First District Association is a dairy cooperative that manufactures wholesome dairy products from high quality milk supplied from our family farms located in Minnesota and Wisconsin. We operate several manufacturing facilities on-site with state-of-the-art equipment. The Senior Manager of Information Technology & Information Systems is a hands-on technology leader responsible for managing IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, enterprise applications, ERP systems, and end-user support across the cooperative. This role provides operational leadership for all IT and IS functions while directly overseeing three team members: a Network Administrator, a Software Developer, and a Help Desk Technician. This role focuses on secure, reliable, business-driven IT and IS capabilities that support all manufacturing plants, office staff, HR and finance.

 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Manage all servers, networks, Wi-Fi, storage systems, virtualization, data centers, and cloud services.
• Ensure reliable connectivity across all plants and office environments.
• Lead hardware lifecycle programs for workstations, laptops, printers, plant-floor PCs, and mobile devices.
• Oversee telecom systems, vendor relationships, internet connections, and remote access.
• Maintain a strong cyber posture.
• Manage firewalls, endpoint protection, patching, MFA, vulnerability remediation, and access controls.
• Lead cybersecurity policy development and compliance efforts.
• Oversee disaster recovery (DR), backups, and business continuity planning.
• Ensure effective operation of help desk services, ticket management, and end-user escalation.
• Develop service level expectations, knowledge bases, and support standards.
• Personally assist with troubleshooting when needed.
• Serve as functional IS owner of the ERP system and lead preparation for the upcoming ERP upgrade.
• Partner with business functions to gather requirements and improve workflows.
• Oversee training for new and existing Microsoft office products to enhance file management, communication and utilization of product efficiency software across the organization.
• Manage integration with plant systems, finance, scheduling, member services, procurement, and logistics.
• Oversee key enterprise applications such as HRIS, maintenance systems, quality systems, procurement tools, and reporting platforms.
• Ensure systems are stable, supported, and aligned with business processes.
• Evaluate new applications and develop long-term systems roadmaps.
• Supervise the Software Developer to deliver internal tools, dashboards, reports, and data automation solutions.
• Prioritize application enhancements, bug fixes, and integration projects.
• Ensure development best practices, documentation, and testing standards.
• Coordinate with the OT/ PLC leader to ensure:
  • secure data flows and configurations,
  • proper separation of OT and IT environments,
  • and shared uptime/reliability expectations.
• Support higher-level systems integration between ERP and OT.
• Support the CFO in developing IT/IS budgets and multi-year investment plans.
• Maintain inventories of hardware, software licenses, warranties, and service contracts.
• Establish IT and IS policies, procedures, and standard operating practices.
• Ensure compliance with cooperative, regulatory, and industry expectations.

 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in IT, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field.
• 7+ years of IT experience, including leadership or working-manager responsibilities.
• Hands-on experience in networking, servers, cybersecurity, and system administration.
• Experience with ERP systems and enterprise applications (manufacturing experience strongly preferred).
• Prior oversight of software development or system integrations.
• Strong understanding of cybersecurity principles and frameworks.
• Ability to collaborate across plant operations, supply chain, member services, and finance.
• Ability to provide hands-on, service-oriented and technical leadership.
• Excellent communicator and partner to operations.
• Strong project leadership and organizational skills.
• Committed to cooperative values and long-term stability.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Food or dairy processing or industrial manufacturing.
• Experience with ERP upgrades or multi-system integrations.
• Exposure to OT/IT separation best practices.
• Working with cooperatives or member-owned organizations.

 

First District Association offers a rich benefit and compensation package including medical, dental, disability and life insurance. Participation in 401K with company match and eligibility for annual bonus also included. Candidates must successfully complete a background, drug and fitness for duty tests prior to start. To apply, please send your resume to C2@firstdistrict.com.

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