Head of IT & Digital Transformation Platform

Location: Houston, TX (on‑site preferred; Cypress or Katy area operations)

Reports To: Chief Executive Officer

Industry: Water & Wastewater Infrastructure — Distribution & Field Services

Ownership: Private Equity‑Backed (Sterling Group)

About The Scruggs Companies

The Scruggs Companies is a Houston‑based provider of mission‑critical water and wastewater infrastructure solutions serving municipal customers across Texas and the surrounding region. The company operates through two primary divisions: a value‑added distribution arm (Scruggs) supplying AWWA‑certified valves, actuators, and MRO products, and a field services arm (Neil Technical Services / NTS) delivering 24/7/365 emergency repair, preventative maintenance, and equipment rental.

Founded in 1912 and under its current private equity ownership since 2021, Scruggs has undergone significant transformation — acquiring NTS in 2023 and Mid‑America Valve (MAV) in 2025 to build a multi‑division, multi‑geography platform. The business is well‑positioned to benefit from secular tailwinds in aging infrastructure and population growth across the Sunbelt.

Sterling Group has recently invested in the company as a platform for continued growth, and this IT leader hire is a direct product of that transition — a first dedicated technology executive for the consolidated enterprise.

Position Responsibilities

• Partner with the CEO and business unit leaders to develop and execute an enterprise‑wide IT strategy that supports near‑term operational needs and long‑term platform growth.
• Develop and maintain a technology roadmap covering ERP, infrastructure, cybersecurity, data/analytics, and digital tools — with clear milestones and ROI accountability.
• Serve as a visible technology thought leader across the organization, translating technical strategy into business terms for leadership and board‑level audiences.

ERP Consolidation & Systems Unification

• Lead the ERP migration to consolidate the company onto a unified platform, eliminating manual financial consolidation and creating a single source of financial and operational truth.
• Own the ongoing optimization of the ERP and ancillary business systems to drive greater utilization and data quality.

M&A Integration & Playbook Development

• Build a repeatable M&A IT integration playbook that can be deployed efficiently for future acquisitions — covering systems assessment, data migration, network integration, and user onboarding.
• Partner with corporate development and operations teams during diligence and integration to assess target IT environments and plan post‑close integration activities.

IT Operations & Infrastructure

• Oversee day‑to‑day IT operations across all locations, including network infrastructure, end‑user systems, cloud environments, and field service technology.
• Rationalize the current managed service provider relationships and develop an integrated managed services model appropriate for a unified enterprise.
• Manage hardware and software lifecycle, including planned remediation of aging infrastructure across the enterprise.

Cybersecurity & Risk Management

• Develop and maintain a consolidated enterprise cybersecurity program across all business units, ensuring consistent controls, policies, and practices.
• Own the disaster recovery, business continuity, and data backup programs across all entities.
• Lead cyber insurance compliance and ensure technical controls remain aligned with policy requirements.

AI Enablement & Automation

• Champion the identification and deployment of AI and automation tools that can drive measurable efficiency gains across the business — including field service dispatch optimization, inventory management, customer communications, reporting, and back‑office workflows.
• Build a pragmatic AI adoption roadmap: identify high‑ROI use cases first, pilot quickly, and scale what works — balancing innovation with operational stability.
• Evaluate and implement tools for business intelligence, workflow automation, and data‑driven decision‑making — ensuring BI platforms are fully leveraged across the enterprise.
• Stay current on AI and automation trends relevant to distribution and field services, and bring actionable recommendations to leadership.

Field Service & OT Technology

• Support the integration of operational technology (OT) and IT across the NTS field service business, including fleet tracking, work order management, field technician tools, and equipment rental systems.
• Partner with operations leaders to evaluate field service management platforms that can improve dispatch efficiency, technician utilization, and customer visibility.
• Build toward a unified data model across all business units — enabling consolidated reporting on revenue, margin, backlog, and operational KPIs.
• Ensure leadership has reliable, timely business intelligence to support decision‑making across the organization.
• Build and develop the IT organization over time, with a plan to add internal capabilities as the business scales.
• Manage technology vendor and partner relationships, ensuring cost‑effective contracts and service levels aligned with business needs.
• Develop and manage the IT budget in partnership with the CFO, with strong ROI orientation.

Position Requirements

Experience

• 8–12 years of progressive IT experience, with at least 3–5 years in a senior leadership role with P&L or budget accountability.
• Proven track record in distribution, field services, construction, industrial services, or a related operational industry — comfort with both office‑based and field‑based workforces is essential.
• Hands‑on ERP implementation and migration experience required; P21 (Epicor) or equivalent distribution ERP strongly preferred.
• Experience in a private equity‑backed environment with exposure to M&A integration activity, diligence processes, and PE ownership expectations.
• Demonstrated experience leading multi‑entity or multi‑site IT consolidation efforts.
• Background in cybersecurity program development and management, including vendor/MSP oversight.

Skills & Capabilities

• AI & Automation: Working familiarity with AI tools, RPA, and automation platforms — and the ability to evaluate and deploy them pragmatically in an operational environment. Must be able to identify real use cases and drive adoption.
• ERP & Business Systems: Deep understanding of ERP platforms in a distribution or field service context; ability to lead system migrations and ongoing optimization.
• Infrastructure & Security: Strong working knowledge of network infrastructure, cloud environments (Microsoft 365 / Azure preferred), endpoint management, and cybersecurity best practices.
• Data & Analytics: Ability to build toward a unified data model and work with BI tools (Power BI or similar) to drive reporting improvements.
• Communication: Able to translate technical topics for a non‑technical executive audience; credible at the board or PE sponsor level.
• Project Management: Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives — delivering on time and within budget in a resource‑constrained environment.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business, Engineering, or a related field required.
• MBA or advanced degree a plus but not required.

Other

• Must be able to work on‑site or within commutable distance of the company's Houston‑area operations.
• Ability to travel to other company locations (Overland Park, KS; secondary TX sites) as needed.

Why This Role

This is a rare opportunity to be the first technology executive of a growing, PE‑backed platform in a sector with strong secular tailwinds. The right candidate will have meaningful latitude to build — the roadmap, the team, and the technology foundation — with the backing of a committed PE sponsor and an engaged operating leadership team. There is real work to do (systems fragmentation, integration backlog, cybersecurity gaps) and real opportunity to create value at every level from operational efficiency to M&A integration to AI‑enabled automation. For the right operator‑minded technologist, this is a career‑defining buildout.