IT Director

Director Of Information TechnologyAt JonnyPops, our team is empowered to make an impact at work every day — from producing high-quality, innovative frozen novelties to spreading kindness one pop at a time. We look for bright and ambitious individuals who seek out challenges, thrive in fast-paced and high-growth environments, align with our core values, and get fulfillment from seeing their work transform the world around them. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Elk River, MN, JonnyPops is one of the fastest-growing frozen novelty brands in the country — #1 in the Natural Channel and growing 60%+ YTD in 2026. We manufacture in-house at our SQF Certified, peanut-free facility and operate a corporate office in Plymouth, MN. With ~300 employees and aggressive growth across retail and food service, our technology infrastructure has never been more important to our success.The Director of Information Technology is a newly created leadership role at JonnyPops, responsible for continuing the building and leading of the IT function as the company scales. This role owns IT strategy, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and enterprise systems across our corporate offices in Plymouth and our manufacturing facility in Elk River. The Director of IT will serve as the company's technology partner — ensuring our systems are reliable, secure, integrated, and positioned to support JonnyPops' continued growth. This is a fast paced and high-impact role with cross-functional reach. You'll partner closely with Finance, Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, HR, and GTM to ensure every team has the tools and connectivity they need to operate with excellence. You'll report to the CFO and be a key contributor to JonnyPops' company-wide AI adoption initiatives. You will be responsible for managing and leading the talented team of technology professionals who bring the IT function to life for the JonnyPops organization.Hybrid — regular on-site presence required at both Elk River (manufacturing) and Plymouth (corporate office)Full-time; standard business hours with flexibility for system maintenance windows or incident responseRegular travel between Elk River and Plymouth locations requiredEssential Duties and ResponsibilitiesDevelop and execute a scalable IT strategy aligned with JonnyPops' growth trajectory, EOS operating model, and company / business unit rocksPartner with ELT and department leaders to prioritize technology investments and roadmap planning. Support technology evaluations and road mapping with business leaders to maximize strategic return on technology investmentsDevelop and lead a high-performing IT team; manage internal staff and external vendors / managed service providersOwn the IT budget, contract negotiations, vendor relationships, and technology spend governanceChampion the company's AI adoption initiative — partnering with department leaders to embed AI tools and automation into business processes to drive measurable productivity gains while ensuring responsible data governance and security.Enterprise Systems & IntegrationsOversee and optimize JonnyPops' core enterprise systems, including:NetSuite (ERP and HRIS) — system of record for finance, accounting, inventory, and HR dataRedZone (manufacturing MES / OEE platform) — production floor visibility and accountability at Elk RiverMicrosoft 365 (SharePoint, Teams, Outlook) — company-wide collaboration, file storage, and communication infrastructureBusiness Applications such as Ramp (expense and corporate card management), FISPAN (NetSuite-to-bank payment integration), Vividly (trade management), ClickUp / Jira (project management), JazzHR (ATS), Employee Navigator (benefits), Lucid (org charting), DocuSign, Canva, Figma, HubSpot, and additional SaaS tools across departmentsOwn integration strategy across systems — reducing manual data entry, closing gaps between disconnected platforms, and improving data reliability and flow across the businessEnsure system access provisioning, permissions governance, and onboarding/offboarding procedures are consistent and secure across all platformsOversee technology implementation and integration projects with both internal and external stakeholders to ensure delivery of objectives on-time and on-budget.Infrastructure, Networking & CybersecurityManage and maintain network infrastructure, endpoints, and hardware across Plymouth (corporate) and Elk River (manufacturing) locationsOwn cybersecurity strategy, risk assessment, incident response planning, and security awareness trainingEnsure business continuity, disaster recovery planning, and data backup processes are in place and testedOversee cloud infrastructure, server environments, and connectivity between corporate and plant locationsEnsure the Elk River manufacturing facility's OT (operational technology) environment — including plant-floor networks, vision systems, and production equipment connectivity — is secure, stable, and supportedOperations & Manufacturing Technology SupportServe as the technology partner to Operations and Manufacturing; support RedZone rollout, adoption, and troubleshooting on the production floorEnsure reliable IT/OT connectivity at the Elk River facility to support production, quality, maintenance, and supply chain operationsPartner with Supply Chain and Finance on EDI connectivity, WMS, ERP, and inventory data accuracyUser Support & EnablementOversee helpdesk support and ensure all ~300+ employees have reliable technology to do their best workManage device provisioning, software licensing, and IT onboarding/offboarding processes in partnership with HRCommunicate clearly and collaborate with non-technical stakeholders; translate technical complexity into plain-language recommendations and business casesMay assume additional duties as necessaryFood Safety ResponsibilitiesEnsure IT systems that support food safety and quality operations — including RedZone (MES / OEE), NetSuite (ERP / traceability), and FSQA-related data integrations — are reliable, secure, properly maintained, and available to support uninterrupted production and regulatory compliancePartner with the FSQA team to support audit readiness — ensuring technology systems, access logs, data integrity controls, and electronic records meet SQF, HACCP, and FDA requirements; assist in timely response to audit requests involving IT-managed data or systemsProtect the integrity of food safety and quality data — establish and enforce access controls, change management procedures, and data governance practices that prevent unauthorized modification of records related to production, lot traceability, and quality holdsEnsure OT / IT network security at the Elk River facility safeguards production systems and plant-floor connectivity; work with Operations and FSQA to ensure that cybersecurity measures do not create gaps in food safety monitoring or traceabilitySupport business continuity and disaster recovery planning with specific consideration for food safety-critical systems; ensure that recovery time objectives (RTOs) for production and FSQA systems reflect the operational risk of downtime in a food manufacturing environmentActively model and promote food safety culture — understand and uphold JonnyPops' food safety standards when planning and executing technology projects, vendor integrations, and system changes that touch production or quality operationsMinimum Qualifications Education & ExperienceBachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field; equivalent experience considered10+ years of progressive IT experience, with at least 3–5 years in a Director-level or senior leadership role with direct reports; candidates coming from an IT Manager background should demonstrate a clear track record of expanding scope, strategic ownership, and people leadershipExperience managing IT Managers or senior technical staff (not just individual contributors)Experience in a manufacturing, distribution, or CPG environment strongly preferredDemonstrated experience owning and presenting technology strategy and budget to executive leadershipTechnical SkillsStrong working knowledge of ERP systems (NetSuite experience a strong plus), cloud platforms, and SaaS application managementProficiency with Microsoft 365 administration (SharePoint, Teams, Azure AD, Entra ID)Experience with network infrastructure, endpoint management, and IT security frameworksFamiliarity with manufacturing plant technology environments (OT/IT convergence, MES platforms such as RedZone) a plusUnderstanding of EDI, WMS, and supply chain data integration practicesDemonstrated experience with AI tools, automation platforms, and driving technology adoption across a non-technical workforceSoft Skills & CompetenciesStrong team leader who can hire, develop, manage and coordinate a team of IT professionalsStrong communicator who can translate technical complexity into clear recommendations for non-technical partners and leadershipSound financial acumen: capable of building business cases,