IT MANAGER

About the Company

Our client is an established international industrial company with approximately 300 employees worldwide and operations across Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Historically active in manufacturing, logistics and distribution, the company is currently evolving its positioning towards more specialised and value-added solutions. Innovation, service quality and operational excellence are therefore becoming increasingly important.

Despite its international footprint, the organisation maintains the culture and pragmatism of an SME: short communication lines, broad responsibilities and a hands-on approach. Employees are expected to look beyond strict job boundaries and contribute where their expertise can add value.

As part of the upcoming retirement of its long-standing IT Manager, the company is looking for anIT Manager to take ownership of its IT environment and support the next phase of its technological evolution.

The Role

As IT Manager, you will take overall responsibility for the organisation, continuity and evolution of the company's IT environment.

You will report directly to the CFO and manage a small and highly experienced Belgian IT team consisting of:

• an Application Developer / ERP specialist;
• an Infrastructure & Support specialist.

The role combines IT leadership, people management, transformation and hands-on operational involvement.

This is therefore not a purely strategic IT management position. You will remain close to the technology, the users and the day-to-day reality of the business while progressively defining and implementing the future IT roadmap.

The existing team has extensive knowledge of the organisation and its systems. One of your key challenges will be to preserve this valuable knowledge while introducing new ideas, technologies and ways of working.

Your Responsibilities

IT Strategy & Transformation

• Define and implement the IT roadmap in line with the company's business objectives.
• Advise management on technology choices, digitalisation opportunities and IT investments.
• Help move the IT function from a primarily reactive/support-oriented model towards a more proactive and business-oriented organisation.
• Identify opportunities to modernise existing systems, processes and working methods.
• Lead cross-functional IT transformation projects.
• Explore relevant applications of AI, automation and emerging technologies within the organisation.
• Support the company's broader digital transformation.

The official scope also includes advising management on technology trends, infrastructure requirements and the modernisation of hardware and software environments.

People & Change Management

• Lead, coach and develop two experienced IT professionals.
• Build on the team's extensive knowledge while gradually introducing new approaches and practices.
• Clarify responsibilities and priorities within the IT department.
• Create an environment that encourages collaboration, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.
• Drive change with the right balance of assertiveness, diplomacy and pragmatism.
• Support users and stakeholders in the adoption of new technologies and processes.

Infrastructure, Cloud & IT Operations

• Ensure the availability, performance, security and continuity of the IT environment.
• Maintain a strong understanding of infrastructure, systems, networking and end-user support.
• Oversee the company's Microsoft environment, including Microsoft 365 and Azure.
• Continue the progressive evolution from on-premise infrastructure towards cloud solutions where relevant.
• Coordinate backup, disaster recovery, identity and access management and business continuity.
• Work closely with internal colleagues and external technology partners.
• Remain sufficiently hands-on to support the team and intervene in operational issues when necessary.

The current official scope includes Azure environments, backups, security, identity/access management and progressive cloud migration.

Business Applications & ERP

• Ensure the continuity and evolution of the company's business applications.
• Oversee the current Microsoft Dynamics NAV / Business Central environment and related applications.
• Work closely with the internal application specialist and business stakeholders to prioritise improvements.
• Translate business requirements into appropriate IT solutions.
• Contribute to the preparation of a potential future ERP transformation/replacement programme.
• Help create a more integrated approach to ERP and business applications across the international organisation.

The existing environment currently includes Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Dynamics CRM, with a future ERP migration included in the official responsibilities.

Cybersécurité & Governance

• Define and continuously improve the company's cybersecurity approach.
• Ensure appropriate governance around access, data protection, infrastructure and IT risks.
• Support security audits and follow up on resulting action plans.
• Contribute to the company's NIS2 compliance and associated policies and procedures.
• Promote security awareness throughout the organisation.
• Coordinate with external specialists where appropriate.

The role has formal responsibility for information security and NIS2 compliance, including audits, access management, documentation and awareness.

Data, Reporting & Innovation

• Support the continued development of reporting and data-driven decision-making.
• Contribute to the evolution of the company's Power BI environment together with Finance and other business stakeholders.
• Improve the reliability and consistency of business data.
• Identify practical opportunities for AI, copilots and automation to improve productivity and business processes.

International Scope

The Belgian IT team supports the wider international organisation, with operations across several countries and regions.

While China has its own local IT organisation, the Belgian team provides support and expertise to several other international entities.

You will therefore interact regularly with international stakeholders and occasionally travel abroad to understand local requirements, build relationships and support key projects.

International travel is expected to remain limited, typically up to three or four trips per year, with the United States among the main destinations.

Your Profile

We are looking for a broad and pragmatic IT professional, rather than a highly specialised technical expert.

You ideally bring:

• Minimum 7-8 years of relevant IT experience.
• Experience in an IT management, IT operations, infrastructure, applications or similarly broad technology role.
• A strong general understanding of corporate IT environments.
• Exposure to several areas such as infrastructure, cloud, applications/ERP, cybersecurity, support and digitalisation.
• Experience leading IT projects, transformation initiatives or significant technology changes.
• The ability to understand technical issues in sufficient depth to challenge solutions and support your team.
• Experience coordinating internal teams, external partners and business stakeholders.
• Previous people management, team leadership or coordination experience.
• Experience in an industrial or manufacturing environment is a strong advantage, particularly where IT and operational/production environments interact.
• Experience with Microsoft technologies, Azure and Microsoft 365 is valuable.
• Exposure to ERP environments and ERP transformation projects is an advantage; knowledge of Dynamics NAV / Business Central is particularly relevant.
• An understanding of cybersecurity and IT governance; exposure to NIS2 is an advantage.
• An interest in AI and its practical application within a business environment.
• Fluent professional English for an international working environment.

Most importantly, you combine technical credibility with leadership and change-management capabilities.

You are comfortable discussing IT strategy with senior management while remaining close enough to operations to understand and help resolve concrete technical challenges.

Your Personality

You will thrive in this environment if you are:

• pragmatic and hands-on;
• curious and open to new technologies;
• diplomatic but able to challenge established practices;
• comfortable working with highly experienced colleagues;
• able to create change without imposing change for its own sake;
• autonomous and organised;
• business-oriented and service-minded;
• comfortable in an international and multicultural environment;
• motivated by the opportunity to modernise an established IT organisation.

Location & Working Model

The position is based in Belgium and requires regular presence across the company's Brussels office and main industrial site.

The exact weekly split can remain flexible depending on operational needs. A typical organisation could involve time across both locations combined with one day of remote work per week.

Limited international travel should be expected, generally no more than three to four times per year.

Why Join?

This is a particularly interesting opportunity for someone who wants to have a visible impact on an established international industrial organisation.

You will inherit an IT environment with considerable internal knowledge and stability, while being given the opportunity to shape its next chapter: modernising practices, developing the team, strengthening cybersecurity, accelerating digitalisation and potentially preparing a major ERP transformation.

The role offers the scope of an international organisation while retaining the proximity, autonomy and hands-on character of an SME.

=> Full time ( permanent contrat) - not open for freelancer

Skills

ICT operations manager