Manufacturing Systems Engineer

Sportech is a rapidly growing company in Elk River, MN. We are looking for talented people who wish to join a values-based company that desires to help our people and customers win. We design, manufacture, and assemble cab components and systems for the powersports, golf and turf, industrial and agricultural end markets. Our design and engineering capabilities allow us to provide complex components and assemblies to our original equipment manufacturer customers. We are always on the gas and seeking dynamic, enthusiastic, and motivated individuals to join our extraordinary team.

Sportech offers eligible full-time employees a robust and competitive benefits package, which includes:

• Medical, dental, and vision plan options, including flexible spending accounts (HSA, FSA, and DCA)
• Short-term and long-term disability benefits
• Basic life insurance and voluntary life insurance
• Hospital indemnity plans, pet insurance, and legal/identity theft services
• 401k plan with up to a 4% employer match
• Paid company holidays, paid vacation, and paid volunteer time
• Sportech Learning Academy (SLA) with courses offered onsite quarterly, focusing on personal and professional growth and development for employees, and tuition reimbursement options for courses completed outside of Sportech

Further benefits information is provided as part of the offer process for any offer extended by Sportech. Pay varies by position and is based on multiple factors including labor market data and, depending on position, may include education, work experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, and/or certifications. Additionally, Sportech takes into account the internal equity of current employees when considering compensation. Sportech’s reasonable and good-faith estimate for the range of new hire compensation at the time of posting for this position is between $85,000 - $110,000 annually. Pay may also include variable compensation from time to time such as overtime for non-exempt positions, shift differential for specific shifts, and/or bonus targets (subject to plan eligibility and other requirements).

Job Summary

The Manufacturing Systems Engineer drives hands-on operational technology improvements that advance safety, quality, delivery, and cost. This role is accountable for identifying opportunities, leading implementation projects on the plant floor, and sustaining solutions that increase reliability and productivity. The Manufacturing Systems Engineer partners with IT and vendors to connect plant-floor systems with enterprise applications, including ERP, using secure data integration (including APIs) and ensures operational requirements are translated into scalable, supportable solutions. The ideal candidate is energized by automation, digital transformation, and practical applications of AI-enabled tooling (including AI agents) to improve how work gets done.

1. Drive continuous improvement by recommending, implementing, and supporting operational technologies that measurably improve the fun meter, safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
2. Serve as the technical authority for plant-floor OT systems and partner with IT to translate operational requirements into secure, reliable solutions—integrating new and emerging technologies that enable automation and digital transformation while maintaining compliance, cybersecurity, and uptime.

Essential Job Functions

• Own and deliver OT improvement projects from opportunity identification through deployment and sustainment (scope, ROI, timeline, risk, change control, training, and adoption).
• Be boots-on-the-ground on the plant floor to observe processes, troubleshoot issues, perform root-cause analysis, and implement countermeasures.
• Integrate plant-floor systems with Epicor Kinetic (ERP) to enable accurate production reporting, traceability, and data-driven decisions.
• Design, implement, and troubleshoot integrations using APIs (e.g., REST/JSON) and common patterns (authentication, error handling, retries, monitoring).
• Evaluate and pilot AI-enabled solutions (including AI agents) for operational support, knowledge capture, and automation, ensuring security, privacy, and reliability standards are met.
• Recommend, implement, and support OT systems (e.g., industrial controls/ICS and related plant-floor applications) to meet operational requirements.
• Provide day-to-day OT support: diagnose hardware/software issues, coordinate repairs, and communicate status to end users and stakeholders.
• Maintain robust OT network architecture in partnership with IT (segmentation, access control, data flows, and secure remote access) following cybersecurity best practices and the IT Security Program.
• Maintain OT asset inventory, documentation, and configuration standards (network diagrams, configurations, maintenance procedures).
• Plan, test, and implement patches, upgrades, and configuration changes; ensure backups and recovery procedures are in place and validated.
• Manage vendors and service partners (relationships, access coordination, patch schedules, and support escalations).
• Support incident response and post-incident root-cause analysis; implement corrective actions and preventive controls.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, or related field (equivalent work experience may be considered)
• 3–5 years of experience in OT/IT engineering in a manufacturing environment (plant-floor systems, networking, and end-user support)
• Strong knowledge of industrial networking (e.g., Ethernet/IP, Profinet, Modbus TCP) including design, implementation, and troubleshooting of switches/routers/firewalls/wireless
• Working knowledge of OT cybersecurity principles and standards (e.g., NIST, ISA/IEC 62443), including segmentation, access control, and patch/backup practices
• Understanding of manufacturing operations and automation/controls concepts (how systems support production, quality, and traceability)
• Ability to write or modify scripts/tools for automation and troubleshooting (e.g., Python or similar) and to work with data formats used in integrations (e.g., CSV/JSON)
• Experience integrating OT systems with ERP systems in a manufacturing environment (Epicor Kinetic Preferred)
• Hands-on experience working with API integrations for system connectivity (REST/JSON; authentication/authorization; logging/error handling)—able to define operational requirements, participate in solution design, and troubleshoot issues end-to-end
• Demonstrated interest in practical AI applications (including AI agents) and ability to identify use cases, validate data readiness, and implement responsibly
• Preferred: certifications in networking or cybersecurity (e.g., CCNA, CISSP, GICSP) and/or experience with industrial vision systems or machine learning concepts in manufacturing
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment and cross-functionally drive results
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously