Solution Architect – Manufacturing Systems

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Ohio, +2 more states.

📋 Description

• Act as the primary IT consultant for leaders in Manufacturing, Quality, Warehousing, Logistics, and Automation.

• Build trusted relationships with operational stakeholders.

• Convert business goals into technology roadmaps and solution architectures.

• Facilitate strategic planning for technology initiatives spanning 3 to 5 years.

• Oversee assigned Solution Architects and their respective teams.

• Encourage cross-domain collaboration and synchronize end-to-end process flows, data models, and integration points.

• Prioritize skill development and knowledge sharing among teams.

• Align individual and team goals with measurable business results.

• Lead the architecture and design of manufacturing applications and their integrations.

• Ensure that solutions are scalable, resilient, secure, and maintainable.

• Create and uphold architecture standards and reference models.

• Assess new technologies and recommend their adoption.

• Provide technical leadership for MES, Quality Management Systems, material handling automation, industrial data historians, shop floor data collection, equipment integrations, and operational reporting and analytics.

• Support project teams throughout planning, design, implementation, and deployment phases.

• Review low-level solution designs to ensure compliance with enterprise architecture.

• Identify technical risks and develop mitigation strategies.

• Ensure continuity and a successful transition across Plan, Build, and Run phases.

• Establish architecture governance for manufacturing technology.

• Take part in technology standards and design reviews.

• Maintain documentation, diagrams, and solution roadmaps.

• Collaborate with software vendors, systems integrators, and equipment suppliers.

• Participate in software selection and proof-of-concept evaluations.

• Review Statements of Work and technical deliverables.

• Enhance system reliability, availability, and performance.

• Support business continuity and disaster recovery planning.

• Identify opportunities to minimize technical debt.

• Mentor solution architects, analysts, and solution engineers.

• Share knowledge across IT teams while promoting architectural best practices and continuous learning.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.

• Over 10 years of experience in implementing enterprise manufacturing solutions.

• Experience working closely with manufacturing operations.

• Strong background in solution architecture and systems integration.

• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management capabilities.

• Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives.

• Willingness to travel to all First Quality North American sites, anticipated at 40-50%.

• Preferred: Experience with Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and data historians.

• Preferred: Familiarity with Quality Management Systems.

• Preferred: Knowledge in Industrial Automation.

• Preferred: Experience with SAP integration.

• Preferred: Proficiency with Cloud platforms (preferably Azure).

• Preferred: Knowledge of integration capabilities.

• Preferred: Understanding of Operational Technology (OT).

• Preferred: Familiarity with enterprise architecture frameworks.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive base salary along with bonus opportunities.

• Paid time off, with a minimum of three weeks.

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage starting from day one.

• 401(k) with employer matching.

• Paid parental leave.

• Assistance for child and family care (dependent care FSA with employer match up to $3750).

• Bundle of joy benefit (a year's supply of free diapers for all team members welcoming a new baby).

• Tuition assistance.

• Wellness program offering savings of up to $4,000 per year on insurance premiums.