Production Systems Manager

About the Company

Our organization operates globally, dedicated to creating dependable, scalable, technology-driven production environments through standardized manufacturing systems, operational excellence, digital transformation, process enhancement, and continual improvement. We collaborate across various departments including Manufacturing, Production, Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain, Procurement, IT, Finance, Product Development, and external technology partners to ensure production systems support operational performance, data transparency, process control, and business expansion.

Role Overview

We are looking for an experienced Production Systems Manager to lead the development, execution, governance, optimization, integration, and ongoing enhancement of production systems within manufacturing operations. The role oversees digital and system capabilities related to production planning, execution, monitoring, quality, maintenance, traceability, performance management, and operational decision-making. This position acts as a bridge between manufacturing and technology teams, ensuring systems are reliable, scalable, user-oriented, data-driven, and aligned with business goals.

Key Responsibilities

• Formulate and execute production system strategies aligned with manufacturing and organizational objectives.
• Create technology roadmaps supporting production operations.
• Identify enhancements using automation, digital tech, and data to boost manufacturing performance.
• Define standards, governance, system architecture, and operational models for production systems.
• Ensure systems support future scalability and manufacturing needs.
• Manage systems for production planning, execution, monitoring, quality, maintenance, inventory, and performance.
• Guarantee reliability, availability, security, and suitability of production systems.
• Develop support structures and escalation processes for system issues.
• Coordinate improvements across manufacturing sites and systems.
• Lead implementation and governance of Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) including capabilities for production orders, work instructions, tracking, quality, traceability, downtime, performance, and electronic records.
• Improve MES integration with other enterprise and manufacturing systems.
• Support and optimize production planning and scheduling systems to translate plans into executable operations and improve visibility.
• Coordinate ERP integration ensuring alignment of production orders, BOMs, routings, inventory, work centers, material consumption, and production completion.
• Resolve system and master data issues affecting production.
• Develop suitable architecture for production technology integrating ERP, MES, SCADA, PLC, QMS, WMS, CMMS, APS, IIoT platforms, data platforms, and analytics systems for scalability and maintainability.
• Lead system integrations to create reliable data flow, reduce redundancies, and ensure production information availability across functions.
• Support integration of physical production assets with digital systems ensuring secure, reliable, and operational data flow.
• Establish governance frameworks covering architecture, data, applications, integration, cybersecurity, change management, performance, and investment with clear decision rights.
• Identify and mitigate risks impacting manufacturing continuity, quality, safety, compliance, data, and delivery.
• Lead crisis responses coordinating technical, production, vendor, and management teams to swiftly restore operations maintaining data integrity.
• Provide executive leadership with reports on system availability, performance, digitalization progress, user adoption, security risks, incidents, data quality, investments, costs, benefits, and project progress.

Performance Indicators

• System availability and uptime
• Incident frequency and resolution time
• Interface failure and data accuracy rates
• Transaction success, reporting precision, response times
• Visibility and accuracy of production and scheduling data
• Traceability and master data completeness
• User adoption and training completion
• Digital workflow and paperless process adoption rates
• Change success, project delivery performance, upgrade efficiency
• Vendor SLA adherence and support responsiveness
• Cybersecurity and compliance metrics
• Backup and recovery effectiveness
• Cost management and technology ROI
• Improvements in productivity, downtime, quality, labor, inventory, and manufacturing transformation results

Candidate Profile

• Experience managing production systems within manufacturing, industrial, engineering, automotive, electronics, consumer products, or construction sectors.
• Deep understanding of manufacturing operations and supporting technologies including MES and production management applications.
• Proficiency in ERP/MES integration and system architecture.
• Experience collaborating with IT and OT teams in production environments.
• Familiarity with systems such as ERP, MES, SCADA, PLC, QMS, WMS, CMMS, APS, IIoT, and manufacturing analytics.
• Expertise in implementing, configuring, integrating, upgrading, testing, and supporting production systems.
• Strong knowledge of master data including BOMs, routings, work centers, production rates, and processes.
• Experience with production traceability, electronic records, digital instructions, and data management.
• Understanding of manufacturing KPIs including OEE, throughput, yield, downtime, cycle time, productivity, and schedule adherence.
• Proven ability to lead digital manufacturing, Industry 4.0, smart manufacturing, or transformation initiatives.
• Knowledge of automation, IoT, machine vision, analytics, AI, robotics, or connected factory technologies is desirable.
• Expertise in cybersecurity and IT/OT risk in production systems.
• Experience managing vendors, contracts, SLAs, budgets, and implementation partners.
• Strong project and change management skills.
• Capability to develop business cases and measure realized technological benefits.
• Experience standardizing systems across multiple plants is advantageous.
• Experience supporting new product launches, factory expansions, line deployments, or ramp-ups.
• Excellent analytical, technical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Understanding of the UAE and GCC manufacturing, industrial, technological, and regulatory contexts is a plus.
• Relevant degree in Manufacturing, Industrial, Mechanical, Information Technology, Computer Science, Automation, Electrical Engineering, Operations Management or similar.
• Beneficial certifications in manufacturing systems, ERP/MES, IT/OT, project management, Lean Six Sigma, cybersecurity, or digital transformation.
• Strong English communication skills; additional languages are an advantage.
• Leadership, stakeholder management, project oversight, technical, analytical, and communication excellence.
• Ability to translate manufacturing requirements into practical technology solutions and collaborate across production and technology teams.
• Capable of independently managing complex systems, projects, vendors, and priorities in a fully remote and distributed setting.
• Possess a mindset that is technology-savvy, manufacturing-focused, systems-oriented, analytical, process-driven, innovative, pragmatic, collaborative, transformation-oriented, and results-focused.