Director of Innovation Engineering - Americas

CPM Holdings, Inc.•Waterloo, IA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

CPM Holdings, Inc. is a diversified leading global supplier of process equipment and engineered technologies that sustainably feed, fuel, and build a better world. With its growing family of 17 market-leading product brands, CPM serves a variety of industries including animal feed, consumer food, green energy, advanced materials and sustainable packaging. Founded in 1883, CPM has 1,700 employees across 36 facilities on 4 continents with presence in 150+ countries. From the foods you eat to the fuels you require, CPM plays an important role in making the world more efficient and more sustainable. POSITION SUMMARY The Senior Director of Innovation is responsible for defining and driving the company’s innovation strategy to accelerate growth, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen competitive advantage. This role bridges engineering, product development, operations, and commercial teams to bring new ideas from concept to market. The ideal candidate combines strategic thinking with practical execution in an industrial/manufacturing environment. This person must also foster relationships with customer development partners and understand the real-world challenges in the equipment operating environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, (master’s degree considered a plus).
7 – 10+ years of experience in industrial equipment, manufacturing, or related sectors
Proven track record of leading innovation, R&D, or product development initiatives
Experience scaling ideas from concept to commercialization
Ability to travel domestically and abroad a total of 30 – 40%
Strong strategic thinking combined with execution focus
Deep understanding of industrial technologies (automation, robotics, IoT, etc.)
Experience with stage-gate or similar innovation frameworks
Financial acumen and ability to evaluate investment decisions
Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills
Ability to prioritize high-impact initiatives and move quickly with limited resources

Responsibilities

Assist in the identification of Innovation and New Product development projects
Support the company-wide innovation and product roadmaps aligned with business objectives and market trends
Identify emerging technologies, materials, and processes relevant to industrial equipment and manufacturing
Build and foster a culture of innovation across the organization
Partner with Engineering and Product teams to drive next-generation equipment solutions
Oversee early-stage product ideation, prototyping, and validation processes
Champion advancements in automation, digitalization, and smart equipment
Support efforts to ensure alignment between innovation initiatives and customer needs
Work closely with Sales, Product Management, and Customer Support to identify market opportunities and improve services
Translate customer insights and needs into actionable innovation initiatives
Facilitate collaboration between technical and commercial teams
Identify and manage relationships with external partners (key Beta customers, universities, and vendors)
Evaluate build vs. buy vs. partner opportunities for new technologies
Represent the company in industry forums and innovation networks
Support management of the innovation pipeline, prioritization, and resource allocation
Support the development of business cases and ROI models for innovation initiatives
Track KPIs to measure timely completion of milestones & impact of innovation programs
Acts as a change agent across the organization
Ability to continue process development while achieving timely results
Spends time in field validating concepts, willingness to lend “hands-on” support
Balances long-term vision with near-term business impact
Builds cross-functional alignment without heavy bureaucracy
Mentors and develops innovation talent