Senior Manager - Digital Transformation (Medical Device Manufacturing) Job Listing at Flex in Buffalo Grove, IL (Job ID WD231345)

Description

Flex is the diversified manufacturing partner of choice that helps market-leading brands design, build and deliver innovative products that improve the world.A career at Flex offers the opportunity to make a difference and invest in your growth in a respectful, inclusive, and collaborative environment. If you are excited about a role but don't meet every bullet point, we encourage you to apply and join us to create the extraordinary. Job Summary Position Summary

The Senior Manager, Digital Transformation is responsible for executing the site's digital manufacturing and Industry 4.0 strategy established by the Director of Engineering & Digital Transformation. This role leads implementation of technologies that connect manufacturing equipment, OT infrastructure, data platforms, analytics, and business systems to improve operational performance, reliability, quality, and manufacturing intelligence.

A critical responsibility of this position is bridging Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT). The successful candidate must possess significant experience with industrial networking and IT/OT architecture and be capable of leading technical discussions with IT, cybersecurity, controls engineering, equipment suppliers, and manufacturing stakeholders. This individual must understand both enterprise IT requirements and the unique availability, latency, lifecycle, protocol, support, and operational constraints of manufacturing environments.

This is a technical digital transformation leadership role with program-management responsibility. The Senior Manager translates the digital transformation roadmap into executable programs, resolves technical and organizational barriers, establishes scalable architectures with appropriate stakeholders, and drives initiatives from concept through deployment, adoption, and sustained operation.

Key Responsibilities

·   Execute the digital transformation strategy and roadmap established by the Director of Engineering & Digital Transformation, converting strategic priorities into technical workstreams, milestones, resource plans, and measurable deliverables.

·   Lead cross-functional implementation involving Engineering, Operations, IT, cybersecurity, Quality, equipment suppliers, and technology partners.

·   Drive complex initiatives from concept and proof-of-concept through validated production deployment, adoption, support, and sustained operational ownership.

·   Identify and resolve infrastructure, networking, cybersecurity, data, integration, and equipment-connectivity dependencies before they become project execution barriers.

·   Establish implementation discipline, governance, KPIs, risk management, and executive-level reporting for the digital transformation portfolio.

·   Travel: up to 10% (e.g. Austin, TX HQ)

IT/OT Architecture, Networking & Cybersecurity

·   Serve as a primary Engineering interface between manufacturing OT organizations and corporate/site IT for digital transformation initiatives.

·   Lead technical discussions concerning IT/OT network architecture, segmentation, connectivity, data flows, industrial Ethernet, edge computing, virtualization, firewall requirements, remote access, and system integration.

·   Translate manufacturing and equipment requirements into technical infrastructure requirements that IT, cybersecurity, vendors, and Engineering teams can execute.

·   Ensure architectures account for manufacturing realities including production availability, latency and deterministic communications, equipment lifecycle, vendor support, maintenance access, change control, and production continuity.

·   Partner with IT and cybersecurity to develop secure, scalable architectures for connecting manufacturing assets to enterprise and cloud-based systems while maintaining appropriate separation and protection of OT environments.

·   Apply working knowledge of managed switching, VLANs, routing concepts, firewalls, network segmentation, industrial DMZs, secure remote/vendor access, least-privilege access, asset inventory, certificates, and OT patching constraints.

·   Understand and navigate industrial communication technologies and protocols including EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, OPC UA, MQTT, and other common industrial standards.

·   Participate in architecture and cybersecurity reviews and appropriately challenge proposed solutions to ensure both enterprise governance and OT operational requirements are addressed.

Manufacturing Intelligence & Digital Technology

·   Lead implementation of the manufacturing intelligence architecture supporting equipment connectivity, data acquisition, contextualization, visualization, analytics, and decision support.

·   Oversee integration of PLCs, industrial equipment, SCADA/OT systems, edge platforms, historians/databases, analytics platforms, and enterprise environments.

·   Lead manufacturing intelligence capabilities including Grafana-based visualization, OEE, downtime, yield, equipment performance, predictive analytics, and prescriptive analytics.

