Ignition MES Specialist (Mfg Execution Systems Eng)

Location: Colombia | Remote

Newell Brands is looking for an Ignition MES Specialist to join our global Manufacturing Execution Systems team and support our manufacturing operations across Latin America.

This is a highly specialized, development-focused position responsible for designing, developing, programming, configuring, and enhancing solutions within the Ignition MES platform. Approximately 75% of the role will focus on remote technical development, rather than traditional IT coding, general operational technology support, or frequent on-site system implementation.

This is a senior individual contributor role with no direct people-management responsibilities, working closely with Lead Developers from our corporate team and supporting regional stakeholders on the plants.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, program, configure, and enhance applications and solutions within the Ignition MES platform.
• Design and maintain MES screens, reports, interfaces, workflows, and system functionality based on manufacturing requirements.
• Connect Ignition MES solutions to manufacturing equipment, industrial devices, PLCs, databases, and other systems.
• Access, collect, and integrate production data from PLCs and plant-floor equipment.
• Translate manufacturing needs into functional requirements and technical solutions.
• Support MES installations, upgrades, testing, commissioning, and system stabilization when required.
• Troubleshoot application, data, integration, and connectivity issues in partnership with Plant Engineering and corporate technical teams.
• Develop and support MES analytics and reporting solutions that provide visibility into equipment reliability, operational efficiency, and manufacturing performance.
• Contribute to global MES development standards, technical documentation, best practices, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Collaborate remotely with manufacturing sites across Latin America, providing technical guidance and specialized system support.
• Build effective working relationships with Plant Engineering teams, Associate Managers, corporate Lead Developers, and plant-floor application users.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• 4–6+ years of professional experience working with Ignition Manufacturing Execution System in manufacturing environments.
• Strong, hands-on development and programming experience with the Ignition MES platform. Direct experience with Ignition is required (experience with other MES platforms alone will not be considered equivalent).
• Experience developing, configuring, and maintaining Ignition MES applications, screens, reports, interfaces, or workflows.
• Experience connecting Ignition MES applications to manufacturing equipment, industrial devices, and PLCs.
• Understanding of how to access and collect data from PLCs. Programming or troubleshooting experience with PLCs is beneficial.
• Experience integrating MES with ERP, CMMS, databases, or other enterprise and manufacturing systems.
• Proficiency in PostgreSQL and/or Microsoft SQL Server.
• Experience working in manufacturing plants or supporting plant-floor manufacturing environments.
• Fluency in English, Spanish, and Portuguese is required due to the regional scope of the position.
• Ability to work independently in a remote, global, and matrixed environment.
• Availability to travel internationally (USA & Brazil) approximately two times per year to support installations and other business needs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ignition Gold Certification. Candidates who do not hold the certification at the time of hire must be able to obtain it during the probationary period.
• Experience with industrial automation and control platforms, particularly Allen-Bradley/Rockwell systems.
• Experience with PLC connectivity, data collection, troubleshooting, or programming.
• Familiarity with industrial networking and Ethernet/IP architectures.
• Working knowledge of ANSI/ISA-95 and Industry 4.0 concepts.
• Experience supporting MES testing, system validation, commissioning, or go-live activities.
• Experience developing manufacturing analytics or reporting solutions using tools such as Power BI and Excel.

Key Competencies

• Strong technical development and programming capabilities.
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to understand both manufacturing requirements and technical system architecture.
• Clear communication with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to collaborate and influence without formal authority.
• High level of autonomy, initiative, accountability, and attention to detail.
• Ability to work effectively across different countries, cultures, and manufacturing environments.

Why Join Newell Brands?

This is an opportunity to join a global technical team and play an important role in the continued development of Newell Brands’ manufacturing systems across Latin America. You will work on specialized, business-critical Ignition MES solutions that connect manufacturing systems, plant equipment, and operational data, helping our sites improve visibility, reliability, and performance.

If you have strong Ignition development experience, understand manufacturing environments, and enjoy solving complex technical challenges in collaboration with global teams, we would like to hear from you.