Senior Systems Engineer (IT/OT)

Senior Systems Engineer – OT / IT

Napier | On-site | Manufacturing & Enterprise Technology

Ready to own a site, drive projects, and bridge the gap between factory floor technology and enterprise IT?

We’re searching for a hands-on Senior Systems Engineer to take technical ownership of our clients busy manufacturing Napier based site and play a pivotal role connecting Operational Technology (OT) and IT. This is not a helpdesk role - it’s a senior, highly autonomous position where your initiative, communication and problem-solving skills will be just as important as your technical depth.

About the Role: This role sits at the intersection of infrastructure, networking, manufacturing systems and stakeholder engagement. You’ll be the 'go-to' technical expert on site, ensuring systems stay secure, available and aligned with business and production needs. You’ll work closely with plant teams, engineers, leadership and vendors, driving improvements and delivering projects that directly impact production uptime and performance.

Key Responsibilities:

Own and optimise site IT infrastructure:

• Take end-to-end ownership of site systems across servers, networking, storage and endpoints
• Maintain availability, security, backups and disaster recovery
• Manage the full user life-cycle including on-boarding, access and compliance
• Provide escalation support across Level 1–3 issues.

Bridge IT and Operational Technology:

• Act as the key liaison between IT and manufacturing systems
• Support network segmentation and OT cybersecurity
• Provide secure remote access and vendor coordination
• Work closely with production stakeholders and plant teams.

Support and grow manufacturing systems:

• Support and troubleshoot MES platforms (Ignition highly desirable)
• Work with PLC/SCADA connectivity and SQL data troubleshooting
• Help improve production reporting, downtime tracking and scheduling tools.

Drive projects and improvements:

• Lead local technology initiatives and vendor engagements
• Identify opportunities to proactively improve reliability and performance
• Contribute to wider IT and manufacturing technology strategy.

What we’re looking for: You’re a proactive senior engineer who enjoys working close to the business and taking ownership.

You’ll bring:

• Experience in manufacturing or OT environments
• Exposure to PLCs, SCADA, OPC or industrial networks
• MES experience (Ignition a big advantage)
• SQL troubleshooting and data querying skills
• Strong IT infrastructure experience in enterprise or manufacturing environments
• Expertise across Microsoft technologies (Windows Server, Azure AD, M365, Intune)
• Solid networking knowledge (LAN/WAN, VLANs, VPNs, firewalls)
• Experience supporting hardware, endpoints and security tools
• Confidence working with stakeholders from shop-floor to executive level

Skills and Experience:

• 5+ years’ relevant experience and a senior, self-starting mindset
• Excellent communication and stakeholder skills
• A proactive approach to problem solving and improvement
• Flexibility to support occasional after-hours incidents when required

Next Steps: If you’re ready to step into a role where you can truly own your environment and make a real impact on manufacturing operations, we’d love to hear from you. Apply Now or contact Debbie Cathro on +64 21 314 683 for a confidential chat or email debbie@bemagnetic.co.nz with your current CV.

About Magnetic We’re building a stronger New Zealand by connecting organisations with the professionals who keep industry moving. If you want your next move to have impact, we’ll make it happen.