Global ITS Business Partner (CE Manufacturing)

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provides strategic leadership in shaping and delivering short- and long-term global manufacturing objectives through the effective and innovative use of technology, ensuring alignment to enterprise priorities.
• Serves as the primary IT partner to the Global Manufacturing Leadership Team, influencing strategic direction and ensuring technology is positioned as a core enabler of manufacturing performance, efficiency, quality, and reliability.
• Owns and maintains a multi‑year global manufacturing technology roadmap, ensuring alignment across sites, regions, and enterprise priorities, and enabling a clear path from strategic intent through to execution.
• Leads the global demand management and portfolio shaping process for Manufacturing, ensuring that initiatives are clearly defined, prioritized, and aligned to business value, operational impact, and regulatory requirements.
• Works in close partnership with Global ITS delivery and PPM teams to prioritize and sequence demand, ensuring solutions are scalable, executable, and aligned to the broader enterprise architecture.
• Drives standardization and scalability of manufacturing technology solutions across the global network, reducing fragmentation and enabling global consistency while allowing for appropriate regional flexibility.
• Promotes the development of an integrated manufacturing technology and data landscape, enabling end‑to‑end visibility and connectivity across ERP, MES, shopfloor systems, and quality platforms.
• Drives alignment between technology strategy and regulated manufacturing requirements, including GxP compliance, validation expectations, and quality management system standards.
• Identifies and advances opportunities to leverage emerging technologies within manufacturing, including AI/ML, industrial IoT (IIoT), advanced analytics, smart factory / Industry 4.0 solutions, digital twins, and automation, ensuring practical application and measurable business impact.
• Defines and tracks business value metrics for manufacturing technology initiatives (e.g. productivity, cost efficiency, quality, yield, reliability), ensuring clear accountability for benefits realisation and continuous improvement, with joint ownership across IT and Manufacturing leadership.
• Accountable for ensuring that technology materially improves manufacturing outcomes across the global network.
• Acts as a senior strategic advisor, working on highly complex and ambiguous issues requiring deep knowledge of manufacturing operations, technology, and the broader enterprise environment.
• Brings a strong understanding of manufacturing processes, plant operations, and industry best practices, continuously benchmarking capabilities against external peers to inform strategy and investment decisions.
• Supports the Manufacturing organization in driving adoption of new technologies and ways of working, ensuring that solutions are embedded effectively and deliver sustained operational impact at site level.
• Participates with other senior leaders to establish enterprise and segment-level strategic plans, ensuring manufacturing priorities are appropriately represented and integrated.
• Makes and influences decisions on strategic and operational matters within scope, with significant impact on manufacturing performance and broader business outcomes; ensures effective achievement of objectives.
• Interprets and provides recommendations for evolution of technology-related policies, standards, and practices, particularly in support of manufacturing transformation and regulatory compliance.
• Operates with broad latitude in decision-making; decisions are typically complex and have material impact across global manufacturing operations. Erroneous decisions may significantly affect operational performance, compliance, or business results.
• Regularly interacts with executives and senior leadership, requiring strong influencing, negotiation, and communication skills to drive alignment and decision-making on matters of strategic importance.
• Recognized as an influential enterprise leader, able to operate effectively across all levels of the organisation and drive outcomes through influence in a highly matrixed environment.
• Ensures ongoing transparency and alignment with business stakeholders through regular updates on priorities, initiatives, risks, and progress across the manufacturing technology portfolio.
• Partners with strategic vendors and external partners where appropriate to accelerate the adoption of modern manufacturing capabilities and bring external innovation into the organisation.
• Performs other related duties as required.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING CONDITIONS:

• The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Some travel required for the role, but not very significant

SUPERVISION:

• Reporting directly to the SVP Care Enablement IT Solutions

BUSINESS STAKEHOLDERS:

• CE Manufacturing EVP
• CE Manufacturing Leadership Team

EDUCATION AND REQUIRED CREDENTIALS:

• Bachelor’s Degree; Advanced Degree preferred or an equivalent combination of education and experience

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS:

• 12+ years’ IT, Digital, or Technology leadership experience in a similar role, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. 5+ years’ experience operating at a senior management or executive level within a global organization
• Strong knowledge of the Medical Device, Life Sciences, or similarly regulated industries, with deep understanding of global manufacturing operations, processes, and systems
• Demonstrated experience partnering with manufacturing or operations organizations at a global level, with a proven track record of shaping and delivering technology-enabled business outcomes
• Strong understanding of manufacturing systems and architecture, including ERP–MES integration, shopfloor systems, and quality platforms, as well as emerging digital manufacturing capabilities.
• Proven experience in defining and advancing digital manufacturing / Industry 4.0 strategies, including application of technologies such as AI/ML, industrial IoT, advanced analytics, automation, and smart factory solutions.
• Experience developing and managing technology investment cases, with strong financial acumen and the ability to prioritise initiatives based on business value, return on investment, and strategic impact.
• Experience establishing and operating effective governance frameworks, including demand management, prioritisation processes, and executive-level steering mechanisms to ensure alignment between business and IT.
• Experience leading or contributing to large-scale, multi-site or global technology programmes within manufacturing environments, ensuring consistency, scalability, and successful adoption across diverse regions and plant operations.
• Strong management and leadership skills with the ability to influence and align cross-functional teams in a global matrix environment, without direct authority.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively with all levels of management through diplomacy and influence, including executive-level stakeholders.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, business-relevant insights and actions.
• Strong combination of strategic vision and practical delivery experience, with the ability to shape initiatives that are both innovative and executable; consulting experience is advantageous.
• Demonstrated ability to lead large-scale, complex change initiatives, driving results through influence, persuasion, and strong stakeholder relationships.
• Strong business acumen, with the ability to connect technology decisions to measurable business outcomes, particularly in manufacturing performance, efficiency, quality, and cost.
• Politically astute, with the ability to navigate complex organizations and achieve results in a highly cross-functional, matrixed environment.
• Demonstrated ability to assess situations quickly, establish credibility, and add value in complex and evolving environments.
• Exceptional ability to co-create and collaborate effectively with IT, business leaders, and external partners to shape and deliver strategic outcomes.
• Effective change agent with the ability to challenge the status quo, drive innovation, and translate vision into actionable strategies.
• Strong understanding of regulated manufacturing environments, including GxP requirements, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, EU Annex 11, computer system validation processes, and audit expectations.
• Experience leveraging external market insights and industry benchmarks to inform strategy and drive continuous improvement.
• Awareness of cybersecurity considerations within manufacturing and industrial environments, including IT/OT convergence.
• Experience operating as a Head of IT (or equivalent) for Manufacturing or Plant Operations is strongly preferred, including direct accountability for delivery and operational IT within a manufacturing environment. Candidates with this background will bring valuable practical experience in deploying and operating manufacturing systems and technologies at plant level.

Leadership Competencies:

• Enterprise mindset with a global perspective and the ability to balance enterprise-wide priorities with business-specific needs.
• Strategic thinking, with the ability to anticipate future trends in manufacturing and technology and translate them into actionable plans.
• Leads through influence, often without direct authority, using data, insight, and strong communication to align stakeholders and drive decisions.
• Ability to engage and align stakeholders around a clear vision, ensuring shared understanding of strategy, priorities, and desired outcomes.
• Self-starter who is proactive, outcome-oriented, and willing to take ownership to ensure successful delivery of objectives.
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in a fast-paced, complex, and evolving environment.
• Strong ability to think creatively, identify opportunities, and anticipate risks in both business and technology contexts.
• Demonstrates resilience, adaptability, and sound judgement in navigating ambiguity and driving change