Who We Are

At Freshpet, our goal is to change the way people nourish their pets forever. We strive to strengthen the bond between people and our pets so that we both live longer, healthier, and happier lives while being kind to the planet. We believe that if we can create fresh, real foods that pets love and help them live healthier lives that their pet parents will also enjoy the many benefits of a rich life shared with a pet.

We started off with a mission to change the way pet parents feed dogs and cats, but we also wanted to be a company that had a thoughtful approach to how we operate. We wanted to do things differently, make great products but be gentle to the planet, good to the people who touch our business, and leave a positive impact with everything we do. We work hard every day to ensure that the original vision is met, starting with making the highest quality foods in our kitchens to running our business with integrity, transparency, and social and environmental responsibility. As a result, we are nearing $1B in net sales and have experienced 25% growth rates year-over-year for the last 6 years. IT’S AMAZING WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN YOU START COMPLETELY FRESH!

The Operations Technology Lead is responsible for the delivery of the technology services required to support Freshpet production and manufacturing. The Operations Technology Lead works closely with the ICS Engineering, Technology Governance, Cybersecurity, and IT Infrastructure teams as well as various software and support vendors to ensure the availability, reliability, and security of the OT network, servers, storage, backup, and disaster recovery systems.

What You Will Do:

• Assume day-to-day responsibility for the management of essential OT equipment and services including but not limited to;
  • Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems
  • The Factorytalk suite of tools (Historian, AssetCentre, etc.) including the underlying server infrastructure
  • ThinManager and associated Terminal Servers including Remote Desktop Licensing and Application Licensing required to support operations.
  • Operational software licensing servers (for OT applications)
  • Operational software platform security server (for OT applications)
  • Patching and maintenance of Windows servers that comprise the overall application architecture of the operation
  • Management of IP addresses for OT devices.
  • Monitoring and mitigation of hardware and software health conditions for the entire OT domain and all endpoints of the OT infrastructure.
  • Coordination with ICS Engineering and Maintenance to support operations
  • Manages employee access to OT resources
  • Plans, manages, coordinates, maintains a comprehensive OT disaster recovery plan and secure backup systems
  • Procures and manages supporting contractors, consultants, and vendors.
  • Performs ongoing system support and maintenance; troubleshoots, repairs, programs, configures, and tests systems to ensure optimal operations.
• Ensure the OT infrastructure meets the performance, availability, reliability, and security requirements to support Freshpet’s business.
• Lead the development and execution of the OT technology strategy and roadmap for the company.
• Act is the ‘voice of the customer’ for the ICS engineers and production areas.
• Interface with the Infrastructure team to monitor, troubleshoot, and resolve any issues or incidents affecting the OT infrastructure.
• Implement and maintain the OT infrastructure policies, standards, and procedures, in alignment with the overall Technology Governance framework and best practices.
• Coordinate and collaborate with the Cybersecurity, IT Infrastructure, and ICS Engineering teams to ensure the integration and interoperability of the OT and IT systems.
• Provide technical guidance and support to the OT and IT staff on the OT infrastructure technologies and solutions.
• Research, evaluate, and recommend new OT infrastructure technologies and solutions to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and security of the OT environment.
• Manage the OT infrastructure projects, vendors, and contracts, and ensure the delivery of the OT infrastructure services within the budget and timeline.

What You Will Bring:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent work experience.
• Strong knowledge and experience in OT infrastructure implementation and management, preferably in the manufacturing sector.
• Knowledge of the Operational characteristics of programmable logic controllers (PLC) and Human Machine Interface (HMI) as they relate to SCADA systems, historian systems, MES systems etc.
• Strong knowledge and experience in OT security principles, standards, and best practices, such as ISA/IEC 62443, NIST SP 800-82, etc.
• Strong knowledge and experience in IT infrastructure technologies and solutions, such as TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, Active Directory, etc.
• Strong knowledge and experience in OT and IT integration and interoperability technologies and solutions, such as firewalls, VPNs, DMZs, etc.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and troubleshooting skills.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and documentation skills.
• Strong project management and vendor management skills.