IT Manager

About the Role Hotstart has experienced significant growth over the last five years and is poised to continue on a strong upward trajectory. As a world leader in thermal management solutions, we are building on this momentum and seeking a motivated, team-oriented Manager to join our IT team in Spokane, Washington. The IT Manager leads the day-to-day operations of the IT department, ensuring the team delivers reliable infrastructure, responsive support, and well governed business systems to the organization. This role is primarily a people, process, and business-alignment leadership position rather than a hands-on technical role. The Manager ensures the right technical decisions are made through the right processes, partners closely with the Principal Infrastructure Engineer who serves as the team's technical authority, and translates business needs into a prioritized, resourced, and executed IT roadmap. The ideal candidate is a positive, team-oriented professional who is eager to learn, adapt, and help improve processes and workflows in a collaborative environment. Team Leadership & Development Supervise the IT team, including the Principal Infrastructure Engineer, Business Systems Developer, Junior Administrator, and Helpdesk Technician. Conduct performance reviews, provide ongoing coaching and feedback, and support professional development plans for each team member. Approve timecards, manage PTO, and ensure adequate coverage across support and project work. Foster a healthy team culture that balances responsiveness, technical excellence, and sustainable workload. Leverage team resources to balance high-value projects with day-to-day service delivery in support of overall company strategy and goals. Operational Management Prioritize and schedule IT work across competing demands, including helpdesk, infrastructure, automation, and ERP customization projects. Define, track, and report on operational KPIs (ticket response/resolution, system availability, project delivery) to drive continuous improvement. Lead complex or high-risk projects directly when needed, serving as project manager or escalation point rather than primary technical executor. Establish and enforce code review standards covering quality, testing, documentation, and deployment readiness. Collaborate closely with the Principal Infrastructure Engineer to align technical architecture decisions with business priorities and organizational objectives. Drive standardization and documentation of IT processes to improve consistency, scalability, and knowledge transfer. Maintain and enforce the IT department's decision-rights framework, including thresholds for when changes require formal architecture review and when business or leadership approval is required. Own and oversee the disaster recovery and business continuity program (planning, business alignment, testing cadence), partnering with the IT team on technical design and validation. Cybersecurity Oversight Ensure the organization's cybersecurity posture is actively managed, including patching, access controls, endpoint protection, backup and recovery, and user awareness training. Coordinate with the IT team on security architecture and with external partners (MSP, auditors, insurance) on assessments and remediation. Own the IT side of incident response, including breach notification protocols and post-incident review. Data Governance & Compliance Oversee data governance practices, including access controls, retention, classification, and integrity across ERP and supporting systems. Partner with external vendors as needed. GDPR and Data Protection Officer (DPO) responsibilities. Budget Ownership In partnership with Finance, develop, propose, and manage the annual IT operating and capital budget, ensuring spending is tracked with variance explanations. Build business cases for significant technology investments, including ROI/payback analysis where appropriate. Identify cost optimization opportunities across licensing, vendors, and infrastructure. Vendor & Contract Management Manage relationships with key IT vendors and service providers (ERP, MSP, telecom, cloud, software publishers, hardware suppliers). Negotiate, review, and renew vendor contracts in coordination with other departments as appropriate. Track vendor performance against Service Level Agreements and service expectations; escalate as needed. Maintain a current inventory of contracts, renewal dates, and license positions. Business-Facing Roadmap & Strategy Partner with business leaders (Finance, Operations, etc.) to align IT priorities with organizational goals and ensure technology investments deliver measurable business value. Help prioritize automation, ERP enhancement, and infrastructure initiatives based on business value, risk, and team capacity. Evaluate and manage technology-related business risks, translating technical risk into business impact and guiding mitigation priorities with leadership. Communicate IT plans, progress, and constraints clearly to non-technical stakeholders and leadership. Represent IT in cross-functional initiatives and capital planning discussions. Reporting Structure: Controller Works Closely With IT Team Department leaders and key stakeholders External technology partners and vendors Desired Qualifications, Skills, and Abilities Analytical: Able to utilize software to synthesize complex or diverse information and present their decisions or analysis regarding the data. Judgement: Displays a willingness to make timely decisions and can present support and explanations for their decisions. Professionalism: Treats others with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position. Accepts responsibility for their actions and follows through on commitments. Represents Hotstart in all actions and conduct as an ambassador in the city and industry. Education/Experience Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Business, or related field or equivalent experience. 7+ years of progressive IT experience, including at least 2 years in a lead or management capacity. Demonstrated ability to manage technical staff more senior than oneself in specific domains; comfort being the "business translator" rather than the deepest technical voice in the room. Working fluency across infrastructure, ERP/business systems, end-user support, and security concepts, sufficient to ask good questions, challenge assumptions, and assess risk. Strong project management and organizational skills. Experience managing IT budgets and vendor relationships. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate with executives and non-technical stakeholders. (Optional) Familiarity with Infor CSI (SyteLine) or comparable mid-market ERP. (Optional) Experience in a manufacturing or distribution environment. (Optional) Experience supporting multi-entity or international operations. Benefits & Culture Annual 401k profit-sharing plus quarterly profit-sharing bonuses. Enjoy premium-free employer self-insured Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance for employees and dependents. Opportunities for advancement and continued education. Paid time off which increases with tenure. Wage range: $120-140K (Salaried) depending on experience and qualifications. Reasonable accommodations provided for disabled individuals to foster success in essential functions. Drug-free/EEO. #J-18808-Ljbffr