Senior Director-Innovation & Insights

Ergon•Flowood, MS

About The Position

Ergon, Inc. is seeking a strategic and hands-on Senior Director, Innovation & Insights to lead the company’s enterprise innovation capability. This role develops a disciplined, data-led, collaborative system that turns segment knowledge, technical capability, and market insight into measurable organic growth. It operates as a service and facilitation function, leading a small corporate Center of Excellence that helps segments innovate together while leaving execution and results with the segments. The role also owns enterprise foresight and long-term opportunity assessment. The Senior Director builds enterprise innovation strategy aligned with organic-growth priorities; establishes a business-centered innovation narrative tied to measurable growth; and leads through collaboration and influence rather than centralized control. The role develops visibility into innovation pipelines, timing, value, and risk; creates common stage-gate and prioritization processes; and defines an innovation scorecard and reporting cadence for the Executive Leadership Team and Board. The role identifies opportunities to leverage knowledge and assets across segments, convenes cross-functional teams around high-potential opportunities, and supports the transition of long-term initiatives into business-unit execution. It monitors economic, energy-transition, and demographic trends; identifies adjacent markets and long-term opportunities; and translates insights into pipeline and strategy implications. It also stewards long-term cross-business platform work, partners with Finance on the innovation funding model, supports enterprise intellectual-property strategy, and leads a lean innovation Center of Excellence with program leadership and analytical support. The Senior Director prepares updates for the Executive Leadership Team and Board, promotes enterprise-first thinking while respecting segment ownership, and builds trust through transparency and disciplined follow-through. Ergon describes itself as a relationship-driven, family-owned company headquartered in Flowood, Mississippi, with approximately 4,500 employees and operations across multiple sectors. The company emphasizes employee growth, safety, respectful relationships, and purposeful business growth.

Requirements

At least 7 years of leadership experience in innovation, strategy, commercialization, or related roles.
Proven success leading cross-business initiatives through influence.
Experience improving innovation or product-development operating models.
Strong strategic foresight, commercial, financial, and analytical skills.
Executive presence and ability to build trust across the enterprise.
Bachelor’s degree required.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Build and lead enterprise innovation strategy aligned with organic-growth priorities.
Establish a business-centered innovation narrative tied to measurable growth.
Lead innovation through collaboration and influence rather than centralized control.
Build visibility into the innovation pipeline, including timing, value, and risk.
Develop common stage-gate and prioritization processes.
Define an innovation scorecard and reporting cadence for the Executive Leadership Team and Board.
Identify opportunities to leverage knowledge and assets across business segments.
Convene cross-functional teams around high-potential opportunities.
Support the transition of long-term initiatives into business-unit execution.
Monitor economic, energy-transition, and demographic trends.
Identify adjacent markets and long-term opportunities, translating insights into pipeline and strategy implications.
Steward long-term cross-business platform work.
Partner with Finance on the innovation funding model.
Support enterprise intellectual-property strategy.
Lead a lean innovation Center of Excellence and provide program leadership and analytical support.
Prepare updates for the Executive Leadership Team and Board.
Promote enterprise-first thinking while respecting segment ownership.
Build trust through transparency and disciplined follow-through.