IT Manager (Manufacturing – IBM Power Systems)

Position Overview

IT Manager (Manufacturing - IBM Power Systems)
Schedule: Full time
Location: Remote work for Tustin, CA

The IT Manager is responsible for planning, implementing, and managing the organization’s information technology environment, with a strong focus on our current IBM Power8 system supporting core manufacturing and business operations. This role ensures system reliability, security, and performance while aligning IT strategy with production, operational efficiency, and business growth across USA and Mexico.

Key Responsibilities

• Infrastructure & Systems Management:
  • Manage and maintain IBM Power8 server running IBM i (AS/400) environments.
  • Oversee ERP (KBM), MES, production planning, inventory, and financial systems hosted on IBM Power platform.
  • Ensure high availability, system performance tuning, capacity planning, and disaster recovery.
  • Coordinate system upgrades, patches, backups, and hardware lifecycle management.
• Manufacturing IT Support:
  • Support shop-floor systems, including PLC integrations, MES interfaces, and production reporting.
  • Provide leadership and guidance to internal & external IT resources for enhancements to on-prem.
  • Ensure seamless data flow between manufacturing systems and enterprise applications such as Salesforce, EDI, Concur, BOOMi and AWS.
  • Minimize downtime affecting production through proactive monitoring and rapid incident response.
• Network, Security & Compliance:
  • Facilitate management of LAN/WAN, VPNs, firewalls, and industrial network segmentation with company infrastructure team.
  • Ensure compliance with internal policies, ISO standards, and industry regulations.
  • Conduct regular audits, risk assessments, and disaster recovery testing.
• Team & Vendor Management:
  • Lead and mentor IT staff, system administrators, and support teams.
  • Manage relationships with IBM, hardware vendors, software providers, and MSPs.
  • Control IT budgets, licensing, and vendor contracts.
• Strategy & Planning:
  • Develop and execute IT roadmaps aligned with manufacturing and business goals.
  • Evaluate modernization opportunities (virtualization, cloud integration, system upgrades).
  • Support digital transformation initiatives such as automation, analytics, and Industry 4.0 projects.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
• Experience Required: 7+ years of progressive IT experience, including 3+ years in a managerial role.
• Strong hands-on experience with IBM Power systems.
• Experience in a manufacturing or industrial environment is highly preferred.
• Technical Skills:
  • IBM Power Systems (Power8 architecture)
  • IBM i (AS/400)
  • ERP systems (KBM)
  • RPG/ILE, SQL, TL Ashford, TrustedLink development & Change Management
  • Allen Bradley & Rockwell integrations
  • Backup & DR solutions
  • Cybersecurity best practices related to IBM i
  • Virtualization (LPARs)
  • Amazon Work Spaces