Principal, IT Build Manufacturing

Ferrara•Chicago, ND

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Principal IT Product Manager, Manufacturing plays a strategic role in designing and governing SAP platforms and solutions across a large-scale, complex enterprise environment. This role ensures Ferrara’s Manufacturing Platform are secure, scalable, standardized, and aligned with strategic business and technology roadmaps. This manager will work directly with Business leaders, IT Leaders and external Service Providers leading enterprise-wide SAP, non-SAP technology platforms facilitating the delivery of scalable, easy-to-sustain standardized solutions. A keen understanding of the goals and objectives of the Manufacturing function is required.

Requirements

Strategic thinker who can simplify complexity and drive clarity in large organizations.
Strong communicator capable of influencing decision-making across business units and technical teams.
Highly collaborative, with the ability to lead discussions with architects, engineers, and executives.
Proactive, structured, and detail-oriented with a focus on delivering enterprise value.
Proficient in Agile Delivery and Vendor Collaboration ensuring quality and ability to meet timelines of project lifecycles.
Good understanding of AI, Cloud Platforms
Managing TCO, reduction of technical debt and process inefficiencies
Bachelor’s degree in IT, Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience. Master’s degree preferred
10+ years of IT experience, with at least 3–5 years in a Director/Lead role in Manufacturing Domain
Enterprise Certifications such as:
SAP Certification (S/4 HANA, SAP Activate), Agile/Scrum Product Owner,
Project Management Certification(Agile/Scrum Product Master), PMP( Optional)

Nice To Haves

A good understanding of MES(preferably RedZone, Condition Monitoring solution e.g. Waites, Engineering Systems and End-to-End processes
Experience in enterprise integration platform, integration with ancillary systems for Transportation Management System, Warehouse Management System, Waites, RedZone, TraceGains etc
Managing budget for projects in Manufacturing Area
Process Improvement: Continuous enhancement of production operations to improve productivity and efficiency.

Responsibilities

Design and maintain enterprise-level Manufacturing architecture (spread across Production Planning, Production Execution, Manufacturing Quality Management, Plant Maintenance) and ancillary applications e.g. RedZone, Waites, Trace Gains etc.
Create scalable architectures for mission-critical SAP applications, processes, data platforms, and integration layers that span across multiple platforms and end-to-end business process
Oversee the design of highly available, geo-distributed architectures optimized for performance and resilience.
Enable best-in-class platform and products in Food Manufacturing Domain
Develop technology roadmap aligned with business recommendations, solution concepts and business cases for new investments.
Develop governance models, security guardrails, and architectural policies to ensure consistent delivery of projects.
Provide technical and leadership guidance to the manufacturing team.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop, standardize, and optimize manufacturing processes.
Manage multiple projects concurrently, ensuring alignment with production priorities and business objectives.
Drive initiatives to improve quality, reduce costs, and implement advanced manufacturing technologies such as automation and mechanization.
Oversee timely release of engineering documentation and technical processes.
Partner with operations leadership to meet design, build, and test milestones for complex programs.
Ensure robust engineering fundamentals and processes are applied consistently to maintain product integrity and process capability.
Develop team goals, foster professional growth, and manage roles and accountability across the department.
Allocate resources to support new and advanced manufacturing processes.
Lead root cause analyses for new and sustaining products.
Manage departmental budgets, staffing, and capital equipment planning.
Maintain a strong focus on safety across all functional areas.
Embed enterprise-grade security and compliance controls into all cloud applications.
Ensure solutions adhere to corporate policies, regulatory standards, and industry frameworks
Lead risk assessments for new cloud solutions and vendors to ensure operational continuity through robust disaster recovery and resilience patterns.
Lead architectural efforts for large-scale transformation programs partnering with Enterprise Architect
Work across multiple business lines, IT domains, and project teams to guide architecture decisions and resolve technical challenges.
Review solution designs and implementation approaches to ensure alignment with enterprise architecture principles.
Define and support the development of enterprise platforms, standardization across global manufacturing sites, automate processes and drive Continuous Improvement/Continuous Deployment Model across all the sub-streams of Manufacturing
Drive practical cost optimization with proven deployment models, established budgeting models
Engage with senior leaders, enterprise architects, and business SMEs to translate enterprise needs into scalable solutions and architectures.
Present architecture recommendations, trade-offs, and risk assessments to executive, functional and technical audiences.
Collaborate with Business Stakeholders, Business Relationship Manager, vendor partners, system integrators, SaaS providers, internal teams, and third-party integrators to ensure alignment with enterprise standards.