Join Our Team as an IT Manager!
About Us: Air Wise Sales Inc. is a leading manufacturer of custom air handling units in North America, strategically located production facilities in Hamilton, ON. Our commitment to quality and innovation positions us at the forefront of the industry, enabling us to serve clients across North America.
What You'll Do: As our IT Manager, you'll take ownership of day-to-day technology operations at Air Wise, ensuring our people, systems, and equipment stay connected and running smoothly. This is a hands-on leadership role where you'll troubleshoot challenges, support our engineering and manufacturing teams, and help drive major technology initiatives, including our ERP implementation. You'll work closely with our team at Air Wise, external technology partners, and Modern Niagara's corporate IT teams to deliver practical, reliable solutions that keep our business moving forward.
This is a hands-on manager role, not a desk removed from the work. The IT Manager personally resolves issues, manages the Quick Intel relationship, sets local priorities, and makes the calls that keep Air Wise operating, while partnering with Modern Niagara's central Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, Network, and Application Architecture teams on anything that touches enterprise architecture, security policy, or multi-site standards.
The role spans the full Air Wise technology environment: core Microsoft 365 and networking, plus Air Wise's specialized engineering and manufacturing application stack (SolidWorks, DriveWorks, AutoCAD, Metal-ix, and the SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional vault), and its business systems (Epicor Kinetic, Misys, SharePoint, and the Power Platform). The IT Manager is expected to know this environment well enough to make sound calls independently in partnership with Enterprise Architecture and Dev Teams, and to know exactly when something needs to go to a central team.
Why You'll Love this Role:
- Make a Real Impact: Take ownership of IT operations and see firsthand how your work supports our people, production, and business success.
- Lead Exciting Technology Projects: Play a key role in major initiatives, including our Epicor ERP implementation, engineering software upgrades, and infrastructure improvements.
- Enjoy Variety in Your Work: Work with everything from Microsoft 365 and cybersecurity to specialized engineering software, manufacturing systems, and shop-floor technology.
- Have the Freedom to Make Decisions: Use your expertise to set priorities, solve problems, and drive improvements with meaningful autonomy.
- Collaborate with Technical Experts: Work alongside corporate IT specialists, external technology partners, and internal teams to tackle challenges and develop solutions.
- Help Shape Our Future: Identify opportunities to improve systems, strengthen reliability, and introduce technology that supports our continued growth and innovation.
Scope and Decision Authority
Decides and owns locally
- Day-to-day prioritization of site IT work, incidents, and service requests.
- Troubleshooting approach and resolution of hardware, software, network, and application issues at Air Wise.
- The working relationship with QuickIntel/Rogers and day-to-day vendor coordination at the site.
- Local execution of patching, backups, and security controls within corporate policy.
Partners with Modern Niagara central teams on
- Network, infrastructure, and security architecture and standards.
- Enterprise application architecture decisions, including ERP, CAD/PLM platform strategy, and licensing strategy.
- Multi-site or tenant-level Microsoft 365 and Entra ID policy, and the Azure tenant transition.
- Planning and sequencing of major initiatives such as the PDM and Epicor rollouts.
Key Responsibilities
Site IT Operations and Service Delivery
- Own day-to-day IT service delivery at Air Wise: service desk coordination, endpoint support, hardware/software troubleshooting, and incident resolution.
- Manage local infrastructure, workstations, and shop-floor/IoT devices, including the punch clock and the kiosks and scanners feeding Epicor MES.
- Set priorities for onsite IT work based on business impact, and drive issues through to resolution, whether handled directly or routed to a central team.
- Own the day-to-day vendor relationships
Network and Infrastructure
- Manage and maintain the onsite network, including Meraki switches and controllers, firewalls, wireless, and VPN connectivity, operating within standards set by the central Network and Infrastructure teams.
- Own the onsite relationship with ISP providers, bringing design, capacity, or contract questions to the central Network team.
- Manage server, storage, backup, and disaster recovery operations onsite, partnering with central Infrastructure on DR planning and major changes.
- Identify and raise infrastructure risks or performance issues before they become outages.
Microsoft 365 and Identity
- Administer Microsoft 365, Entra ID, and Intune for Air Wise users, including day-to-day access, device enrollment, and conditional access troubleshooting.
- Apply the policies and standards set by Modern Niagara Corporate IT, and raise tenant-level policy or licensing questions that fall outside established standards.
Cybersecurity
- Own execution of cybersecurity controls, patching, and endpoint protection at Air Wise, working to standards set by the central Information Security team.
