Manufacturing IT Operations Manager – Sanford Advanced Manufacturing

Caterpillar•Sanford, NC

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Caterpillar is developing a new advanced manufacturing campus in Sanford, North Carolina, to expand production capacity for compact track loaders and telehandlers. The modern, technology-enabled operation is expected to incorporate automation, robotics, digital production systems and integrated logistics capabilities to enhance safety, quality and operational performance. Employees will help build the products our customers rely on while developing skills in advanced manufacturing and supporting the continued growth of Caterpillar’s Cat Compact℠ business. The Manufacturing IT Operations Manager will be accountable for IT partnership with Operations, internal Caterpillar IT teams and service providers to support the startup of a new advanced manufacturing facility in Sanford, North Carolina. This leader will align infrastructure, cybersecurity, cloud, edge, network, data, application, and support-model decisions to Caterpillar enterprise standards and the requirements of a complex manufacturing environment. Smart manufacturing is an important part of the context, but the core of the role is partnering with Operations, coordinating Caterpillar IT teams, service providers, vendors, and project stakeholders to successfully deliver, operationalize, and support the facility. The role is accountable for ensuring the right resources are engaged, decisions are made in a timely manner, risks are addressed, and the site is ready to operate and support manufacturing at launch and beyond.

Requirements

Experience leading complex IT programs, manufacturing technology deployments, site start-ups, or large-scale business transformations involving multiple teams, vendors, and stakeholders.
Ability to translate manufacturing and business outcomes into architecture decisions, trade-offs, dependencies, risks, and long-term implications.
Ability to guide multidisciplinary teams toward secure, scalable, supportable, and practical solutions.
Ability to influence business leaders, manufacturing stakeholders, engineers, technology teams, vendors, and systems integrators while navigating a large enterprise and explaining technical trade-offs clearly.
Experience managing, coaching, mentoring, or directing technical professionals and helping stakeholders adopt new standards, platforms, and ways of working.

Nice To Haves

Degree or equivalent professional experience desired.
Relevant skills may have been developed through different industries, career paths, education, military service, or hands-on technical leadership.
Experience supporting a greenfield plant, major facility expansion, enterprise infrastructure modernization, technology transformation, or complex site launch.
Exposure to manufacturing technology environments, including industrial networking, edge computing, machine connectivity, factory automation, robotics, or operational technology platforms.
Knowledge of manufacturing systems and industrial platforms such as manufacturing execution, product lifecycle management, supervisory control, industrial control, plant historians, quality, warehouse automation, or enterprise resource planning integration.
Experience with operational technology cybersecurity, network segmentation, identity, asset visibility, secure remote access, resilience, disaster recovery, Zero Trust concepts, or industrial cybersecurity practices.
Familiarity with data architecture, analytics, industrial data, predictive maintenance, simulation, digital twins, artificial intelligence, or machine learning in manufacturing contexts is helpful but not the primary focus of the role.
Familiarity with architecture frameworks, review boards, cloud or hybrid infrastructure, vendor evaluation, systems integrators, or strategic technology partner management.
Knowledge of relevant manufacturing or cybersecurity models and standards, such as ISA-95, ISA/IEC 62443, or the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.

Responsibilities

Coordinate Caterpillar IT teams, architects, service providers, and technical specialists to ensure technology solutions align with enterprise standards, business priorities, and long-term operating needs.
Navigate Caterpillar’s enterprise technology, manufacturing, cybersecurity, infrastructure, application, vendor, and site teams to bring the right expertise to the table at the right time.
Support smart manufacturing priorities by enabling capabilities such as connected equipment, automation, production visibility, industrial data, analytics, and manufacturing systems through the effective deployment of supporting technology platforms and infrastructure.
Facilitate alignment across information technology and operational technology teams so requirements, dependencies, ownership, cybersecurity, supportability, and implementation risks are understood early.
Translate business and manufacturing needs into implementation plans, operational priorities, support models, and delivery activities that enable successful facility launch and sustained operations.
Ensure appropriate architecture reviews, governance processes, support models, documentation, training, and operational standards are established through the relevant Caterpillar IT teams and technical specialists.
Evaluate technology platforms and vendors by balancing business value, technical feasibility, cybersecurity, safety, scalability, implementation risk, and total cost of ownership.
Develop roadmaps that sequence foundational capabilities, reduce technology debt, and move solutions from pilots to reliable operations.
Lead the transition from project delivery to operational support by establishing support models, defining ownership, driving knowledge transfer, managing service providers, and ensuring the facility has the capabilities required for long-term operation.