Operational Technology Manager

Operational Technology Manager Information Technology Hattiesburg, Mississippi Description Position at Hood Industries, Inc. Hood Industries, Inc. is a blend of wood manufacturing and distribution centers that include plywood, lumber manufacturing plants and twenty-three specialty wood product distribution operations. All located in fifteen states serving the northeast, southeast and southwest United States. Hood Industries, Inc. is seeking an Operational Technology Manager (OT). This position is responsible for strategy, reliability, cybersecurity, and modernization of operational technology across the organization's manufacturing and distribution operations. This role ensures that plant automation systems, industrial networks, robotics, vision systems, and control platforms operate securely, reliably, and efficiently. The Operational Technology Manager will partner cross-functionally with manufacturing, distribution, engineering, safety, and IT teams to lead projects & initiatives related to the systems integration & control automation. Additionally, this role will lead a corporate team of Integration Engineers responsible for developing standards and guiding the evolution of automation, industrial data, and control systems.

Essential Functions:

Partner with plant and controls engineers, distribution operations, and IT teams to develop the OT strategy & roadmap to provide technical guidance, and influence adoption of modern automation and industrial data capabilities. Lead and mentor a team of Corporate Integration Engineers. Manage external vendors, contractors, and technology partners in system procurement, project delivery, and ongoing support. Monitor industry trends in the automation industry, process control, proposing innovations to improve site productivity and risk management. Plan and deliver coaching & training for plant personnel on OT systems operation, safety, and incident management. Defining governance model for OT architecture, lifecycle management, and vendor standards. Develop architectural guidance and best practices for plant and distribution automation systems for integration & hardware standards for PLC platforms, robotics, vision systems, SCADA systems, industrial networking, and data integration. Provide consulting, guidance, and technical support for complex automation and integration initiatives for plant and distribution automation systems. Drive adoption, alignment, and consistency of OT technologies across facilities at the corporate level. Ensure all OT infrastructure, endpoints, and networks are current, secure, and meet industry best practices for availability and cyber defense. Maintain documentation on configurations, incidents, upgrades, compliance, and risk assessments. Enable the flow of real-time process and equipment data from automation systems to corporate platforms. Support integration with corporate systems, ERP, analytics, maintenance, and performance management systems. Enable plant and distribution performance dashboards and operational analytics. Support implementation of machine safety systems and industrial safety technologies. Support safety monitoring, event visibility, and safety analytics initiatives.

Education/Qualification:

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, Automation Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related fields. 7+ years of experience in industrial automation or operational technology in manufacturing or industrial environments (forest products industry a plus!).

Skills & Knowledge Areas:

Automation & Controls:

PLC-based automation and machine control platforms such as Allen-Bradley/Rockwell ControlLogix and Siemens systems.

SCADA & Process Visualization:

Enterprise and plant-level process monitoring and visualization platforms such as Ignition (Inductive Automation), FactoryTalk View

SE/ME, AVEVA

System Platform/Wonderware.

Robotics & Advanced Automation:

Industrial robotics systems such as Fanuc, ABB, or Yaskawa/Motoman supporting robotic cell and continuous line integration, robot programming, vision-guided robotics, robotic safety systems, and integration with PLC-based automation environments.

Industrial Vision Systems:

Machine vision and automated inspection technologies such as Cognex, Keyence, or Omron used for edge detection, product inspection, defect detection, barcode/OCR scanning, alignment verification, and vision-guided robotics applications.

Plant Control Networks & Industrial Communication:

Industrial networking and communication protocols including EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, Modbus

TCP/RTU, OPC

UA/DA, DeviceNet, and ControlNet.

Industrial Data Platforms & Historians:

Industrial data collection and historian platforms such as Ignition Historian, OSIsoft PI (AVEVA PI), Canary Historian, or related platforms.

Equipment Monitoring & Industrial Sensors:

Industrial condition, machine health, and sensor monitoring platforms such as Augury, SKF Enlight, Emerson AMS, Siemens Senseye, and Fluke Reliability.

Salary Range:

$104,000 - $125,000

Additional Information:

Hood Industries offers a competitive salary and an excellent benefits package including medical, employee assistance program, dental, vision, 401(k), cancer, flexible spending account, life, and LTD, available first of the month following completion of one month of continuous full-time employment. Hood Industries requires that applicants consent to a background check and a drug screen to continue in the selection process. All employment offers are contingent on meeting our background check standards and successful passing of the required drug test. If hired, you will be required to provide documentation indicating your legal right to work in the U.S.