Divisional Director of IT, Kingspan Americas (onsite: Deland, FL)

Kingspan Americas is a Division of Kingspan Group PLC, the Irish headquartered global leader in high-performance insulation and building envelopes. With 140 manufacturing locations in 80 counties, Kingspan’s mission is to accelerate a net zero emissions future with the wellbeing of people and planet at its heart. Our products bring performance and sustainability benefits to remarkable buildings in multiple sectors all around the world.

Kingspan Americas encompasses 7 business units, 17 companies and 25 manufacturing locations in North America and LATAM. 2024 revenue was approx. $2.5bn. There is a strong emphasis on both organic & inorganic growth within the businesses, with a constant pipeline of capital investment, including new manufacturing sites to facilitate business growth. It is expected that the geographic footprint of the business will continue to expand through acquisitions.

Kingspan American IT – Structure

Kingspan Americas operates a decentralized model, whereby each of the businesses is managed on a standalone basis with its own management team. Kingspan Americas IT functions as a divisional shared service in this structure. While there are some common systems and platforms, each business has full ownership and responsibility for its Systems & Applications. There is a focus within the businesses to leverage technology solutions to drive efficiency, replace manual processes, utilize AI etc. These efforts are led by the business, who rely on KA IT to ensure that the necessary supporting infrastructure and IT frameworks are in place.

The core infrastructure is centralized, and all of the North American businesses are part of the same network, which is managed by the KA IT team.

Job Summary: With a team of 27 IT professionals located at different sites in the US and Canada, Kingspan Americas IT is split into 3 main pillars, with a manager leading each - Service Delivery; IT Ops & Applications; Security.

The fundamental role of KA IT is to support the businesses with a solid, secure and adaptable infrastructure platform, together with an efficient Service Delivery team.

The Divisional Director of IT collaborates with the businesses to help support the evaluation, deployment and management of current and future technology solutions. They will lead and develop the IT team to support all technology systems and application within the Division. They will also develop and communicate business/technology strategic plans to maintain and develop the core systems and applications.

Must live in or around Deland, FL or be willing to relocate to this area

Key Responsibilities:

• To lead the internal information systems & technology function and develop the short- and long-term IT strategies for Kingspan NA.
• Oversee Key Functional areas of Service Delivery / Helpdesk, IT Operations & Infrastructure, Applications & Automation, Cybersecurity and Compliance
• Responsible for the overall IT architecture as well as designing the IT master plan to ensure that Kingspan NA’s systems meet and are aligned with the company’s core business objectives and are cost effective.
• Support the business efforts to develop new and improve existing internal and client-facing applications to support initiatives across companies/business units and drive efficiencies.
• Provide leadership in the design, definition, planning and deployment of technology infrastructure and architecture, and implement appropriate enhancements as needed.
• Work with the individual management teams to understand business needs across various functions and define the role of technology to meet those needs.
• Actively engages with the technical details, as appropriate, removing obstacles and paving the way for innovation.
• Maintain a thorough understanding of a variety of emerging technologies and how they can affect the business.
• Develop strategic relationships with technology providers and vendors.
• Ensure full compliance with the Group IT Manual through the establishment, and regular testing of, control processes and procedures which are embedded in the IT Team’s everyday activities. Adopt a “Permanent Audit Ready” mentality within the team.
• Close liaison with the Group IT Team to ensure full alignment with current requirements and initiatives, and plan for future ones.
• Safeguard the security of the Kingspan network, deploying all group-mandated security applications and processes.
• Act as a liaison for the LATAM businesses, ensuring that they are aware of the requirements of the Group IT Manual, sharing solutions with them and leveraging same where it makes sense.
• Lead, develop and inspire a team of top-quality professionals, foster a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement. to ensure optimum technology support.
• Promote a positive and inclusive work environment. Provide guidance and support for professional development and career growth.

Additional Compliance Responsibilities:

• Follow the Group Code of Conduct and Group Compliance.
• Group Compliance Manual:
  • 2 Senior Management
  • 4 All personnel

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology, Computer Science, or a related field; master’s degree preferred.
• 10 years of experience in IT management, with a focus on service delivery, infrastructure, and cybersecurity.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a global, matrixed organization.
• Experience working in a manufacturing environment preferred.
• Proven functional and project management experience.
• Experience in setting technical directions and strategies.
• Demonstrated decision making abilities and problem resolution skills.
• Strong understanding of the business value stream and the relationship of IT solutions to this model
• Ability to foster relationships with the senior leadership teams in the different businesses, as well as the IT leaders at Kingspan Group and in the other Divisions
• Strong people management skills. Proven ability to develop talent and teams.
• Exceptional service orientation, with an outward focused mindset on the needs of the business and internal customers.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Experienced traveler, open to regularly visiting each IT team in all of the business locations (up to 65%)
• Must live in or around Deland, FL or be willing to relocate to this area

Physical Demands:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
• Exert up to 20 lbs. of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 lbs. of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Involves sitting most of the time, but may involve walking or standing for brief periods.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.