Director, Technical Services

The Director, Technical Services provides enterprise-wide leadership and strategic direction for Ardent Mills' customer-facing technical services function. This role is responsible for developing and executing the technical services strategy, leveraging customer insights, market intelligence, and technical expertise to drive growth, innovation, and customer satisfaction across all business segments. As a key member of the R&D Leadership Team, the Director partners with Commercial, Operations, Quality, Risk Management, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Emerging Nutrition leaders to translate customer challenges and industry trends into differentiated solutions that strengthen Ardent Mills' market position.

This role leads a high-performing team of technical experts and is accountable for building organizational capability, developing talent, influencing enterprise priorities, and fostering strong customer relationships. The Director combines strategic leadership, technical expertise, customer engagement, and business acumen to ensure Ardent Mills remains a trusted partner and industry leader in grain, milling, and ingredient solutions.

• Develop and execute the enterprise-wide Technical Services strategy aligned with business growth, innovation priorities, and customer needs.
• Serve as a strategic partner to leaders across Commercial, R&D, Operations, Quality, Risk Management, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Emerging Nutrition.
• Establish technical service priorities, capability roadmaps, and organizational plans that support growth and customer retention.
• Monitor industry, regulatory, technology, and customer trends and translate insights into business and innovation opportunities.
• Lead strategic planning, budget management, resource allocation, and performance management for the Technical Services function.
• Oversee resolution of complex customer challenges through technical analysis, risk assessment, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Provide executive-level technical leadership for strategic customer relationships.
• Partner with Sales and Marketing to support customer acquisition, retention, and growth.
• Represent Ardent Mills during customer engagements, industry events, technical forums, and strategic partnerships.
• Drive the effective use of customer insights to influence innovation, product development, and commercialization efforts.
• Collaborate with R&D, Grain Quality Research, and Milling leaders to develop and commercialize innovative solutions.
• Partner with Operations and Quality teams to ensure technical recommendations are practical, scalable, and aligned with manufacturing capabilities.
• Lead cross-functional teams to solve complex technical, operational, and commercial challenges.
• Champion emerging technologies, digital tools, and data-driven approaches that improve service and customer outcomes.
• Support intellectual property development, technical knowledge management, and competitive differentiation initiatives.
• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Build organizational capability through talent development, succession planning, and leadership development.
• Establish clear goals, expectations, and development plans for team members.
• Promote a customer‑centric mindset and enhance team effectiveness in technical problem‑solving and customer engagement.
• Drive employee engagement, inclusion, and safety while modeling Ardent Mills values and leadership behaviors.
• Build strategic relationships with customers, industry associations, suppliers, universities, and technical partners.
• Influence industry standards and best practices through active participation in professional…