- Monitor for security alerts and incidents, escalate immediately, and lead onsite incident response and remediation as directed.
- Drive security awareness and good practice at the site.
Engineering and Manufacturing Application Support
- Own first-line support for Air Wise's SolidWorks, DriveWorks, and AutoCAD environment, including licensing, workstation performance, and driving known issues such as the SolidWorks 2025 large-assembly crashing problem to resolution with the vendor or central team.
- Support Metal-ix on the shop floor and lead onsite coordination of the incoming SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional vault through configuration, go-live, and ongoing operation.
- Be the go-to IT contact for engineering and shop-floor staff on these tools, bringing architecture, licensing strategy, or vendor issues to the central Application Architecture team.
Business Systems Support
- Own local support for Epicor Kinetic through implementation and go-live, including the shop-floor MES kiosks and scanners.
- Know Air Wise's custom onsite applications, including FP-Scheduler, the AQE Quote Engine, the Unified BOM Tool, and the Refrigeration + BOM Misys feeder, well enough to support end users directly and know when an issue needs the developer or the central Application Architecture team.
- Support end users on SharePoint, Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI.
Project and Vendor Coordination
- Act as the onsite lead for technology rollouts at Air Wise, such as the PDM go-live, Epicor go-live, and Azure tenant migration: coordinating the local work, managing the site-level timeline, and keeping stakeholders informed, while central teams own the architecture and overall project plan.
- Represent Air Wise's IT needs and constraints to Modern Niagara's central teams, and represent Modern Niagara's standards and direction to Air Wise's business stakeholders.
Qualifications
Education
- Post-secondary diploma or degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and hands-on experience.
Experience
- 5 to 8 years of progressive IT experience, including meaningful experience owning IT operations for a site, branch, or small organization.
- Demonstrated experience managing a managed service provider or vendor relationship.
- Experience supporting a manufacturing, engineering, or design environment is a strong asset.
- Experience with ERP or MRP environments, such as Epicor, Dynamics, or Misys, is an asset.
- A track record of sound independent decision-making and knowing when to escalate.
Technical Skills
- Microsoft 365, Entra ID, and Intune administration and troubleshooting
- Networking fundamentals: TCP/IP, VPN, firewalls, wireless, Meraki switches and controllers
- Windows Server and endpoint support
- Vendor and managed service provider management
- Exposure to SolidWorks, DriveWorks, AutoCAD, or similar CAD/PLM tools is a strong asset*
- Exposure to ERP/MRP systems such as Epicor, Misys, or Dynamics is an asset
- General cybersecurity hygiene: patching, endpoint protection, phishing awareness
Preferred Certifications
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate or Modern Desktop Administrator Associate
- CompTIA Network+ or Security+
- ITIL Foundation (asset, not required)
Key Competencies for this Role:
- Ownership and accountability for site-level outcomes
- Sound independent judgment and decision-making
- Hands-on problem solving and troubleshooting
- Vendor management
- Clear communication and stakeholder management, including with central technical teams
- Customer service orientation
- Adaptability across a varied application and technology stack
- Project coordination
How We Measure Success in this Role:
- Reliable, well-run day-to-day IT operations at Air Wise, with few repeat incidents
- Fast, independent resolution of site-level issues, with the right things escalated at the right time
- A well-managed Quick Intel relationship through the Azure tenant transition
- Successful onsite delivery of major initiatives, including Epicor go-live and SOLIDWORKS PDM go-live
- High user satisfaction and trust in IT at the Air Wise site
- A strong, low-friction working relationship with Modern Niagara's central Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, Network, and Application Architecture teams
Join Us! If you’re ready to take your career to the next level with a company that values innovation and teamwork, apply today and help us shape the future of air handling solutions!
We thank all applicants for their interest, however, due to a high volume of applications, only those selected for interviews will be contacted.
Our Commitment to Indigenous Inclusion & Self-Identification
Our organization is actively working to build a workplace that reflects the diverse communities we serve, and we are committed to advancing economic reconciliation. We strongly encourage applications from First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.
If you wish to do so, we invite you to self-identify as Indigenous in your application.
Why we ask: Self-identification helps us actively prioritize Indigenous candidates, recognize the value of lived experiences, and ensure our hiring process remains equitable.
Your privacy matters: Choosing to self-identify is completely voluntary. The information you share will be kept confidential, stored securely, and used strictly by our recruitment team to support our inclusive hiring goals.
Please note:
We value transparency in our hiring practices. In compliance with employment legislation, we confirm that AI-based tools are not used at any stage of this recruitment process.
This posting is for one new position within our organization.
