Manufacturing IT Systems Engineer

Employment Type: Salaried
Work Arrangement: Onsite

We are seeking a hands-on, mid-level Manufacturing IT Systems Engineer to serve as the dedicated on-site technology lead for our food manufacturing facility.

In this role, you will be the primary "boots on the ground" for the Plant IT Team. You will work in an environment where Level 1 routine support is handled by an outsourced Help Desk, allowing you to focus on Level 2/3 physical support, critical infrastructure, and the integration of manufacturing systems. You will function as the sole on-site IT presence, requiring a blend of technical autonomy and strong collaboration with remote engineering teams.

This role requires walking the plant daily and physical work. Including using lifts to reach high up IDFs and other devices.

Plant Floor Operations & L2 Support:

• Serve as the on-site escalation point for the outsourced L1 Help Desk, resolving physical or complex issues that cannot be fixed remotely.
• Manage and troubleshoot critical plant hardware, including Thermal Transfer Printers (Zebra), Mobile Handhelds/RF Scanners (Honeywell, Zebra), and HMI touchscreens.
• Support the physical network infrastructure, including troubleshooting wireless access points (WAPs) in production zones, cabinet cabling, and switch connectivity.
• Maintain local server infrastructure and ensure backups and patches are applied according to corporate schedules.
• Build and support workstations.

OT/IT Systems Integration:

• Act as the bridge between the plant floor (OT) and enterprise IT, supporting the data flow between PLCs, SCADA, MES, ERP, and WMS.
• Collaborate with Controls Engineers to troubleshoot network connectivity for industrial assets and ensure secure remote access.
• Assist in the deployment and maintenance of manufacturing applications, ensuring high availability for production schedules.

Projects & Continuous Improvement:

• Execute local IT projects, such as hardware refreshes, wireless site surveys, and new line integrations.
• Identify root causes of recurring technical issues and implement permanent fixes to reduce downtime.
• Participate in disaster recovery planning and testing for the local site.

Additional responsibilities as assigned.

• Bachelor's degree in IT, Computer Science, or Engineering (or equivalent experience).
• Preferred Certifications:
  • ITIL, Network+, or Microsoft certifications are beneficial.

Required Technical Skills:

• Experience:
  • 5+ years of IT systems experience, with specific experience supporting manufacturing environments (Food & Beverage preferred).
• OT/IT Knowledge:
  • Good understanding of how IT systems interact with OT technologies (SCADA, PLCs, HMIs) and manufacturing data flows.
• Hardware Proficiency:
  • Deep familiarity with industrial thermal printing, barcode scanners, and ruggedized mobile devices.
• Systems:
  • Experience supporting MES, ERP (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Dynamics), and or WMS platforms.
• Infrastructure:
  • Solid knowledge of Windows Server, Active Directory, and network troubleshooting (VLANs, switching).

Required Soft Skills:

• Autonomy:
  • Ability to manage your own queue and prioritize tasks as the sole on-site resource without direct supervision.
  • Communication:
    • Strong interpersonal skills to translate technical concepts for plant management and non-technical staff.

Preferred Skills:

• Language:
  • Bilingual (English/Spanish) is a strong plus to support a diverse workforce on the plant floor.
  • Cloud/Data:
    • Exposure to Azure, AWS, or data analytics platforms is a strong plus.

Why Join Us:
Ventura Foods innovates and manufactures food solutions for foodservice and retail businesses. We make exclusive products for the world's most iconic restaurants and retailers, we provide ready-to-go product solutions for professional kitchens, and we make consumer brands everyone knows and loves. When you work for Ventura Foods, you get a strong foundation of training, a manager who cares about you and celebrates your success, a safe environment, and challenging work. As part of our team, your future is limited only by how much you're willing to push yourself to get there. We invest in your growth because you invest in ours.

Ventura Foods offers career growth opportunities as well as competitive compensation and benefits:

• Medical, Prescription, Dental, & Vision - coverage beginning on your 1st day for eligible employees
• Profit Sharing and 401(k) matching (after eligible criteria is met)
• Paid Vacation, Sick Time, and Holidays
• Employee Appreciation Events and Employee Assistance Programs
• Salary Base Range of $90,952.00 - $117,941.25

The "base salary range" provided above is a good faith estimate of what we expect to pay for this position in the specified markets. Ventura Foods reserves the right to pay outside of the given range based on a variety of factors including but not limited to: candidate skills and experience, complexity of the job, budgetary factors, and location/geography. Ventura Foods conducts regular reviews of compensation ranges and therefore reserves the right to alter this range at any given time.

Diversity & Inclusion:
Our commitment to a diverse and inclusive environment in which all employees are treated with respect is evident in our company culture and values. We believe that fostering an environment of inclusion and a focus on diversity across our organization is vital to attracting top talent, driving innovation, and meeting the high expectations of our customers in a rapidly evolving global marketplace.

Ventura Foods is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.