IT/OT Specialist

About Us:

Panelmatic, Inc. was founded in 1957 in Youngstown, OH to serve manufacturing industries with the design and build of custom electrical, instrument, and pneumatic control panels. Our business has sufficiently grown over the years to support expansion for our clients. We have produced control packages for many of America's top corporations in the chemical, environmental, food, pulp and paper, rubber, petroleum, pharmaceutical, glass, metals, and utilities industries. We also deliver equipment for use worldwide.

Our rigorous methodology assures compliance with domestic and international standards. We can meet the needs of our diverse clientele from start to finish through sales, design, fabrication, testing, and delivery.

Since 1957, we have been known for our high-quality, custom-built control packages, our comprehensive service, and our technological and manufacturing expertise. This expertise assures you of our ability to handle the largest and most complex packages quickly and efficiently.

Job Summary:

The IT/OT Integration Specialist serves as the bridge between Information Technology (IT), Engineering, Manufacturing Operations, and Business Systems teams to enable seamless data flow and process integration across the enterprise. This role is responsible for designing, implementing, and supporting integrations between enterprise applications such as ERP, MES, PLM, CAD/CAM, quality systems, and industrial equipment on the manufacturing floor.

The ideal candidate possesses a strong understanding of manufacturing processes, industrial automation, enterprise systems, and data integration technologies. This role will drive digital manufacturing initiatives, improve operational visibility, and support Industry 4.0 transformation efforts.

Job Duties:

Design, develop, implement, and maintain integrations between enterprise applications including ERP, MES, PLM, CAD/CAM, Quality Management Systems (QMS), and other manufacturing-related platforms.

Translate business and operational requirements into scalable technical integration solutions that support engineering, production planning, manufacturing execution, quality, and inventory management.

Ensure data consistency, accuracy, traceability, and secure connectivity across connected business systems and manufacturing technologies.

Integrate manufacturing equipment and shop-floor technologies with enterprise systems to enable real-time data exchange and operational visibility.

Connect and support equipment such as laser cutting systems, press brakes, CNC machines, robotic cells, automated material handling systems, and other production assets.

Support machine connectivity initiatives, Industrial IoT (IIoT) deployments, predictive maintenance programs, and advanced analytics solutions.

Serve as the primary liaison between IT, Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing, business stakeholders, and external vendors to identify integration and process improvement opportunities.

Develop and maintain manufacturing data models, interfaces, integration architectures, technical documentation, system diagrams, standards, and operational procedures.

Support reporting, dashboards, and analytics platforms to enable real-time visibility into production, quality, and equipment performance.

Troubleshoot integration issues across business applications and manufacturing systems, perform root cause analysis, and implement corrective and preventive actions.

Support the deployment and validation of new manufacturing system integrations, including testing, issue resolution, change control, and go-live readiness.

Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend improvements to support operational excellence, digital transformation, and smart manufacturing initiatives.

Perform other tasks and duties as assigned by management.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Technology, Automation, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• Five plus years of experience in manufacturing IT, IT/OT integration, industrial automation, systems integration, or related disciplines.
• Experience integrating ERP, MES, PLM, CAD/CAM, QMS, or similar enterprise and manufacturing systems.
• Knowledge of manufacturing operations, production workflows, and data flows in a plant or industrial environment.
• Experience working with industrial equipment, machine connectivity, and communication protocols used in manufacturing environments.
• Familiarity with SQL databases, APIs, web services, ETL processes, middleware technologies, and interface mapping.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and root-cause problem-solving skills required.
• Ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver solutions in a fast-paced manufacturing environment required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in metal fabrication, industrial machinery, or high-mix manufacturing environments.
• Knowledge of Industrial IoT, Industry 4.0, Smart Factory architectures, and machine connectivity initiatives.
• Experience with cloud platforms, manufacturing data solutions, analytics, reporting, or dashboard platforms that consume manufacturing and operational data.
• Familiarity with PLCs, SCADA, HMI, industrial control systems, and data integration in a manufacturing environment.
• Understanding of cybersecurity principles within OT environments and segmentation between IT and OT networks.
• Experience with scripting or lightweight automation tools used for integration support and data validation preferred.
• Project management experience and ability to lead cross-functional initiatives.