We are the movers of the world and the makers of the future. We get up every day, roll up our sleeves and build a better world -- together. At Ford, we’re all a part of something bigger than ourselves. What will you make today?

Enterprise Technology plays a critical part in shaping the future of mobility. If you’re looking for the chance to leverage advanced technology to redefine the transportation landscape, enhance the customer experience and improve people’s lives, this is the opportunity for you. Join us and challenge your IT expertise and analytical skills to help create vehicles, engines, transmissions that are as smart as you are.

This is an Information Technology Operations based role that supports Ford’s European manufacturing and product development facilities where the Ford Kuga, Ford Capri and the Ford Explorer are built.

As part of the global Manufacturing IT team, you will work holistically to deliver our global manufacturing strategic objectives and collaborate with our European plants in producing these very exciting vehicles plus future vehicles for the European consumer market.

The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of manufacturing processes and IT operations (infrastructure and applications), leadership capability and experience in running IT operations and delivery teams.

We are seeking a Manufacturing IT Operations Director in Europe who will lead IT operational excellence across Ford’s European manufacturing and product development. As IT Operations Director, you will own maintaining an SLA of 99.94% or better for critical manufacturing applications while leading approx. a team of 100 IT professionals across 3 countries and 7 sites and collaborate globally with cross functionality teams to support production critical applications.

You will lead the strategic partnership between the Global Manufacturing IT organization and Europe Manufacturing Directors and Plant Managers, taking accountability for the alignment of global technology and application roadmaps with regional operational priorities.

This role demands a blend of strategic thinking, agile leadership, and an understanding of both business and IT eco systems to deliver high-quality operations and application/infrastructure upgrades.
 

What you’ll do ….

• Lead, mentor, coach, and grow the European Manufacturing IT operations team, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.

• Provide clear direction, set performance goals, conduct regular reviews, and support the professional development and career growth of your team members.

• Accountable for all IT incidents that are affecting vehicle, powertrain, transmission production by ensuring the incident is solved in minimum time and lessons learnt are implemented across plants postmortem.

• Lead the strategic partnership between the Global Industrial Systems IT organization and Europe Manufacturing business teams, taking accountability for the alignment of technology roadmaps with regional operational priorities

• Lead the delivery of IT projects to support the launch of new vehicles, engines and transmissions. Accountable that the IT deliverables are launches to meet Ford’s Global Product Development System (GPDS) milestones. 

• Drive for operational excellence by championing the need for optimizing processes to increase efficiency and reduce waste, lead the adoption a lean manufacturing mindset within your team.

• Accountable for all IT tech renewal projects in EU manufacturing including but not exclusive application, server, network, PC, other devices.

• Manage and align department projects and budget of $20m+ and align to Global priorities to holistically achieve manufacturing global strategic objectives.

• Manage external vendors and service providers for help desk services, equipment procurement, maintenance and support contracts, ensuring cost efficiency and business value are met.

 

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, information technology, electrical engineering, or a related field.

 

Experience:

• 5+ years in a supervisory or team leadership role.

• 5+ years of experience executing technology projects in a manufacturing context

• 5+ years of IT operations support infrastructure, applications or manufacturing

• Functional Business Knowledge of Manufacturing, Material Planning & Logistics, IT

 

Soft Skills:

• Excellent leadership, interpersonal, and organizational abilities.

• Ability to drive to root cause and work to develop monitoring/preventative measures.

• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills for diagnosing complex technical issues.

• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills for internal and external coordination with the ability to effectively communicate with all levels within the company.

• Ability to perform well under pressure and manage emergency situations.

• Ability to balance numerous projects and requests 

 

Work Conditions:

• On-site presence required at least 4 days a week.

• Occasional travel to provide support and guidance to all teams.

• Ability to respond to emergencies outside normal business hours.