Senior Director, Engineering - Technical Delivery

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

Reporting to the Vice President of Engineering, you will lead the technical delivery of major, multi-year capital initiatives and manufacturing network redesign from engineering design through startup, stabilization, and transition to Operations and Maintenance. You will provide enterprise technical leadership across process, packaging, equipment, facility, and network design, challenging solutions to improve operability, maintainability, safety, quality, cost, and startup readiness. In partnership with Operations leadership, you will ensure plant teams are prepared to own and sustain new technology and provide direction when technical risk, readiness, or business outcomes require designs or execution plans to be paused or redirected.

A Taste of Your 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.

Ingredients Required for Your Success

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline required; advanced degree preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive experience in engineering, manufacturing, operations, maintenance, or a 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.

Physical Requirements

More information about essential tasks and the facility will be shared during the hiring process. This role may require you to be in our manufacturing facilities. When visiting these sites, the physical requirements below may apply:

• You may be required to walk around the facility, climb stairs/ladders, kneel, or performrepetitive tasks that require hand-eye coordination.
• You may be required to lift or carry materials that can vary in weight and size.
• This is a manufacturing environment with large, moving equipment. Noise levels can be high, and temperatures may vary.

Compensation

Pay Range:$157,000-$241,000

The annual salary listed above is the expected offering for this position. An employee’s actual annual salary will be based on but not limited to: location, relevant experience/level and skillset, while balancing internal Conagra employees’ equity.Conagra Brands will comply with applicable law regarding minimum salaries for exempt employees.

Our Benefits

We care about your total well-being and will support you with the following, subject to your location and role:

• Health: Comprehensive healthcare plans, wellness incentive program, mental wellbeing support and fitness reimbursement
• Wealth: Great pay, bonus incentive opportunity, matching 401(k) and stock purchase plan
• Growth: Career development opportunities, employee resource groups, on-demand learning and tuition reimbursement
• Balance: Paid-time off, parental leave, flexible work-schedules (subject to your location and role) and volunteer opportunities

Our Company

At Conagra Brands, we have a rich heritage of making great food. We aspire to have the most impactful, energized and inclusive culture in food. As a member of our 18,000+ person team across 40+ locations, you are empowered to reach your potential, make an impact and own your career. We’re in the business of building champions – within our people and our iconic brands like Birds Eye®, Slim Jim® and Reddi-Wip®.

Our focus on innovation extends beyond making great food, it also reflects our commitment to embracing new solutions that positively impact our team, the communities we serve and the health of our planet. Foodies Welcome.

Conagra Brands is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, pregnancy, leave status, disability, veteran status, genetic information and/or any other characteristic or status protected by national, federal, state or local law. Reasonable accommodation may be made upon request.