Director of IT & Business Systems

Our client is a growing manufacturing company seeking an experienced Director of IT & Business Systems to lead the companys technology and business systems strategy.

This is a highly visible hands-on leadership opportunity for an IT professional who understands that ERP is at the center of the business . The ideal candidate will have strong experience with manufacturing ERP systems with Epicor Kinetic experience strongly preferred . Hands-on experience configuring troubleshooting optimizing or supporting Epicor is a significant plus.

This individual will serve as the companys primary technology leader working closely with executive leadership operations finance supply chain engineering production quality and other business functions to ensure technology and ERP systems support the companys growth.

The role is on-site in N. Buffalo NY and is best suited for a practical business-minded technology leader who can move comfortably between ERP strategy business process improvement infrastructure oversight cybersecurity vendors and day-to-day technology decisions.

Key Responsibilities

ERP & Business Systems Primary Focus

• Own the companys ERP and business systems strategy roadmap priorities and ongoing optimization.
• Serve as the internal subject matter expert and business liaison for Epicor Kinetic ERP .
• Evaluate prioritize and manage ERP enhancements integrations customizations reporting and system improvements.
• Work directly with ERP consultants and third-party partners to ensure projects and support activities are delivered effectively.
• Identify opportunities to improve manufacturing inventory purchasing production costing scheduling labor quality and supply-chain processes through better use of ERP capabilities.
• Translate business requirements into practical ERP solutions and system improvements.
• Partner with department leaders to identify process inefficiencies and determine whether they should be addressed through ERP configuration workflow changes automation training or process redesign.
• Oversee ERP upgrades integrations data quality reporting and system standardization.
• Hands-on Epicor Kinetic experience is strongly preferred including experience with system configuration troubleshooting reporting workflows integrations or other technical/business-system functions.
• Manage relationships with Epicor and third-party ERP consultants and hold vendors accountable for quality responsiveness timelines and results.
• Ensure the ERP environment continues to scale with the companys growth.

IT Infrastructure & Technology

• Provide leadership and oversight for the companys IT infrastructure including:
  • Networks
  • Servers and cloud environments
  • Workstations and hardware
  • Microsoft technologies
  • Telecommunications
  • Backup and disaster recovery
  • User support
  • Endpoint management
• Manage the companys managed service provider and other third-party technology partners.
• Ensure infrastructure is reliable secure scalable and aligned with business requirements.
• Develop and maintain a 1236 month technology roadmap covering ERP infrastructure cybersecurity hardware software data and business systems.
• Evaluate technology investments and make recommendations based on business value risk and return on investment.

Cybersecurity & Business Continuity

• Provide oversight of the companys cybersecurity program and third-party security providers.
• Establish and maintain appropriate controls around:
  • Endpoint security
  • Access management
  • Backups
  • Disaster recovery
  • Email security
  • Monitoring
  • Fraud prevention
  • Data protection
• Assess technology risks and work with third-party providers to establish appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Ensure business continuity and disaster recovery plans are documented tested and maintained.

Vendor & Technology Management

• Serve as the primary internal owner for IT and ERP vendor relationships.
• Establish expectations service levels priorities and accountability with third-party providers.
• Manage contracts licensing consulting engagements and technology expenditures.
• Evaluate outsourced versus internal capabilities based on cost responsiveness business impact and scalability.
• Ensure external partners are proactive rather than simply reactive to issues.

Business Partnership

• Work closely with executive leadership and department heads to understand business objectives and translate them into technology solutions.
• Act as a bridge between technology and the business ensuring IT decisions are driven by operational and financial priorities.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives throughout the organization.
• Help leadership understand technology opportunities risks costs and priorities.
• Support food safety SQF traceability documentation data integrity and audit-readiness requirements through appropriate technology systems and controls.

What Were Looking For

The ideal candidate will bring a combination of strong ERP knowledge manufacturing experience practical IT expertise and business acumen .

Required

• 8 years of progressive experience in IT business systems ERP or related technology roles.
• Strong understanding of ERP systems and business applications .
• Experience working in a manufacturing environment .
• Demonstrated experience managing ERP systems implementations upgrades integrations enhancements or optimization initiatives.
• Strong understanding of IT infrastructure including networks hardware servers/cloud cybersecurity backups and disaster recovery.
• Experience managing third-party IT and ERP vendors.
• Ability to work directly with business leaders and translate operational requirements into technology solutions.
• Strong analytical problem-solving communication and project-management skills.
• Ability and willingness to work on-site in Lockport NY .

Strongly Preferred

• Epicor Kinetic experience.
• Hands-on experience configuring troubleshooting administering or optimizing Epicor Kinetic.
• Experience with Epicor integrations reporting workflows customizations or related technical functionality.
• Experience supporting ERP in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience with manufacturing processes including production inventory purchasing costing scheduling quality and supply chain.
• Experience working with managed service providers and third-party ERP consultants.
• Experience in a food manufacturing packaging plastics or similar regulated manufacturing environment.
• Exposure to SQF food safety traceability or similar compliance requirements.

Leadership Profile

This role is ideal for someone who is hands-on technically credible business-minded and comfortable taking ownership .

We are not looking for someone who simply manages an IT department. The successful candidate will be someone who can roll up their sleeves understand the ERP challenge vendors troubleshoot business-system issues understand the underlying infrastructure and work directly with the business to improve how technology supports operations.

The successful candidate will be:

• Practical and solutions-oriented
• Strong in ERP/business systems
• Comfortable working hands-on when necessary
• Highly accountable
• Business-focused rather than technology-focused for technologys sake
• Comfortable managing outside consultants and technology partners
• Able to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Proactive and willing to identify problems before they impact the business
• Comfortable operating in a lean IT environment