IT Director

Director of Information Technology – North American Manufacturing

A privately held North American food manufacturer is seeking a Director of IT to lead technology strategy, operations, and transformation across multiple production facilities in the U.S. and Canada. Reporting to the CFO, this leader will own the roadmap, reliability, and security of the company’s technology landscape while partnering closely with Finance and Operations to drive performance, efficiency, and growth.

This is a hands‑on, highly visible role for a leader who enjoys operating in a lean structure, rolling up their sleeves with the team, and helping a business get more value from its systems, data, and emerging technologies.

• Translate business goals into a clear IT roadmap, investment priorities, and sequencing of initiatives.
• Act as the primary technology partner for Finance, Operations, and plant leadership, helping them weigh trade‑offs between cost, risk, and capability.
• Provide clear options and recommendations to senior leadership on where and how technology can best enable the business.

• Ensure reliable, secure, and efficient IT operations across infrastructure, networks, enterprise applications, and end‑user support.
• Establish and track service levels, system performance, and support metrics, proactively addressing issues before they impact the business.
• Oversee business continuity and disaster recovery readiness for critical systems.

• Lead the company’s cybersecurity program, from risk assessment and roadmap through controls, monitoring, and continuous improvement.
• Implement and maintain policies, standards, and practices that protect the organization while remaining pragmatic and business‑aligned.

• Increase adoption and effective use of core systems (including ERP and manufacturing systems) to improve visibility, accuracy, and efficiency.
• Partner with business and analytics teams to advance reporting and data‑driven decision‑making.
• Evaluate and prioritize opportunities in AI, automation, and advanced analytics that can improve productivity, quality, and scalability.

• Own IT financial performance, including annual budgeting, forecasting, and cost optimization.
• Lead relationships with third‑party vendors and service providers, ensuring delivery against cost, performance, and service expectations.
• Develop and maintain cost‑effective technology investment plans that support both near‑term needs and long‑term strategy.

• Provide direction, coaching, and development for a small, high‑impact IT team.
• Set clear priorities and accountability while fostering strong collaboration with business partners across sites.
• Balance hands‑on work with strategic leadership in a fast‑moving, operations‑driven environment.

• 10+ years of progressive experience in IT, including significant responsibility for operations, infrastructure/applications, and project delivery.
• Demonstrated experience leading technology teams and cross‑functional initiatives in a complex, multi‑site environment.
• Strong understanding of IT systems, infrastructure, networks, and enterprise applications (ERP experience in a manufacturing setting strongly preferred).
• Proven ability to align technology decisions with business strategy, cost, and risk, and to communicate those trade‑offs clearly to executives and plant leadership.
• Experience managing IT budgets, vendors, and external service providers.
• Track record of leading through change, driving continuous improvement, and successfully delivering projects.
• Effective communicator who can build trust and credibility with executive, functional, and plant leaders.
• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field; experience in food, agriculture, or industrial manufacturing is a plus.