Program Management Leader

Job Family Group:

Business Transformation

Are you ready to do something remarkable? Ready to collaborate with an incredible team to solve problems that improve people’s lives? Meet Ingevity.

At Ingevity, we develop innovations that purify, protect and enhance the world around us. Our products enable oil to flow better, crops to grow fuller, roads to last longer and ensure that the air we all breathe is cleaner.

Our people come from all different backgrounds and help reimagine new possibilities daily. We understand there is no challenge too big and no contribution too small. We seek out new ideas for tackling complex problems and celebrate achieving the improbable. We value each person’s unique talents and synergize them to create meaningful impact and sustainable solutions for our customers and our world.

Bold. Energetic. Ingenious. Genuine. If these qualities describe you, we’d love for you to join Ingevity!

Position Overview:

We’re looking for a hands-on leader who will own and evolve the Ideation and Stage Gate processes, support commercialization of new businesses, and provide strategic portfolio analysis to drive growth in the Performance Materials segment. This role reports directly to the Vice President for Growth and partners closely with R&T, Commercial, and Business Development to operationalize new businesses and support strategic portfolio decisions.

If you thrive in ambiguity, enjoy building new processes, and are passionate about helping teams learn and grow, you’ll do well here.

This role may be classified at the Manager, Senior Manager, or Director level depending on the experience and capability of the selected candidate. The responsibilities below reflect the full scope of the role; some elements may be emphasized more heavily at the Director level.

Here’s how you will impact Ingevity:

Lead and Evolve Stage Gate & Ideation

• Own and continuously improve the Ideation and Stage Gate processes, including communications, training, and direct support for teams working on each opportunity.
• Facilitate structured reviews, drive “accelerate/kill/pause” decisions, and ensure resource allocation aligns with strategic priorities.
• Develop and maintain clear criteria for advancing, pausing, or stopping projects, and ensure these are applied consistently across the portfolio.
• Champion a culture of transparency, learning, and disciplined execution – within Performance Materials and across Ingevity.

Drive Disciplined Portfolio Management

• Provide direct support to the VP of Growth in portfolio analysis, financial modeling, scenario planning, and strategic recommendations.
• Develop and report on KPIs, dashboards, and executive summaries for portfolio health, pipeline progression, and value creation.
• Ensure that portfolio decisions are grounded in market viability, right to win, and differentiated value proposition.

Support Commercialization and Cross-Functional Execution

• Partner with the Global Commercialization Manager and Business Development to operationalize new businesses as they prepare for and start commercialization.
• Work closely with R&T, Commercial, and Operations to ensure that technical development aligns with customer needs and market feedback.
• Help teams translate early-stage ideas into actionable commercialization plans, including positioning, value proposition, and go-to-market strategy.

Champion Culture Change and Team Development

• Lead training and communications to embed Stage Gate and Ideation processes within the Performance Materials segment and across Ingevity.
• Foster a culture of innovation, discipline, and continuous improvement - helping teams learn from both successes and failures.
• Prepare and deliver compelling presentations for senior management, the Board, and cross-functional stakeholders.

Here is what you’ll need to succeed in this role:

Experience

• 7+ years (Manager), 10+ years (Sr. Manager/Director) in program/project management, portfolio management, or innovation leadership in B2B industrial markets (chemicals, materials, automotive, filtration, engineered products, or similar).
• Demonstrated success taking ideas from concept through Stage Gate to commercialization, with hands-on experience in both technical and commercial environments.
• Experience leading complex opportunity portfolios, influencing investment decisions, and shaping multi-year platform strategy.
• Proven ability to work closely with R&D, engineering, or technical teams and translate customer/market needs into development priorities.
• Experience coaching or leading other program, BD, or commercial team members is preferred.

Skills

• Strong curiosity and analytical mindset - comfortable asking tough questions, testing assumptions, and learning fast.
• Ability to build clear, actionable stories from incomplete information and drive alignment across diverse stakeholders.
• Executive communication skills: facilitating meetings, influencing decisions, and preparing concise, high-impact summaries.
• High ethical standards, detail orientation, and openness to feedback.
• Ability to work independently and move initiatives forward with minimal instruction.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, chemistry, materials, business, or a related field required.
• Master’s degree (MBA or technical) preferred.

Other Requirements

• Up to ~20 percent travel to customers, plants, or labs.
• Ability to be hands-on during early customer testing or trials.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Please note: Ingevity does not offer employment sponsorship for this position.

Please note: This is not a position that Ingevity will consider for employment sponsorship. This means that Ingevity will not sponsor in any NIV category (including TN, E-3, H-1B, O-1) or submit the position in the H-1B Registration.

Ingevity is a company made up of extraordinary people of every race, religion and background, all worthy of the same dignity. Our differences are one of our great strengths. Join us in building a culture of increasing diversity and respect – a culture where everyone belongs.

Ingevity is an Equal Opportunity Employer, Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled.

Recruiting Agencies: Ingevity does not accept unsolicited resumes and therefore, will not be responsible for any fees associated with unsolicited resumes.