Sr. Manager, IT

Description & Requirements Job Description

AESC is looking to add a Sr. Manager, IT to our team in Smyrna, TN.

• Full-Time
• On-site

AESC is an exciting, newly created global organization committed to solving the challenges of a sustainable future and becoming the leading supplier of full-value-chain battery solutions. Our lithium-ion batteries can be found in nearly one million electric vehicles worldwide and have a stellar safety record of zero-critical issues. AESC US is leading the way in battery technology. We design and manufacture EV battery technology for various electric vehicles and equipment.

We are working hard towards unlocking the full potential of sustainable energy and climate change mitigation. We will continue to build upon our successes and expand into new markets and industries, producing innovative and competitive products and technologies that advance the goal of a zero-carbon emission future. AESC is headquartered in Japan and has battery manufacturing locations in Japan, UK, China, and the U.S.

Our mission is to solve the challenges for a sustainable future. Together, we can make a meaningful impact.

We are seeking a visionary and results-driven IT Senior Manager to lead our IT operations in Smyrna, TN. This is a high-impact leadership role focused on ensuring that our IT infrastructure and business systems fully support 24/7 manufacturing excellence. Instead of deep technical coding, we are looking for a leader who excels at strategic alignment, team development, and cross-functional collaboration between the factory floor and corporate IT functions.

This role requires high visibility and constant engagement. You won't be tucked away in an office; you will be embedded in the plant's heartbeat.

• Walk the Floor: Maintain a daily presence on the production floor to understand the intersection of technology and manufacturing, building rapport with operations teams.
• Bridge the Gap: Translate complex IT roadblocks into plain business language for plant leadership, and conversely, translate production challenges into actionable requirements for corporate IT.
• Command the Incident: Lead the response during critical system outages, serving as the escalation point and the "single source of truth" for plant leadership until resolution.
• Advocate & Influence: Act as the voice of the Smyrna plant within the global IT organization, ensuring our specific needs for uptime, traceability, and speed are prioritized at the corporate level.
• Mentor & Coach: Actively develop your onsite IT staff, shifting them from reactive "firefighters" to proactive systems stewards.

• Strategic Alignment: Act as the IT Business Partner for the plant leadership team, ensuring IT initiatives directly support production goals, safety, and efficiency.
• Operational Excellence: Ensure high availability and performance of plant-critical systems supporting production, quality, traceability, labeling, and shipping.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Build deep working relationships with Production, Maintenance, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, EHS, Finance, and HR to ensure IT priorities align with plant performance goals.
• Production Readiness: Partner with Operations to support ramp-ups, new line launches, and shift coverage planning from an IT readiness standpoint.
• Operational Technology (OT) Integration: Collaborate with Controls/Automation and Engineering teams to support plant connectivity and system integration while maintaining strict cybersecurity standards.
• Governance & Compliance: Manage local IT budgets (Cap Ex/OpEx), oversee asset life cycles, and ensure the facility remains fully compliant with all corporate security standards and IT audits.
• Vendor & Support Management: Act as the primary liaison with global SAP (ERP) and Apriso (MES) support teams to ensure plant requirements are prioritized and met.

• Leadership
  
  Experience:
  
  10+ years of experience in IT, with at least 5 years in a significant management or leadership role. Proven track record of leading teams in a manufacturing or industrial environment.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in IT, Business Management, or a related field (Master's degree preferred).
• Stakeholder Management: Exceptional ability to communicate with both technical staff and non-technical plant leadership.
• Crisis Management: Strong leadership presence under pressure, with the ability to lead incident response in a 24/7 environment.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to see the "big picture" of how IT enables the manufacturing business.

• Familiarity with SAP and MES (Apriso) workflows within a manufacturing context.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma methodologies.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) or ITIL certifications.

Welcome to AESC, supporting our state-of-the-art Gigafactories, where you'll have the opportunity to tackle the world's most fascinating challenges alongside…