About this opportunity
Packaging Corporation of America lists this Corporate Area Technical Manager opportunity in lake forest, Illinois. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
As a Fortune 500 company, Packaging Corporation of America (PCA) is an ideas and solutions company. Our corrugated packaging business seeks to be the leader in helping our customers - large and small - package, transport and display products of all kinds. Our white paper business delivers Paper With Purpose by providing the highest level of customer service and operational excellence. We have approximately 15,000 team members in more than 100 locations in the United States that strive to meet the local needs of our customers. Our mission is to serve the needs of our customers, today and tomorrow, with products and services that exceed expectations for performance and environmental responsibility.
People * Customers * Trust
The Corporate Area Technical Manager oversees and supports the configuration of DCS logic, installation of DCS hardware, process tuning, and optimization of existing control strategies. These operating systems function in an environment where uptime expectations exceed 99%, making equipment integrity and control system reliability essential. A failure within the control system can result in catastrophic equipment damage, production losses, and significant revenue impact.
Process control systems in manufacturing environments depend heavily on Distributed Control Systems (DCS), deployed across both physical and virtual platforms. Across PCA facilities, these systems represent a broad and varied installed base, ranging from recently commissioned modern platforms to legacy DCS systems that have reliably supported operations for decades. Examples include Foxboro IA, ABB Bailey Net90, Emerson DeltaV, Honeywell TDC 3000 and Experion, and Rockwell systems. These platforms operate across a combination of proprietary and open networks, run continuously in 24/7 production environments, and present distinct challenges in operations, reliability, cybersecurity, and optimization
As these systems become increasingly interconnected, the reliability of both field hardware and DCS components becomes increasingly critical. PCA requires robust, resilient installations that extend from instrumentation, motors, and final control elements to operator interfaces, process historians such as PI and IBA, and business systems used for production planning. Designing and maintaining this level of integration requires creativity, practical experience, and deep technical knowledge of control system hardware, software, and instrumentation practices necessary to build dependable and resilient DCS environments.
The Corporate Area Technical Manager will support each mill in maintaining, improving, and sustaining its DCS systems. This role will serve as a resource for best practices and as a key liaison among mill teams, Corporate Technology specialists, and Corporate IT professionals. Responsibilities include:
Provide technical support to Corporate and mill teams responsible for DCS, QCS, PLC, and drives systems
Identify, recommend, and deliver DCS training opportunities for control system engineers and technicians
Engage early in capital project development to ensure proper specification and supportability of control system equipment
Establish DCS lifecycle management expectations to inform capital planning and long-term system reliability
Support corporate control system audits, assessments, and improvement initiatives
Partner with Operations, IT, and Controls organizations to develop and promote control system best practices
Lead or coordinate planning activities for system updates, upgrades, and reliability improvements
Travel as needed to support capital projects, reliability initiatives, troubleshooting efforts, and system upgrades
Develop practical and creative solutions to improve cybersecurity posture on legacy control system platforms
Stay current on supplier advisories, known issues, knowledge base articles, software updates, and emerging risks
Ensure DCS initiatives remain aligned with risk management, production continuity, and operational resilience
The successful candidate will demonstrate broad technical expertise (10+ yrs) and practical experience across key areas, including:
Distributed Controls Systems hardware (Honeywell, ABB Bailey, Emerson Delta V, or Rockwell)
Control Tuning
Instrumentation
DCS programming of logic
Project Management
DCS Upgrades
Process Optimization
Project Budget estimations
Various Microsoft applications - Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc..
PCA mills have systems provided by Honeywell, ABB, Emerson, and Rockwell. The ideal candidate will have previous experience with these or other process control systems. PCA expects the Corporate Area Technical Manager to have a high level of ownership and accountability, and to be highly pro-active.
Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively are essential. The Corporate Area Technical Manager serves as a trusted resource for mill Process Control personnel and must be adept at listening to site concerns, communicating best practices, and applying a service-oriented mindset to help mill teams succeed. The ideal candidate will be curious, innovative, and committed to staying current with the latest instrumentation, DCS technologies, cybersecurity threats, and industry best practices
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Starting salary range for position: $129,500-$185,000
Bonus: Annual - Based upon individual contribution and overall, Company performance.
Paid Vacation: Three (3) weeks per calendar year. Pro-rata Vacation during the initial year of hire based upon start date within the calendar year.
Paid Holidays.
Within the first 30 days of employment, an employee (and their dependents) is eligible to enroll in certain benefit coverages -- medical, dental, and vision - and are automatically enrolled in life, AD&D, and disability coverages.
Upon hire, an employee is automatically enrolled in the 401k plan. The plan offers both pre-tax and Roth contribution options along with employer provided matching contributions.
Disclaimer: The Compensation and Benefits information in this posting represents PCA's good faith and reasonable estimate of what it may pay for this position. The Company reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.
PCA is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Qualified Applicants must apply at careers.packagingcorp.com to be considered.
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.