IT Business Partner - Manufacturing

Job Title: IT Business Partner - Manufacturing

Manager Title Director of IT

FLSA Status: Exempt, Full-Time

FECON, LLC is a vegetation management equipment manufacturer located in Lebanon, Ohio near Kings Island Amusement Park. FECON is known for having very high-quality products and a team culture - and we are growing! We design, build, test, sell and service our equipment consisting of products such as our well-known "Bull Hog" mulchers, the Stump Ex, our high-quality FTX tractors of varying horsepower, as well as many other attachments. We offer competitive wages, full health care benefits and a continuous learning culture for those who want to grow with the company.

Job Summary:

The IT Business Partner (ITBP) - Manufacturing Operations is a hands-on, operational role that serves as the day-to-day IT partner for plant operations teams. This role focuses on prioritization, coordination, and project management for the delivery of IT solutions supporting production, maintenance, quality, supply chain, and plant administration. The ITBP works closely with plant leaders, engineers, supervisors, and frontline users to ensure technology solutions are practical, reliable, and adopted in the manufacturing environment. They also collaborate with plant leadership, operations, supply chain, quality, engineering, and IT leadership to prioritize initiatives and guide technology transformation across operations.

Job Duties/Responsibilities:

• Serve as the primary strategic IT partner to operations leadership.

• Develop a deep understanding of manufacturing strategies, operational priorities, and business challenges.

• Act as a trusted advisor, providing guidance on how technology can enable operational excellence, efficiency, and resilience.

• Provide Project Planning and delivery management by working with IT and operations stakeholders.

• Define expected business outcomes and success measures for manufacturing technology initiatives.

• Partner with manufacturing and IT leaders to track and realize benefits such as improved uptime, productivity, quality, cost reduction, and compliance.

• Provide executive-level communication related to manufacturing technology initiatives.

• Drive continuous improvement to maximize return on technology investments.

• Identify root causes and drive corrective actions to improve system stability and reduce operational disruption.

• Document current-state workflows, manual workarounds, functional requirements, and success criteria.

• Support solution design reviews, testing, validation, and user acceptance activities.

• Assist with the development of user documentation, job aids, and basic end-user training materials.

• Partner with operations management on change management to ensure organizational readiness and adoption.

• Facilitate ongoing dialogue between manufacturing leaders and IT teams to ensure alignment on priorities, capabilities, and constraints.

• Identify emerging technologies, industry trends, and process improvements relevant to manufacturing.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or Information Technology, or related field.

• 7 - 10 years in IT Project Management, business analysis, and IT planning in multi-plant or distributed manufacturing organizations.

• Strong understanding of manufacturing environments, operational priorities, and business drivers.

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with frontline operators, supervisors, engineers, and plant leadership.

• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and a high level of ownership and accountability.

• Ability to translate operational requirements into practical, supportable technology solutions.

• Strong analytical, communication, and strategic thinking skills.

• Experience with manufacturing technologies such as ERP, MES, CMMS, and industrial reporting platforms.

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change or new ones may be added at any time with or without notice.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled