Program Manager, IT/OT & Digitalization

The Program Manager, IT/OT & Digitalization will lead the strategic planning, implementation, and management of digital manufacturing initiatives for a new Lithium Gigafactory. This role is the primary business and technology leader for the operational technology (OT) and digital manufacturing stack - from the PLC and control layer on the shop floor, through SCADA, historians, and MES, up to enterprise platforms - driving Industry 4.0 transformation and OT/IT convergence across the plant.

The successful candidate will partner closely with Automation & Controls Engineering, Manufacturing Operations, Engineering, Quality, Maintenance & Reliability, Supply Chain, Enterprise IT, IT Infrastructure, and Cybersecurity teams to deliver a secure, scalable, world-class smart factory ecosystem built on modern industrial architectures - unified namespace, edge computing, and Industrial IoT.

This role focuses on the integration and optimization of OT and manufacturing platforms - including PLCs, SCADA/HMI, industrial historians, MES/MOM, CMMS/EAM, and advanced analytics - to support safe, efficient, and scalable production operations.

• Program Leadership: Lead the IT/OT & Digitalization program for the Lithium Gigafactory from concept through commissioning and production ramp-up, ensuring alignment with business objectives, operational requirements, and project timelines.
• OT & Digital Manufacturing Strategy: Develop and execute the factory's OT and digital manufacturing roadmap aligned with Industry 4.0 principles, leveraging Industrial IoT, edge computing, digital twins, AI/ML, and automation.
• Control Systems & PLC Enablement: Partner with Automation and Controls Engineering to standardize PLC and DCS architectures (e.g., Rockwell / Allen-Bradley, Siemens), programming and I/O standards, and data-acquisition design so production assets are delivered connectivity-ready and aligned to enterprise OT standards.
• OT Platform Integration: Lead deployment and integration across the OT platform stack - PLC/DCS control layer, SCADA/HMI (e.g., Ignition, FactoryTalk, AVEVA), industrial historians, and MES/MOM - ensuring reliable, contextualized information flow from equipment to enterprise systems.
• Shop-Floor Connectivity & OT/IT Convergence: Establish modern connectivity standards (OPC UA, MQTT) and a unified namespace to break down data silos and enable a connected, event-driven factory from sensor to boardroom.
• Manufacturing Data & Intelligence: Govern the manufacturing data strategy - time-series historization, contextualization, operational dashboards, OEE/KPIs, condition monitoring and predictive maintenance, and enterprise data-platform integration - to enable data-driven operational excellence.
• IT Infrastructure Collaboration: Partner with IT Infrastructure, Network, and Platform teams to define industrial networking, edge/compute, and storage requirements, and ensure segmentation and resilience appropriate to the OT environment.
• Cybersecurity (Secure-by-Design): Work with Cybersecurity and Information Security to align manufacturing solutions with corporate and industry security standards, enforcing secure-by-design principles, network segmentation, and least-privilege access for OT assets and data flows.
• Vendor & System Integrator Management: Evaluate, select, and manage automation vendors, OT platform providers, and system integrators, ensuring deliverables meet operational requirements, technology standards, budget, and schedule.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Serve as the connective tissue across Manufacturing Operations, Engineering, Quality, Maintenance & Reliability, Supply Chain, Enterprise IT, Automation & Controls, IT Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, and external technology partners.
• Risk, Budget & Schedule Management: Own program budgets, plans, resources, risks, and dependencies to deliver digital manufacturing initiatives on scope, schedule, and budget.
• Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Track emerging OT and Industry 4.0 technologies and continuously identify opportunities to improve safety, quality, throughput, sustainability, and overall operational performance.

Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or Engineering (Electrical, Controls, Industrial, or Mechanical), or a related field.

Experience:

• 7-10 years in IT/OT program management, with a focus on digital manufacturing, automation, and factory operations in a high-tech or process/discrete manufacturing environment.
• Proven delivery of large-scale OT and manufacturing systems: PLC/SCADA rollouts, historian and MES/MOM implementations, and smart-factory or greenfield plant programs.
• Working knowledge of OT/IT convergence patterns and modern connectivity approaches (unified namespace, OPC UA, edge computing).
• Industry 4.0 concepts such as IIoT, digital twins, and AI/ML for manufacturing.

Technical Skills:

• Hands-on familiarity with PLC platforms (Rockwell / Allen-Bradley, Siemens), SCADA/HMI, and industrial historians.
• Understanding of OT platforms (e.g., Ignition, AVEVA, FactoryTalk), MES/MOM, and CMMS/EAM solutions.
• Industrial networking, cybersecurity, cloud/edge data platforms, and data analytics.

Soft Skills:

• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder-management skills across both OT and IT audiences.
• Strong problem-solving abilities with a track record of innovation and change management.
• Ability to perform under pressure in a fast-paced, dynamic greenfield environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience commissioning greenfield or gigafactory-scale manufacturing facilities.
• Experience in battery, electronics, or other high-tech manufacturing.
• Familiarity with lithium / battery-cell manufacturing processes and associated OT.
• PMP, ITIL, or a relevant OT/industrial cybersecurity certification.
• Experience with agile and hybrid project-management methodologies.