Job Detail: Plant Technology & Operations Systems Manager

Job Order #13848

Description:

Plant Technology & Operations Systems Manager
Corpus Christi, TX area

Our client, manufacturer and distributor of steel pipe and tube, is looking to hire a Systems Manager with experience in a mature manufacturing organization. This is a hands-on role embedded directly with plant operations, not a back-office IT position. You'll own the technology that keeps the shop floor running, drive data initiatives that improve operational performance, and act as the critical bridge between plant teams and enterprise IT.

Responsibilities:

• Take full ownership of manufacturing execution systems, quality platforms, plant maintenance tools, and shop floor data collection, from initial deployment through ongoing optimization and lifecycle management.
• Lead technology implementations end-to-end, coordinating between plant stakeholders, vendors, and IT leadership to deliver on time and on scope.
• Stay close to the floor: build relationships with operators and plant managers alike to surface pain points and drive both incremental improvements and larger-scale transformations.
• Maintain a healthy inventory of IT assets across facilities, managing spares and deployed hardware proactively.
• Partner with business leads to define what data matters and build the pipelines, dashboards, and OT integrations that surface it.
• Champion data quality and master data discipline across user communities.
• Identify and develop opportunities to apply analytics, machine learning, and emerging AI tooling to operational data.
• Manage the full OT infrastructure stack: servers, HMIs, industrial networks, firewalls, historians, and edge devices.
• Maintain a strong cybersecurity posture aligned with NIST and internal policy, working alongside security specialists to close gaps.
• Design and maintain secure, well-governed integrations between OT systems and enterprise platforms including ERP, cloud services, and data warehouses.
• Own project plans with clear milestones, resource maps, and risk registers.
• Communicate status proactively to plant leaders and IT stakeholders.
• Escalate issues with context and recommended actions.
• Maintain formal governance processes for change control, incident management, access, and releases.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in STEM field, or more than 10 years of equivalent hands-on experience in manufacturing IT/OT environments
• More than 10 years of experience deploying and supporting digital solutions in manufacturing operations, including MES, quality management, and plant maintenance systems
• More than 6 years managing and securing OT infrastructure: servers, HMIs, industrial networking, firewalls, historians, and edge computing
• Working knowledge of industrial network architecture (Purdue Model, DMZ segmentation) and OT cybersecurity fundamentals
• Exposure to automation, digital twins, ML/AI applications in plant environment

Preferred skills include: Steel, metals, pipe and tube, or heavy industrial manufacturing.  Experience with Ignition (Inductive Automation) or similar MES platforms, including track and trace applications. Knowledge of Microsoft Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate), SharePoint, and Azure. Jira or Azure DevOps. Relevant certifications: PMP, ITIL, CMfgE, cybersecurity, or cloud platforms.

Do not apply unless you are authorized to work in the United States for any employer as client company cannot sponsor or transfer visas at this time.

Walker Elliott is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

For additional information, please email your resume to resumes@walker-elliott.com or apply online.