1. position-manager-it-infrastructure

POSITION- MANAGER, IT INFRASTRUCTURE

 

ABOUT THE COMPANY
Hickory Farms, Inc. is a mission and values driven enterprise and is one of North America’s leading specialty food and gift purveyors. The Company was founded in 1951 in the pastoral farm country of Northwest Ohio. Hickory Farms products are a hallmark gift for those who appreciate rich and savory foods. Based in Toledo, Hickory Farms brings the best of Midwest values to consumers in North America and the U.S. Armed Forces all over the world. Customers can find Hickory Farms’ savory sausages, favorite cheeses and other gourmet foods online, in catalogs, in leading mass merchants, supermarkets and approximately 700 retail shopping centers throughout the holiday season.

MISSION

  • Provide the highest quality products and customer experience.
  • Increase brand value by enriching family holiday traditions.
  • Promote giving, sustainability and community service.
  • Be the best premium specialty food company in North America.


QUALITY AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
Hickory Farms believes customer satisfaction and quality are key value drivers which have enabled it to earn EBITDA margins well ahead of the industry. In 2011 its reformulated Signature Summer Sausage earned the Gold Medal from The American Masters of Taste for product Superiority. In 2013, Hickory Farms’ Holiday Market locations received a consumer satisfaction index of 89 from Foresee Results, putting the Company at the Vanguard of the nation’s leading retailers.

POSITION SUMMARY
Provides services and support on an ongoing basis focusing primarily on network infrastructure, end-user experience improvements, and technology innovation. Widespread interaction with all levels of the company is required. The position is also expected to understand the interaction of all business units with the IT department as well as possible to assist in any troubleshooting and also to proactively identify enhancements. The Manager is responsible for infrastructure planning, troubleshooting and support and executing infrastructure initiatives across a broad set of platforms.


KEY RELATIONSHIPS    

  • Reports to: Director, Information Technology
  • Internal: OC Members and Full-time associates
  • External: 3rd party vendors


PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

  •  Implementation, administration, troubleshooting and maintenance of virtualized on-premise and cloud IT infrastructure.
  • Responsible for implementation, maintenance and administration of Virtual server environment including SAN technology.
  • Responsible for implementation, maintenance and administration of LAN (switching, routing, Wi-Fi) and WAN (VPN appliances and tunneling, fiber broadband) technology.
  •  Responsible for the purchase and ownership lifecycle of all network/desktop infrastructure.
  • Implements, maintains, manages Microsoft Office 365 email and digital communication infrastructure.
  •  Configuration, administration and maintenance of Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP application.
  • Responsible for telephony maintenance and operations.
  • Maintains user and group security in Active Directory.
  • Manages server infrastructure and backups.
  • Manages and maintains Wi-Fi infrastructure.
  • Implement and maintain network infrastructure to interconnect locations and remote workers.
  • Identify and patch any security risks, maintain updates for Windows-based systems and antivirus infrastructure.
  • Administration of handheld RF devices, barcode scanners, shipping stations and various warehouse management devices.
  • Deployment, maintenance and administration of laser and label printers.
  • Seasonal tech related services setup and deployment for kiosks.
  • Finds opportunities to enhance efficiency and communication through the use of technology.
  • Proactively manage IT-related requests in order to ensure the correct resources are allocated to solutions or enhancements.
  • Manage IT-related infrastructure vendors and service providers as primary contact maintaining positive partnerships to leverage resources efficiently and take advantage of synergies and economies of scale.
  • Participate in cross-functional task forces as required.
  • Manage or execute other IT tasks as directed or necessary.


IDEAL EXPERIENCE

  •  Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field.
  • A minimum of 5 years of experience within an IT Division.
  • Ability to manage cross functional IT platforms.
  • Team leadership required to obtain maximum effectiveness from direct and indirect groups.
  • Resolve differences in ideas and requirements of functional groups through effective negotiation.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presentation skills to executive staff.
  • Experience in a multi-site distributed corporate infrastructure environment.
  • Windows server Installation, configuration and administration experience both on-premise and Azure cloud.
  • Virtual Machine configuration and administration.
  • Networking experience including LAN (switching, routing, Wi-Fi), WAN (VPN appliances and tunneling, fiber broadband), and network monitoring.
  • Experience with public DNS and SSL certificate management.
  • Windows network experience including Microsoft DHCP, DNS and DFS.
  • Experience with Microsoft Office 365.
  • Experience with Microsoft Systems Center and Intune.
  • Experience with Microsoft Active Directory including AD in an Azure cloud environment, Microsoft Group Policy and Powershell.
  • Experience with application and network monitoring software.
  • Experience with deployment and configuration utilities for hardware and software applications.
  • Experience with help desk software applications.
  • Configuration, administration and programming experience with Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP application.

CRITICAL COMPETENCIES FOR SUCCESS

Focus on growth and results-oriented. The successful candidate has demonstrated personal accountability for delivering stability to an organization while building efficient, “best-of-class” support teams. They will possess a “pioneer” mentality and are willing to wear multiple hats to get results.


Outstanding communications skills. The successful candidate will interact with both frequent and focused dialogue with all members of the senior leadership team, as well as the Private Equity ownership group; enjoy strong negotiating skills; and be open and candid with peers, subordinates and partners.


A high-energy, team-oriented leader. The successful candidate will have a passion for leading a highly professional team and will instill a strong sense of team spirit with peers and subordinates. This person will lead by example and instill confidence in his/ her staff. We aspire to find an executive with a “fire in the belly” who enjoys rolling up his/ her sleeves, leading from the frontlines, while working in a team-centric environment.


We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse and tobacco testing.

 


Resumes may be faxed or e-mailed (as Microsoft Word or PDF attachment)


Fax 419.897.6839
ATTN:
Hickory Farms, Inc.
Human Resource Dept.
human.resources@hickoryfarms.com