, enforce compliance, manage incidents, and ensure high availability and reliability of engineering IT services.
Provide oversight in the deployment, integration, and maintenance of engineering software and simulation tools, ensuring robust and secure IT operations across platforms.
Act as a strategic liaison to business partners, Sourcing, and other IT teams to govern, provision, and manage software entitlements, participate in vendor compliance audits, and identify areas of risk.
Program/Project/Change Management: Facilitate requirements gathering sessions and translate business needs into actionable initiatives.
Develop detailed project plans, schedules, budgets, allocate resources effectively, and coordinate with internal and external teams and stakeholders.
Monitor project progress, manage risks, and implement corrective actions to ensure on-time and within-budget delivery.
Communicate project updates to stakeholders, ensuring transparency and alignment throughout the project lifecycle.
Guide teams and stakeholders through change management processes with empathy and clarity, promoting user adoption and minimizing disruption through proactive communication and training.
Oversee large-scale implementation projects, including new modules, upgrades, and integrations with other enterprise systems.
Vendor Relationship Management: Act as the primary point of contact for external vendors and consultants.
Manage relationships with software vendors, ensuring optimal service delivery and adherence to contracts.
Partner with Sourcing, Legal, and IT Software Asset Management teams in contract negotiations and oversee vendor performance metrics to ensure service level agreements (SLAs) are met
Partner with IT Software Asset Management in response to vendor compliance audits.

Benefits

All members included in annual cash bonus opportunity.
401(k) match (4.5%)
Annual Woodward stock contribution (5%)
Tuition reimbursement and Training/Professional Development opportunities for all members
12 paid holidays, including floating holidays.
Industry leading medical, dental, and vision Insurance upon date of hire
Vacation / Sick Time / Vacation Buy-up / Short Term Disability / Bereavement leave.
Paid parental leave.
Adoption Assistance
Employee Assistance Program, including mental health benefits.
Member Life & AD&D / Long Term Disability / Member Optional Life
Member referral bonus
Spouse / Child Optional Life / Optional AD&D / Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending
Voluntary benefits, including: Home / Auto Insurance discounts
Whole Life Insurance / Critical Illness Insurance / Legal Assistance / Military Leave