IT Manager at Footprint in Piekary Śląskie, Silesian Voivodeship, PL

We are seeking an experienced IT Manager to support the successful launch of our greenfield manufacturing operations in Poland. This role will serve as the onsite IT leader, responsible for the delivery, performance, and continuous improvement of all IT services at the Poland manufacturing facility.

The IT Manager will act as the primary point of contact for all site IT operations, ensuring reliable day-to-day service delivery, managing relationships with external managed service providers (MSP/MSSP), and partnering closely with site leadership and US-based IT teams to drive operational excellence, standardization, and alignment with global IT strategies. Initially a hands-on individual contributor with responsibility for vendor management and technical support, the role is expected to evolve into a people leadership position as the site and regional operations grow.

Success in this role requires a strong combination of technical expertise, hands-on troubleshooting capability, service delivery management, and the ability to coordinate projects, maintain secure and resilient IT operations, and ensure compliance with corporate standards in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Key Responsibilities

Service Delivery & Operations

• Own end-to-end IT service delivery for the Poland site, ensuring SLAs, response times, and user satisfaction targets are consistently met.
• Monitor MSP service desk performance and ticket quality, monitoring queues, timeliness, and resolution standards.
• Act as the primary escalation point for complex or high-impact incidents, driving them to resolution and minimizing operational downtime.
• Define, track, and report on KPIs and service metrics; deliver regular performance reporting to IT leadership.
• Identify trends and recurring issues, leading continuous improvement initiatives to enhance service quality and efficiency.

Technical Support & Infrastructure

• Provide hands-on support across the full onsite technology stack, from end-user devices to local infrastructure.
• Onsite support for network, server, and Wi-Fi infrastructure, including conference room and shop-floor connectivity.
• Support audiovisual and conference room systems, including Microsoft Teams Rooms and associated peripherals.

Leadership & Coordination

• Serve as the IT liaison between the Poland facility and US IT leadership, ensuring alignment on priorities, standards, and project delivery.
• Coordinate IT projects, deployments, and rollouts at the site, managing timelines, dependencies, and local execution.
• Monitor onboarding and offboarding from an IT perspective, ensuring timely provisioning and secure deprovisioning of access and equipment.
• Drive standardization of IT processes, policies, and documentation across the site in line with global standards.
• Provide future people leadership as the onsite team grows, including mentoring and coordination of additional IT staff.

Vendor & Asset Management

• Manage the relationship with MSP/MSSP partners, overseeing performance, holding vendors accountable to SLAs, and acting as the site's escalation authority.
• Own hardware lifecycle and asset management, including procurement support, tracking, deployment, and retirement of IT assets.
• Coordinate local IT vendors and hardware suppliers, managing onsite support and service engagements.
• Support purchasing and budgeting activities related to IT hardware, software, and services.

Audit, Security & Compliance

• Support audit readiness through sound IT controls, evidence retention, and timely remediation of findings.

• Maintain accurate documentation, configuration records, and change tracking for onsite systems and processes.

• Ensure proper access control, least-privilege practices, and adherence to security policies across the site.

• Partner with global security and IT teams to uphold and enforce enterprise security standards locally.

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

• 7–10+ years of progressive IT experience, including hands-on technical support, infrastructure management, and IT operations.

• Proven experience leading onsite IT service delivery in a manufacturing, industrial, or other operational environment.

• Strong technical expertise in Microsoft 365, Microsoft Entra ID, Intune, Microsoft Defender, Windows desktop and server environments, and core networking technologies (LAN/WAN, Wi-Fi, 802.1x).

• Demonstrated experience managing Managed Service Providers (MSP/MSSP) and external IT vendors, ensuring service quality and SLA compliance.

• Excellent troubleshooting and problem-solving skills across end-user devices, infrastructure, hardware, and peripherals.

• Experience documenting IT processes, maintaining standard operating procedures (SOPs), and driving operational standardization and continuous improvement.

• Experience working within global, matrixed organizations, collaborating effectively across regions and time zones.

• Working knowledge of IT security principles, regulatory requirements, and compliance best practices.

• Fluency in English and Polish, both written and verbal.

• Valid sanitary and epidemiological clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting greenfield manufacturing facilities or site start-up projects.
• Experience supporting IT operations in a manufacturing or industrial environment.
• Familiarity with cybersecurity frameworks and regulated manufacturing environments.
• Relevant professional certifications such as Microsoft, ITIL, CompTIA, or Cisco.
• Experience supporting Microsoft Teams Rooms and enterprise audio-visual/conferencing technologies.

Key Competencies

• Strong technical and hands-on approach with the ability to balance operational support and strategic initiatives.
• Excellent service delivery and customer-focused mindset.
• Strong project management and execution capabilities with attention to detail.
• Ability to build trusted relationships and effectively communicate with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong vendor management and performance management skills.
• Ability to prioritize effectively and perform well in a fast-paced, evolving manufacturing environment.
• Collaborative, proactive, and results-oriented leadership style with a continuous improvement mindset.

Supervisory Responsibility

This position currently has no direct reports. The IT Manager is responsible for managing and overseeing external service providers (MSP/MSSP) and local vendors. The role is expected to grow into direct people leadership as the onsite IT function expands.

Physical Demands & Work Enviroment

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

• This is an onsite role based at the Poland manufacturing facility.
• Regularly required to sit, stand, write, and operate a computer keyboard, standard office equipment, and telephone.
• Frequently required to move about the facility, including shop-floor and conference room areas, and to reach for and handle equipment.
• May occasionally lift and/or move IT equipment up to 50 pounds (approximately 23 kg).
• Regularly communicates with end users, leadership, and vendors.

Why Join Us

This is a unique opportunity to play a foundational role in launching a new manufacturing operation and shaping the IT function from the ground up, while working closely with global teams and leadership to drive long-term success.

Will be shared during the hiring process.