·   Support implementation and integration of strategic technologies such as AR/AI-enabled work instructions, equipment connectivity, virtualization, and future Industry 4.0 capabilities like predictive/prescriptive analytics to drive data based decisions.

·   Ensure solutions are interoperable, maintainable, scalable, cybersecurity-conscious, supportable, and aligned with the long-term manufacturing architecture.

Architecture Governance & Standardization

·   Partner with Engineering, IT, cybersecurity, and other technical stakeholders to establish reference architectures and technical standards for digital manufacturing.

·   Reduce one-off solutions by standardizing connectivity, edge, data, integration, security, and deployment patterns that can be reused across equipment and manufacturing areas.

·   Ensure pilots and proofs-of-concept have a defined path to production scale, including infrastructure, cybersecurity, ownership, support, lifecycle, and sustainment requirements.

·   Document architectural decisions, interfaces, standards, and technical dependencies to enable repeatable deployment and long-term support.

Leadership & Collaboration

·   Lead and develop digital transformation and manufacturing intelligence resources, including the Principal Manufacturing Intelligence Engineer and other assigned technical personnel.

·   Build strong partnerships across Engineering, Operations, IT, cybersecurity, Quality, and business leadership while maintaining clear accountability for execution.

·   Translate effectively between controls engineers, network engineers, cybersecurity teams, software/data teams, equipment vendors, manufacturing leaders, and executive stakeholders.

·   Communicate complex technical risks, tradeoffs, dependencies, and decisions in clear business terms.

Required Qualifications

·   Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Information Technology, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or a related degree.

·   7+ years of experience in manufacturing technology, automation, OT, industrial IT, digital manufacturing, or related technical environments.

·   3+ years of leadership and/or significant cross-functional technical program leadership.

·   Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, or leading IT/OT network and infrastructure solutions within manufacturing environments.

·   Strong working knowledge of industrial Ethernet networks, managed switching, VLANs, routing concepts, firewalls, network segmentation, industrial DMZ architecture, remote access, virtualization, and OT cybersecurity principles.

·   Strong understanding of industrial protocols and technologies such as EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, OPC UA, MQTT, and related manufacturing communication technologies.

·   Experience working directly with enterprise IT and cybersecurity organizations to implement manufacturing systems in production environments.

·   Experience integrating industrial PLC controls/equipment, SCADA systems, edge platforms, historians/databases, analytics platforms, and enterprise systems.

·   Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical initiatives from concept through production deployment and sustained operation.

·   Experience in highly regulated, high-availability, or complex discrete manufacturing environments.

Preferred Qualifications

·   Experience developing or deploying enterprise-scale IT/OT reference architectures across multiple manufacturing areas or sites.

·   Experience with manufacturing data architecture, edge computing, virtualization/high-availability environments, cloud integration, and modern analytics platforms.

·   Experience scaling successful proofs-of-concept into standardized production solutions.

JT05

AA01
MS14
CC11

What you'll receive for the great work you provide:

• Full range of medical, dental, and vision plans
• Life Insurance
• Short-term and Long-term Disability
• Matching 401(k) Contributions
• Vacation and Paid Sick Time
• Tuition Reimbursement

Application Deadline:

Applications for this job position will be accepted for at least five days following the job posting start date below and continuing until the end date below or until the position is filled. This posting may close sooner due to application volume.

Job Posting Start Date 10-15-2026 Job Posting End Date 12-20-2026

The base pay range for this position is provided below. The final base rate offered will be determined using job-related, non-discriminatory criteria, including but not limited to experience, qualifications, geographic location, education, external market data, and internal equity.

$122,600.00 USD - $168,600.00 USD Annual Job Category Production EngineeringRelocation: Eligible for domestic relocation only

Is Sponsorship Available?

NoFlex is an Equal Opportunity Employer and employment selection decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. We do not discriminate based on: age, race, religion, color, sex, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, pregnancy status, or any other status protected by law. We're happy to provide reasonable accommodations to those with a disability for assistance in the application process. Please email accessibility@flex.com and we'll discuss your specific situation and next steps (NOTE: this email does not accept or consider resumes or applications. This is only for disability assistance. To be considered for a position at Flex, you must complete the application process first).

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