Manufacturing & Industrial Automation Operational Technology Leader
Location: Washington Court House, Ohio
Employment Type: Full-Time, Direct Hire
Work Arrangement: On-site manufacturing environment
The ideal candidate is an industrial automation and manufacturing technology professional who combines strong technical knowledge with practical leadership experience.
The candidate should have hands-on experience supporting Allen-Bradley PLCs, Wonderware/AVEVA platforms, SQL Server, and manufacturing system integration in a production environment.
Candidates with experience bridging operational technology and IT infrastructure, troubleshooting plant floor systems, leading technical resources, and implementing secure, reliable automation solutions will be especially well suited to this role.
The Operational Technology (OT) Leader will drive digital manufacturing transformation by integrating industrial automation, plant floor systems, operational data, and secure network infrastructure.
This position serves as the site's technical subject matter expert for operational technology, overseeing manufacturing systems, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), human-machine interfaces (HMIs), data acquisition, and industrial networking.
The successful candidate will lead manufacturing technology projects from planning through implementation, maintain reliable and secure plant floor systems, and collaborate with plant leadership, engineering, IT, and global manufacturing technology teams.
The role also focuses on standardizing manufacturing systems, improving automation performance, strengthening industrial cybersecurity, and delivering measurable operational improvements.
Required Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Technology, or a related technical field.
- At least 5 years of experience in plant floor systems, manufacturing system integration, and automation controls within a manufacturing environment.
- Demonstrated hands-on expertise in Allen-Bradley PLCs.
- Experience with Wonderware technologies, including ArchestrA, MES, and InTouch.
- Experience with Microsoft SQL Server.
- Previous experience leading people or managing internal and external technical resources.
- Strong troubleshooting, analytical, project management, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with manufacturing, engineering, IT, and plant leadership teams.
- Ability to work on-site in Washington Court House, Ohio.
Preferred Qualifications- Experience in consumer packaged goods (CPG), food manufacturing, or pet food manufacturing.
- Advanced knowledge of AVEVA System Platform or comparable manufacturing platforms.
- Experience with MES, SCADA, and ERP integration.
- Advanced knowledge of Microsoft SQL Server and manufacturing data systems.
- Knowledge of IT/OT network architecture, Cisco networking, and Industrial Ethernet.
- Familiarity with industrial control system cybersecurity protocols and best practices.
- Understanding of Factory Performance & Reliability (FP&R) and Operational Excellence metrics.
- Experience leading digital manufacturing transformation or plant automation modernization initiatives.