Mgr Manufacturing IT Infrastructure

Ventura Foods • Irvine, CA

29d • $140,057 - $184,560 • Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a versatile and technical Manager of IT/OT Systems to own the infrastructure, software stack, and security posture that powers our manufacturing operations. Reporting to the Director of IT Plant Infrastructure, you will bridge the gap between traditional IT Systems Engineering and Plant Floor Operations. You will be responsible for the "full stack" of plant technology—from managing Windows Servers and compute infrastructure to ensuring PLC/SCADA connectivity and driving OT Cybersecurity best practices. Your primary mission is modernization: working alongside Plant Engineering to transform "brownfield" plants into modern, connected facilities, ensuring data flows securely from the production line to the cloud (AWS). You will be critical on modernizing our plants.

Requirements

• 10+ years of IT systems experience, with specific experience supporting manufacturing environments (Food & Beverage preferred).
• Strong hands-on experience with Windows Server administration, and general IT infrastructure management.
• High familiarity with industrial automation architectures. You must understand how PLCs communicate (Ethernet/IP, Modbus) and how SCADA systems query data to troubleshoot connectivity effectively.
• Solid understanding of OT InfoSec principles (Purdue Model, IEC 62443 concepts) and the unique challenges of securing industrial networks.
• Experience with cloud services (IoT Core, Greengrass, or S3) and data connectivity protocols (MQTT, OPC-UA).
• Proven ability to retrofit legacy plant environments with modern connectivity solutions without replacing the entire control system.
• Experience leading technical initiatives and keeping a team focused on deliverables.
• A "Bridge Builder" mindset—you can speak "IT" to the server team and "OT" to the controls engineer.
• Ability to troubleshoot complex systems that span across hardware, software, network, and cloud layers.

Nice To Haves

• Certifications in Microsoft Systems (Azure/Server), CISSP, ISA/IEC 62443 or Industrial Cybersecurity (GICSP).
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) is a strong plus to support a diverse workforce on the plant floor.
• IaC experance with ansible or terraform.

Responsibilities

• Help maintain the core computing infrastructure for plant operations.
• Manage the lifecycle of plant-floor software assets, including HMI PCs, industrial tablets, and ruggedized workstations.
• Oversee Active Directory structures, Group Policies (GPO), and DNS/DHCP services specifically tailored for manufacturing environments.
• Ensure high availability and disaster recovery readiness for all critical plant systems.
• Own the operational health of the manufacturing software stack (e.g., Ignition SCADA Gateways, Middleware/Kepware, Enterprise Labeling/Loftware).
• Lead the technical integration of Industry 4.0 initiatives, engineering the connectivity pipelines that move tag data from the factory floor to AWS and other enterprise systems. (Kepware+)
• Support the SOTI MobiControl (MDM) environment, ensuring secure management of mobile devices used in production.
• Champion OT Cybersecurity standards, implementing network segmentation, secure remote access policies, and patch management strategies that respect production up-time requirements.
• Lead projects to modernize "brownfield" equipment, finding creative ways to extract data from legacy PLCs and get them connected to the modern IT network.
• Collaborate with Corporate InfoSec to translate enterprise security requirements into practical controls for the plant floor.
• Partner closely with Plant Engineering and Controls teams, using your high degree of PLC/SCADA literacy to troubleshoot complex connectivity and data acquisition issues.
• Drive the IT portion of capital projects, keeping the technical team on task and ensuring milestones for connectivity, testing, and go-live are met.
• Act as the technical escalation point for the team, helping to resolve Level 3 infrastructure impediments that are blocking production goals.
• Help with M&A actions for plant software.
• Additional responsibilities as assigned.

Benefits

• Medical, Prescription, Dental, & Vision – coverage beginning on your 1st day for eligible employees
• Profit Sharing and 401(k) matching (after eligible criteria is met)
• Paid Vacation, Sick Time, and Holidays
• Employee Appreciation Events
• Employee Assistance Programs

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager