The Sr. Center of Excellence Functional Leader, Engineering provides enterprise-level direction and oversight for engineering disciplines across Ardent Mills, including process engineering, automation, structural design, project management, and capital execution. This role leads the advancement of engineering standards, guides major initiatives that strengthen asset reliability and operational performance, and ensures compliance with all regulatory and system requirements. As a senior technical leader, you influence cross-functional priorities, support long-range engineering planning, and develop capabilities that enhance engineering performance across all facilities.
- Create and maintain enterprise engineering project portfolio strategy by defining long-term priorities, capability needs, and standards that strengthen operational performance across all sites.
- Lead governance, prioritization, and execution of the enterprise capital portfolio with the input of cross functional partners, including annual planning, project prioritization, stage-gate approvals, resource allocation, and post-project value realization.
- Oversee development, governance, and continuous improvement of engineering processes, technical standards, and best practices.
- Resolve complex engineering escalations and systemic issues requiring senior-level technical oversight or COE intervention.
- Analyze enterprise engineering metrics, benchmarking data, and system performance to identify strategic improvement opportunities and drive action plans.
- Evaluate emerging technologies, AI enabled analytics, and engineering innovations and translate findings into enterprise-ready solutions and implementation plans ensuring successful digital transformation at the operations level.
- Partner with Operations and Sustainability leaders to develop and execute energy, environmental, and resource optimization strategies.
- Oversee internal and external engineering audits, ensuring accountability, follow-up, and alignment to regulatory, customer, and corporate requirements.
- Responsible for building and maintaining external vendor relationships for the execution of capital projects.
- Lead and develop a high-performing engineering team while building talent pipelines, succession plans, and technical career pathways across the enterprise.
- Represent the Engineering COE in senior leadership forums and partner with Operations, Quality, and Engineering leaders to influence enterprise decisions and support future-state planning.
- Lead due diligence for acquisitions for asset health and operational standards.
- Provide capital plan status and KPI performance updates to senior leadership.
Above all you will be expected to carry out all your activities with reliability, integrity, compliance and in a safe, environmentally responsible, and efficient manner.
Essential Skills & Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field
- 15+ years of progressive engineering leadership in manufacturing, food processing, milling, agriculture, or related industrial operations, including multi-site or enterprise-level responsibility
- Experience delivering capital planning to executive level leadership or Board of Directors
- Experience coaching a team in Identifying opportunities or implementing changes to improve products or reduce costs using knowledge of fabrication processes, tooling and production equipment, assembly methods, quality control standards, product design, materials, and parts.
- Experience developing strategic investment plans to match the enterprise strategy
- Experience in designing and implementing new methods and processes to improve existing operations.
- Experience providing guidance to the engineering team to troubleshoot new and existing product problems involving designs, materials, or processes.
- Competent in Autodesk products, AutoCAD, Navisworks, Revit, Recap
- Develop engineering standards as related to engineering field
- Previous experience in due diligence and M&A asset integration into an organization
- Strong interpersonal skills including relationship-building with cross-functional team members
- Demonstrated strategic leadership, delivering expected outcomes
- Demonstrated experience building positive customer relationships
Physical requirements and working conditions
(with or without reasonable accommodation)
- Ability to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) as is required by the operating areas (i.e. safety glasses, protective footwear, hearing protection and, at times, a respirator)
- Ability to engage on the plant floor via periodic lifting, pulling, pushing up to 50 lbs., climbing and/or traversing stairways and ladders throughout the plant
Other considerations:
Ability to travel 50%+ within the US and Canada
Ardent Mills is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. This role follows a remote work arrangement and may be performed from a location where Ardent Mills is authorized to employ, subject to business needs and applicable policies. The successful candidate will not be expected to maintain a regular in-person presence at an Ardent Mills office location, except as needed for business meetings, team collaboration, training, or other business-related travel.
Candidates who currently reside in the following states are not eligible for employment in this role unless they are willing to relocate: Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia – Washington DC, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Location(s):
Remote CO
Type:
Full time
Job Level:
Leading Managers-LM
Additional Information:
We provide market-drive base pay, based on skills, abilities, and level of experiences. Our salary ranges are broad and individual salary will be market competitive based on a candidate's unique set of skills and level of experience.
We offer a compensation range for this position that can range from $170,000 to $240,000 with additional earning potential possible commensurate with experience. This role is eligible for Ardent Mills Bonus Plan.
Additionally, we believe that our team members are the reason for our success and all team members are incentive eligible with target based on contribution, company performance, and individual results achieved. While the specific bonus plan and target amount will be determined based on the role and breadth of contributions.
BENEFITS:
At Ardent Mills we offer a wide range of benefits to our team members and their eligible family members. Some of our great benefit programs you may be eligible for include: • Medical, Dental and Vision Coverage• Health and Dependent Savings Accounts • Life and Disability Programs • Voluntary Benefit Programs • Company Sponsored Wellness Programs • Retirement Savings with Company Match • Team Member and Family Assistance Program (EAP) • Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays • Employee Recognition Program with Rewards (RAVE).
APPLICATION DEADLINE:
11/13/2026
EEO Commitment:
At Ardent Mills, everyone matters and everyone has a voice. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal opportunities are available to all applicants and team members and the decisions will be based on merit, competence, performance, and business needs. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, genetic information, veteran status, age, political affiliation, or any other non-merit characteristic protected by law or not. Together, celebrating our differences, we make Ardent Mills. The preceding position description has been designed to indicate the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of work performed by employees within this position. It may not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees in this position. The description, duties, functions, and responsibilities are subject to change at the discretion of Ardent Mills.
En Ardent Mills, todos importan y todos tienen voz. Estamos comprometidos a brindar un ambiente de respeto mutuo donde haya igualdad de oportunidades disponibles para todos los solicitantes y miembros del equipo y las decisiones se basarán en el mérito, la competencia, el desempeño y las necesidades comerciales. Estamos orgullosos de ser un empleador que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades. No discriminamos por motivos de raza, color, religión, credo, origen nacional, ascendencia, estado civil, sexo, orientación sexual, identidad o expresión de género, discapacidad física o mental, embarazo, información genética, condición de veterano, edad, política. afiliación, o cualquier otra característica no meritoria protegida por ley o no. Juntos, celebrando nuestras diferencias, formamos Ardent Mills. La descripción del puesto anterior ha sido diseñada para indicar la naturaleza general y los deberes y responsabilidades esenciales del trabajo realizado por los empleados dentro de este puesto. Es posible que no contenga un inventario completo de todos los deberes, responsabilidades y calificaciones requeridas de los empleados en este puesto. La descripción, los deberes, las funciones y las responsabilidades están sujetos a cambios a discreción de Ardent Mills.
