Division IT Manager

Illinois Tool Works · Sidcup · £90,000–£110,000 (stated in the posting)

Apply on the company website

Job Description:

Position Overview

The Division IT Manager is responsible for leading the end-to-end IT transformation and operations across a globally distributed, multi-site organization, ensuring IT is a scalable enabler of growth, efficiency, and decision-making.

The role operates within a complex delivery model, managing a combination of:

• Global IT leaders (Infrastructure/Cyber and Data/Applications)
• Regional IT resources (Europe, China)
• Multiple MSPs across regions

Success requires the ability to lead through influence, structure, and governance—not direct execution alone.

The IT Manager must transform a fragmented IT landscape into a standardized, data-driven and secure environment, aligned with:

• Current Divisional IT roadmap
• ERP standardization (Acumatica)
• Data platform evolution
• Cyber and infrastructure modernization

Organizational Scope & Team Leadership

The Division IT Manager leads a hybrid global IT team, including:

• Direct / Functional Leadership
• 1 Global Infrastructure, IT Operations & Cyber Security Manager
• 1 Global Data Analyst (evolving into Data & Business Applications Lead)
• Regional IT Resources
  • 2 IT resources in Slovenia (applications, ERP support, operations)
  • 1 IT Specialist in China
• External Delivery Model with multiple MSPs and contractors across: North America, UK, Italy, Bulgaria, New Zealand and Slovenia

Leadership Expectations

The Division IT Manager must:

• Define clear roles, responsibilities, and accountability model across all resources
• Eliminate overlap and inefficiencies currently visible across IT activities
• Establish a scalable “hub-and-spoke” IT operating model
• Drive alignment between: Internal IT, Segment IT, MSP partners
• Ensure: global consistency, local responsiveness where needed, cost-efficient delivery in line with ITW principles.

Core Responsibilities

1. IT Strategy, Governance & Operating Model

• Own the division IT strategy and ITW Front-to-Back execution roadmap
• Establish a clear IT operating model across global and regional teams
• Define governance across: data, ERP, Cyber, Infrastructure
• Implement structured reporting and performance tracking across all IT layers
• Ensure strict adherence to 80/20 prioritization discipline

2. ERP Modernization Leadership (Global Accountability)

• Lead the global Acumatica rollout across all sites
• Govern ERP standardization, eliminating: legacy systems, site-specific deviations
• Ensure ERP becomes:
  • Single source of truth for core business processes
  • Foundation for data and analytics
• Supervise execution through:
  • Data/App Lead
  • Regional IT resources

3. Data & Business Applications Leadership (Critical Capability)

• Elevate the Data Analyst role (part of the IT team) into a Data & Applications capability leader, providing direction, prioritization, and technical guidance
• Define and enforce:
  • Data governance and ownership model
  • Enterprise data architecture principles
  • Standardized KPI and reporting framework
• Lead the design and evolution of the divisional data platform, ensuring:
  • Integration of data across ERP (Acumatica), supply chain, and shop floor systems
  • Elimination of siloed and spreadsheet-based reporting
  • Creation of a single, reliable data foundation for decision making
• Drive adoption and standardization of key technologies:
  • Power BI as the standard for data visualization and business reporting
  • Modern data platforms (i.e. Microsoft Fabric, Snowflake or equivalent) for:
    • Data ingestion
    • Transformation
    • Storage and analytics
  • APIs and integration frameworks to enable scalable and maintainable system connectivity
  • Python (or equivalent) for:
    • Data engineering
    • Automation
    • Advanced analytics use cases
• Ensure the Data function delivers practical, business-relevant use cases, including:
  • Forecasting improvement (ML-driven where appropriate)
  • Supply chain and operational visibility
  • Financial and operational KPI standardization
• Act as functional leader of Data expertise, with the expectation to:
  • Guide, coach, and grow a Data expert within the team
  • Maintain sufficient technical understanding to challenge design decisions
  • Ensure solutions remain simple, scalable, and aligned to business needs (ITW 80/20 mindset)

4. Infrastructure, Cyber & MSP Orchestration

• Lead through the Global Infra & Cyber Manager, ensuring:
  • Consistent cyber posture across all sites
  • Centralized vulnerability management
  • Standardized infrastructure
• Address FTB risks:
  • Cyber gaps across multiple sites
  • Aging infrastructure
  • Inconsistent MSP capabilities
• Drive:
  • Azure migration
  • AD consolidation
  • Network standardization
• Rationalize MSP landscape:
  • Define clear SLAs
  • Remove underperforming vendors
  • Standardize service delivery

5. Global Delivery & Execution Model

Establish clear accountability across distributed teams.

• Implementing: standard project governance and consistent delivery framework
• Ensure execution discipline across: internal team and external providers
• Balance: centralization (standards, platforms) and local flexibility (business needs)

6. IT Operations (Right-Sized & Optimized)

• Ensure stable operations across: infrastructure, applications, end-user support
• Transition non-value-added work to: MSPs and automation
• Focus internal resources on growth and transformation priorities (AA)

7. Financial & Vendor Management

• Own: IT budget, investment prioritization, vendor strategy
• Ensure alignment with: low-cost mindset and value-driven investments

Required Experience & Skills

• Leadership & Organizational Complexity
• Experience leading distributed, global IT teams
• Proven ability to manage:
• Hybrid teams (internal + MSP)
• Multi-layered accountability structures
• Strong governance, prioritization, and decision-making skills
• ERP & Applications
  • Strong ERP modernization experience
  • Acumatica experience strongly preferred
  • Experience rationalizing multi-ERP environments
• Data & Analytics
  • Strong experience building and scaling:
    • Data architectures and data platforms
    • End-to-end data pipelines (ingestion  > transformation > visualization)
  • Hands-on understanding (not necessarily deep execution) of:
    • Power BI (data modeling, semantic layers, KPI standardization)
    • Modern data platforms:
      • Microsoft Fabric (preferred) or
      • Snowflake / equivalent cloud data platforms
    • Data integration patterns, including:
      • APIs
      • ETL / ELT processes
    • Programming and data manipulation (Python, SQL)
  • Proven ability to:
    • Transition organizations from fragmented reporting to standardized data-driven decision making
    • Drive business adoption of data, not just technical implementation
  • Experience leading or managing data specialists or analytics teams, including:
    • Setting priorities
    • Providing architectural direction
    • Ensuring alignment with business outcomes
• Cyber & Infrastructure
  • Experience managing cyber risk across multiple sites and vendors
  • Strong understanding of:
    • Cloud transformation
    • Security frameworks
    • Infrastructure standardization
• Execution & Transformation - proven track record of:
  • Delivering transformation in complex environments
  • Driving standardization and simplification
  • Strong change management capability

Success Profile

The ideal candidate:

• Is a true orchestrator, not a hands-on technician
• Has experience in global, multi-site manufacturing environments
• Can manage complex delivery models (internal + MSP + regional IT)
• Drives simplification, accountability, and measurable outcomes
• Is equally strong in ERP, Governance, and Data leadership (with sufficient technical depth to guide data architecture and engineering teams, without acting as a pure developer)

Key Outcomes

Within 12–18 months, the Division IT Manager will:

• Establish a clear and scalable IT operating model
• Stabilize and progress Acumatica global rollout
• Deliver data visibility improvements across all key functions
• Improve cybersecurity coverage across all sites
• Rationalize and optimize:
  • MSP landscape
  • Infrastructure footprint
• Build a high-performing IT leadership layer (Infra + Data/Apps)

Compensation Information:

UK 90-110k

More jobs at Illinois Tool Works · Data & Analytics jobs in Sidcup