Senior IT Manager

• Lead cybersecurity, enterprise applications, data, and AI
• Join a growing food & beverage manufacturer with a strong technology foundation and forward-looking strategy
• Hybrid role based in Salinas, California; $150-165k base salary + 20% bonus

Position Description

Our client is a growing, family-owned food & beverage manufacturer seeking a Senior Manager, Information Technology. This hands-on leadership role will lead the company’s IT function and shape its technology roadmap across cybersecurity, infrastructure, enterprise applications, data, and AI.

The role reports to the senior leader responsible for corporate strategy and technology and partners closely with Finance, Operations, Supply Chain, and Sales. The Senior Manager will lead a focused internal team and manage a network of outside partners supporting ERP, infrastructure, and security.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the company’s cybersecurity program, including identity and access management, endpoint and email protection, recovery planning, incident readiness, and third-party risk.
• Provide oversight of infrastructure, network, cloud, and end-user support, balancing internal capability with outside partners.
• Own the ERP roadmap and governance, including change and release management, upgrades, testing, support partnerships, and user adoption.
• Guide the broader application and data landscape, identifying opportunities for stronger integrations, reporting, and business process improvement.
• Lead and develop a small IT and data team, setting clear responsibilities, priorities, performance expectations, and development plans.
• Manage technology partners, contracts, the annual IT plan, and budget, and lead execution of the agreed technology roadmap.
• Advance practical AI adoption across the business, including platform governance, data protection, user enablement, and high-value use cases.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive IT experience, including experience leading and developing technical employees.
• Experience owning a major ERP environment, such as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, or a comparable platform.
• Experience leading managed service providers, systems integrators, and cybersecurity partners.
• Experience leading or owning a cybersecurity program, including incident response and recovery planning.
• Strong business fluency across finance, operations, and supply chain processes, with the ability to explain technical trade-offs clearly to business leaders.
• A practical, business-minded approach to AI and technology adoption.
• SAP S/4HANA, manufacturing, CPG, or food and beverage experience is preferred.
• Experience with business intelligence, Microsoft Entra ID, Azure, Microsoft 365 security administration, or security frameworks is a plus.