Senior Director, Engineering & Capital Programs

Conagra Brands; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 157,000 - 241,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) matching

Stock purchase plan

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Conagra Brands is seeking a senior engineering leader to drive the technical delivery of major capital initiatives and plant network redesign from design through startup and transition to Operations and Maintenance. You will provide enterprise leadership across process, packaging, equipment, facilities, and controls, ensuring readiness and risk mitigation.

You will partner with Operations and Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, and Safety to influence design, installation, commissioning, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related technical discipline; advanced degree preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive experience in engineering, manufacturing, operations, maintenance, or related technical discipline, including leadership of complex capital programs and major manufacturing startups.
• Demonstrated expertise across process and packaging engineering, equipment and facility design, commissioning, startup, and transition to Operations and Maintenance.
• Experience delivering large, complex capital initiatives in operating manufacturing facilities, preferably in food, consumer packaged goods, process, or high-speed packaging environments.
• Strong knowledge of capital and project management, including scope, schedule, budget, risk, change control, vendor management, and startup governance.
• Experience partnering with original equipment manufacturers and external engineering firms and challenging technical designs to improve reliability, maintainability, operability, and lifecycle performance.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing operations and maintenance systems, capability requirements, training, and asset-care readiness.
• Proven success influencing senior leaders and cross-functional teams, making difficult recommendations, and leading through ambiguity without relying solely on direct authority.
• Strategic thinking and strong judgment, collaboration, change leadership, problem-solving, and executive communication skills.
• Willingness to travel to manufacturing and project locations based on initiative needs.

Responsibilities

• Own technical delivery for assigned enterprise capital initiatives, integrating process, packaging, utilities, facilities, controls, maintenance, and operational requirements into executable solutions.
• Lead rigorous technical design challenges and reviews with internal engineering teams, external engineering partners, and original equipment manufacturers; identify gaps, evaluate trade-offs, and drive timely resolution of technical risks.
• Establish and lead an early management approach that engages Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, Safety, and other partners early enough to influence design, installation, commissioning, and startup outcomes.
• Define technical readiness and transition plans spanning engineering design, construction, commissioning, qualification, startup, stabilization, and handoff to Operations and Maintenance.
• Ensure operating and maintenance teams have the standards, documentation, training, skills, spare parts, preventive maintenance strategies, and problem-solving capability needed to safely operate and sustain new technology at startup.
• Provide clear, fact-based assessments of design maturity, startup probability, organizational readiness, and critical risks to Engineering and Operations executives; recommend corrective actions, changes in resources, or escalation when needed.
• Partner with plant and business leaders to deliver major capital work within active manufacturing facilities while protecting safety, food safety, quality, service, cost, and ongoing operations.
• Establish accountability across project teams, original equipment manufacturers, contractors, and functional partners for technical decisions, milestones, issue resolution, and committed outcomes.
• Apply capital and project management discipline to scope, schedule, budget, risk, change control, and business-case delivery while maintaining focus on long-term asset performance and network value.
• Coach engineering and cross-functional leaders, strengthen technical capability, and advance ways of working that improve execution across future capital initiatives.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Capital project management

Leadership

Executive communication

Strategic thinking

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related technical discipline

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Conagra Brands is seeking a senior engineering leader to drive the technical delivery of major capital initiatives and plant network redesign from design through startup and transition to Operations and Maintenance. You will provide enterprise leadership across process, packaging, equipment, facilities, and controls, ensuring readiness and risk mitigation.

You will partner with Operations and Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, and Safety to influence design, installation, commissioning, and