Operations Lead - Erlanger, KY

Archer Daniels Midland•Erlanger, KY

About The Position

The Tech Core Operations Lead is a director-level role that sits at the intersection of tower execution and enterprise transformation. Reporting to the Tech Core Vice President, this individual serves as the operational backbone of their tower while functioning as a key partner to the GT Transformation Office — ensuring that GT's operating model is understood, consistently applied, and continuously improved within their domain. This role carries equal accountability to two audiences: the Tower Lead, who depends on this person to keep the tower organized, forward-moving, and performance-ready; and the GT Transformation Office, which depends on this person to be an embedded sensor and executor of GT-wide strategy within the tower. Neither accountability can be subordinated to the other. The Tech Core Operations Lead is also a member of the GT Tower Operations Leads cohort — a small, high-visibility network of peers across all GT towers who work collectively to strengthen how GT operates, learns, and improves as an enterprise.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive experience in technology strategy, operations, or enterprise transformation
Demonstrated ability to operate with senior leaders and influence without formal authority
Experience supporting executive-level communications, board materials, or performance reporting
Familiarity with product operating models, continuous improvement frameworks, or organizational design
Experience supporting budget, investment prioritization, or portfolio management at the program or tower level
Prior experience in a large, matrixed enterprise environment preferred
Experience working in or alongside manufacturing, plant, or operational technology environments
Familiarity with infrastructure, platform, or engineering program portfolios at enterprise scale
Exposure to IT/OT convergence — understands the governance and risk considerations unique to environments where corporate and operational technology intersect
Strategic thinker who can connect day-to-day tower operations to GT-wide goals
Exceptional written and verbal communication — can translate complexity into clear, audience-appropriate language
Strong analytical instincts — comfortable owning metrics, spotting patterns, and telling the story behind the data
High tolerance for ambiguity; can hold structure and drive progress without waiting for perfect clarity
Naturally connective — sees themselves as a GT professional who sits in a tower, not a tower professional who occasionally interacts with GT
Collaborative and low-ego; earns credibility through consistency and follow-through

Responsibilities

Own the tower's internal operating rhythm — standing cadences, action tracking, and follow-through on leadership commitments
Keep the Tower Lead organized and forward-moving; surface blockers and risks before they escalate
Coordinate and prepare tower contributions to MBR, QBR, and other executive review cycles
Support the onboarding of new leaders into the tower — operating model orientation, key relationships, and how decisions get made
Serve as institutional memory for the tower — who decided what, when, and why
Identify skill gaps within the tower that affect operating model execution and escalate to the GT Transformation Office for support
Drive consistency in standards, controls, and processes across both IT and OT environments — Tech Core spans that boundary in a way no other tower does
Coordinate initiatives that touch manufacturing, supply chain, and plant operations — awareness of how technology decisions ripple into operational environments
Support portfolio governance across infrastructure, platform, and engineering programs that span multiple geographies and business units
Track and communicate progress on platform modernization programs — cloud, ERP infrastructure, and foundational capability investments
Own C1–C5 performance measurement for the tower — maintain the numbers and know the story behind them
Produce first drafts of board and executive committee contributions from the tower; drive timely inputs from tower colleagues
Develop a deep working knowledge of the GT operating model; proactively identify and escalate where the tower is drifting from it
Flag model friction, ambiguity, or adoption challenges — don't wait for problems to surface upward
Participate in GT Transformation Office-led improvement sprints and operating model reviews when the tower is in scope
Maintain awareness of organizational health signals within the tower and surface relevant patterns to the Transformation Office
Participate in the GT Tower Operations Leads working sessions led by the GT Transformation Office
Share what is working and what is not — this group strengthens GT collectively or not at all
Carry peer insights and shared practices back into the tower
Contribute to the continuous refinement of how GT measures, communicates, and improves its operating model