Capital Governance Expert

Nestle Operational Services Worldwide SA•Solon, OH

7d•$119,073 - $159,962•Remote

About The Position

The Capital Engineering Manager serves as the capital governance leader and technical CAPEX expert for the assigned business category. This role is responsible for driving capital portfolio performance, project governance, compliance, capability building, and capital execution support across assigned factories. The position acts as the primary integration point between Factory Engineering, Category Engineering, Corporate Engineering, Finance, Operations, Procurement, Quality, and Hub resources to ensure capital investments are aligned with business priorities, Master Plans, Market Business Strategy (MBS), and Nestle engineering standards. The Capital Engineering Manager provides leadership, coaching, and direction to Factory Engineering teams while ensuring all capital projects are executed with excellence in safety, quality, cost, schedule, compliance, and business results. Role focus: Strengthen capital portfolio governance, forecast accuracy, stage-gate discipline, and factory/category execution alignment.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Process, Chemical, Industrial, or equivalent).
Minimum 10 years of engineering experience within manufacturing environments.
Proven experience leading capital projects and capital portfolios.
Experience with capital planning, project governance, budgeting, forecasting, and financial controls.
Experience with TPM, NCE, asset management, and continuous improvement methodologies.
Experience working cross-functionally with Operations, Finance, Supply Chain, Procurement, Quality, and Corporate Engineering.
Strong technical, leadership, and managerial skills.
Excellent project and portfolio management capabilities.
Strong financial acumen and capital budgeting expertise.
Ability to influence across multiple organizational levels.
Strong conflict resolution and stakeholder management skills.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Strategic thinker capable of translating business strategy into executable capital plans.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Ability to lead through ambiguity and organizational change.
Proficiency in SAP, Microsoft Project, Excel, PowerPoint, and related engineering systems.
Ability to develop others and build organizational capability.

Nice To Haves

PMP certification preferred.
MBA or advanced technical degree preferred.
Previous Factory Engineering, Project Engineering, Capital Engineering, or equivalent leadership experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Own capital portfolio visibility and governance for assigned factories and categories.
Support the development and prioritization of annual, three-year, and long-range capital plans.
Drive alignment of capital investments with factory Master Plans, MBS priorities, and category growth strategies.
Monitor capital envelope performance and proactively identify risks, constraints, and resource gaps.
Provide recommendations on project prioritization and capital allocation to maximize business value.
Serve as the technical CAPEX expert and maintain expertise in all current CAPEX policies, procedures, standards, and systems.
Drive strong stage-gate governance and EFCA compliance throughout project lifecycles.
Ensure project charters, financial justifications, cost estimates, risk assessments, schedules, and project management plans meet required standards before project approval.
Conduct regular reviews of capital projects to ensure compliance with engineering standards, financial controls, and governance requirements.
Ensure lessons learned and best practices are captured and shared across supported factories.
Partner with Factory Engineering Managers to support concept development, feasibility studies, option analysis, design reviews, design freeze, and change management.
Assist factories in resolving complex technical and operational challenges that impact safety, quality, reliability, cost, or business continuity.
Ensure engineering resources, SMEs, technical competency units, vendors, and external experts are effectively leveraged.
Support implementation of category, corporate, and cross-functional initiatives.
Maintain an understanding of factory processes, technologies, utilities, constraints, and business drivers.
Support development and management of capital budgets and forecasts.
Monitor project cash flow, estimate-at-completion (EAC), and capital spending performance.
Identify and escalate budget, schedule, and scope risks in a timely manner.
Partner with Finance to improve forecast accuracy and capital performance.
Ensure projects meet approved financial objectives and deliver expected business benefits.
Promote an attitude of absolute intolerance toward unsafe conditions and behaviors.
Ensure all capital projects comply with Nestle safety requirements, food safety standards, GMPs, environmental regulations, and engineering standards.
Support risk assessments and mitigation plans throughout project lifecycles.
Support audits, regulatory requirements, and compliance initiatives including NCE, NEE, ammonia safety, and related engineering programs.
Ensure no capital project is implemented without appropriate consideration of product safety, people safety, quality, and environmental impact.
Support procurement and contractor management processes.
Ensure compliance with bidding requirements, contractor qualification requirements, and engineering procurement standards.
Assist factories in evaluating engineering service providers, contractors, vendors, and technical consultants.
Promote contractor safety, project quality, and execution excellence.
Support implementation of automation, electrical and automation (E&A), MES, digital manufacturing, and productivity technologies where applicable.
Partner with category engineering, E&A teams, and SMEs to standardize technology solutions and best practices.
Promote innovative engineering solutions that improve safety, reliability, productivity, sustainability, and operational performance.
Provide direct CAPEX coaching, leadership, and training to Factory Engineering teams.
Develop engineering capability in project management, governance, financial management, and capital planning.
Facilitate knowledge sharing and best-practice deployment across factories.
Support succession planning and development of engineering talent.
Foster strong collaboration among Engineering, Operations, Finance, Supply Chain, Procurement, Quality, and other key functions.