Lead IT Infrastructure Architect; Manufacturing

Position: Lead IT Infrastructure Architect (Manufacturing)
**** We’re Watts. Together, we’re reimagining the future of water.
**** We feel proud every day about what we do. We're all part of the same crucial mission, no matter what function we support -- it's to provide safe, clean water for the world, and to protect our planet's most valuable resource.
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* What we do:

** For 150 years, Watts has built best-in-class products that are trusted by customers in residential and commercial settings across the world. We are at the forefront of innovation, working with cutting-edge technology to provide smart and connected, sustainable water solutions for the future. Watts is a leading brand with a quality reputation — and we have a dynamic future ahead.

The Lead IT Infrastructure Architect provides architectural leadership across key infrastructure domains, ensuring solutions are reliable, secure, scalable, and aligned to organizational priorities. This role partners closely with infrastructure engineering, cybersecurity, plant operations, enterprise applications, and business stakeholders to design and recommend technical solutions that improve performance and support manufacturing and enterprise needs.

The architect plays a critical role in shaping infrastructure direction within assigned domains, developing architecture patterns, and guiding major modernization initiatives. This position collaborates with leadership to evaluate technologies, support the development of standards, and ensure designs align with established architectural principles.

This position reports to VP, IT Infrastructure & Operations.
** Primary

Job Duties and Responsibilities****:
*** Develop architecture designs, patterns, and recommendations for key infrastructure domains, including:  +
** End User Computing (EUC):
** endpoints, collaboration tools, device lifecycle, mobility, management platforms  +
** Internal Data Centers:
** compute, storage, virtualization, backup and recovery  +
** Cloud Platforms (Azure/AWS):
** solution designs, hybrid integrations, governance considerations  +
** Enterprise Networking:
** LAN/WAN, SD-WAN, Wi-Fi, segmentation, routing, connectivity standards  +
** Operational Optimization:
** recommendations for process improvement, efficiency, and simplification
* Contribute to the development of infrastructure technology roadmaps within assigned functional areas.
* Participate in design reviews and help ensure architectural integrity and alignment with organizational guidelines.
* Evaluate new technologies and support proofs-of-concept to determine business fit and value.
** Manufacturing & OT Integration
*** Partner with plant operations and OT engineering teams to design secure and reliable infrastructure solutions supporting MES, SCADA, PLCs, automation, sensors, and IIoT platforms.
* Support the development of IT/OT segmentation approaches, resilient connectivity models, and cybersecurity guardrails.
* Contribute architectural expertise to smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0 initiatives.
** Cloud, Datacenter, & Hybrid Platforms
*** Design hybrid infrastructure solutions integrating cloud services with on-premises environments.
* Recommend modernization opportunities in compute, storage, hosting platforms, container platforms, and automation.
* Ensure architectures support high availability, disaster recovery, and operational reliability goals.
** Security, Compliance & Risk Management
*** Ensure solution designs align to Zero Trust principles and relevant frameworks (NIST, CIS).
* Work with Information Security to evaluate risks, apply hardening standards, and support remediation planning.
* Provide architectural input into backup, disaster recovery, and resilience initiatives.
** Leadership & Technical Direction
*** Serve as a senior technical contributor and advisor to engineers within network, cloud, EUC, and infrastructure teams.
* Provide mentorship, knowledge sharing, and architectural direction during design and implementation phases.
* Support vendor assessments, technology evaluations, and solution comparisons.
* Collaborate with system integrators and service providers to ensure solution alignment with architectural guidance.
** Business Engagement
*** Work closely with…