Senior Director-Innovation & Insights

Ergon, Inc is seeking a strategic and hands-on Senior Director, Innovation & Insights. The Senior Director - Innovation & Insights leads Ergon's enterprise innovation capability: a disciplined, data-led, and collaborative system that turns segment knowledge, technical capability, and market insight into measurable organic growth. Operating as a service and facilitation function, the role leads a small corporate Center of Excellence that helps segments innovate together while retaining ownership of execution and results. The role also owns enterprise foresight and long-term opportunity assessment.

Major Duties & Responsibilities

Enterprise Innovation Leadership

• Build and lead enterprise innovation strategy aligned to organic-growth priorities.
• Establish a business-centered innovation narrative tied to measurable growth.
• Lead through collaboration and influence rather than centralized control.

Enterprise Innovation System, Pipeline & Metrics

• Build visibility into innovation pipeline, timing, value, and risk.
• Develop common stage-gate and prioritization processes.
• Define innovation scorecard and reporting cadence for ELT and Board.

Cross-Segment Collaboration & Execution

• Identify opportunities to leverage knowledge and assets across segments.
• Convene cross-functional teams around high-potential opportunities.
• Support transition of long-term initiatives into business-unit execution.

Foresight & Insights

• Monitor economic, energy-transition, and demographic trends.
• Identify adjacent markets and long-term opportunities.
• Translate insights into innovation pipeline and strategy implications.

Long-Term Platforms, Funding & Intellectual Property

• Steward long-term cross-business platform work.
• Partner with Finance on innovation funding model.
• Support enterprise intellectual-property strategy.

Center of Excellence Leadership & Team Development

• Lead a lean innovation Center of Excellence.
• Provide program leadership and analytical support.

Executive Engagement & Culture

• Prepare updates for ELT and Board.
• Promote enterprise-first thinking while respecting segment ownership.
• Build trust through transparency and disciplined follow-through.

Qualifications & Experience

• 7+ years of leadership 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; advanced degree preferred.

Why Ergon Inc.?

At Ergon, we are a relationship-driven, family-owned company that values the growth and contributions of each employee. Headquarters in Flowood, Mississippi, we take pride in maintaining a close-knit, small-company atmosphere while offering exceptional career opportunities. With approximately 4,500 employees, we operate in multiple sectors, including pavement & pavement preservation, specialty refining, logistics, construction, and specialty chemicals. Our people are the foundation of our success, and we are committed to fostering a workplace where talent is recognized, rewarded, and empowered. Our comprehensive benefits package includes:

• Competitive pay
• 401(k) matching & profit sharing
• Health, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance
• Short- and Long-Term Disability Plans
• Additional voluntary benefits
• Paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave
• Tuition assistance
• Opportunity to shape enterprise-wide compensation strategy
• Collaborative, inclusive, and performance-driven culture
• Career growth in a dynamic, diversified organization

At Ergon Inc., we live by our core values:

• Empowered Service: Together, we're committed to delivering unparalleled service. We do what's right, provide solutions, and foster stronger relationships with our teams and customers. Employee safety is our top priority and the first consideration in all aspects of our service. That's empowered service.
• Selfless Leadership: We lead with compassion and put those around us before ourselves. We don't say we're experts; we demonstrate it through technical expertise, category innovation, and care for what we do. We call this selfless leadership.
• Purposeful Growth: We believe employee and company growth go hand in hand. We build our legacy together to ensure future success through purposeful growth. The company has continually reinvested tremendously back into the business, not just growing for the sake of growing but growing carefully and strategically.
• Respectful Relationships: Together, we foster a culture of respect, acceptance, and diversity of ideas and people. Our differences make us stronger. We're united by our shared values, constantly forging respectful relationships.

Come and join the Ergon team!

We are an EEO/AAP employer.

Job Role: Accounting Director

Location: Flowood, MS