The Sr. Manager, Capex Portfolio will support the execution of strategic capital investments across North America — the largest zone in Kraft Heinz — spanning both growth and replacement capital projects. This role blends technical fluency with strong financial and business acumen to elevate the discipline of CAPEX execution, budget management, and portfolio governance across the NA Zone.
Operating within the CAPEX & PMO team, the Sr. Manager Capex portfolio will facilitate the long and short-term CAPEX strategy through hands-on management of approval workflows, financial tools, analytics, and special programs. They will lead or co-lead targeted initiatives in CAPEX — such as the surplus asset program and critical spares process — and drive continuous improvement across portfolio processes. They will also support the analytics and execution of the annual 1-year and 3-year strategic planning cycles, ensuring leadership has reliable, data-driven insights to allocate capital where it generates the highest impact.
As part of the overall engineering pipeline strategy and growing skills for future growth, the Sr. Manager, Capex Portfolio will also Project Manage capital engineering projects to deliver business value.
Success in this role is building a consistent, and efficient CAPEX execution engine for the NA Zone.
Essential Functions & Responsibilities
CAPEX Execution & Approval Process Support:
- Support the end-to-end Capital Engineering approval process for Growth and Replacement projects across the NA Zone (>$600MM annual spend), driving the standard of submissions to ensure they are complete, business cases are robust, and governance standards are met.
- Coordinate cross-functional inputs to advance projects through CAR stages.
Develop and enhance approval workflow tools, checklists, and templates to reduce cycle time and increase first-pass quality of submissions.
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Financial Tools & Budget Management:
- Support management of the NA Zone CAPEX budget, including monthly Latest Estimates (LEs) variance analysis, and reporting in support of the >90% CAPEX budget adherence target.
Administer and continuously improve the financial tracking tools (dashboards, trackers, reporting templates) used by the Capital Engineering team and business unit partners.
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Program Leadership:
- Support or lead high-impact programs, such as the Surplus Asset Program (partnering with operations, finance, and third-party vendors to recover value from decommissioned assets and integrate redeployment opportunities into capital planning) and the Critical Spares Process
Design and build these and other programs to drive KPIs, manage stakeholders, and report progress to senior leadership.
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Continuous Improvement:
- Identify and run continuous improvement initiatives across CAPEX processes, tools, and standards — capturing learnings from completed projects and codifying them into the Engineering Playbook.
Benchmark internal performance against industry and drive adoption of best practices
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Strategic Planning Analytics & Execution:
- Support the analytics, and execution of the Annual 1-Year and 3-Year Strategic CAPEX Planning cycles, including data gathering, scenario modeling, prioritization frameworks, and leadership reviews.
Partner with Finance, Operations and Supply Chain Development to ensure plan alignment with commercial growth and manufacturing ambitions. Translate portfolio data into clear, actionable insights for the Capex Portfolio Lead and senior leadership.
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Project Management (As Needed):
Bring those Engineering skills to life by executing engineering projects as a Project Manager — defining scope, cost, timelines, and managing from approval to delivery including commissioning and start-up.
Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement:
- Collaborate across Operations, Finance, Supply Chain, Logistics, Procurement, R&D, Manufacturing Leadership, Plant Managers, and Engineering Managers to coordinate projects and initiatives.
Provide clear, concise communication to senior leaders, with the ability to influence decisions and drive alignment in a matrixed environment.
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Performance Management & Reporting:
Facilitate, track, and report on CAPEX Execution KPIs (schedule adherence, budget adherence, approval cycle time, surplus recovery value, etc.). Build management routines and dashboards that drive accountability and visibility across the NA Zone CAPEX portfolio.
Expected Experience & Required Skills
- Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering or related technical field from an accredited institution (highly preferred); MBA or finance-related credentials are a plus.
- 5–8+ years of progressive experience in capital project management, manufacturing engineering, portfolio/program management, or capital finance, ideally within a CPG or process manufacturing environment.
- Strong financial acumen, with demonstrated experience managing budgets, building business cases, and translating financial data into decision-ready insights for leadership.
- Technical/engineering fluency sufficient to scope projects, challenge assumptions, and engage credibly with plant engineers and equipment vendors; deep technical specialization is not required but is a plus.
- Proven track record of leading cross-functional initiatives across multiple plants and business units, with strong project and program management skills.
- Advanced analytical skills, including high level proficiency with Excel (advanced dashboard creation and modelling). Power BI (or equivalent), and financial/CAPEX management systems; experience with SAP or similar ERP capital modules is a plus.
- Experience with project management methodologies (waterfall, agile, scrum) and the ability to apply the right approach to the right problem.
- Excellent written, oral, and presentation skills, with the ability to influence senior leaders and tailor messages to both technical and commercial audiences.
- Strong stakeholder management and change management capabilities; able to navigate ambiguity, build alignment, and drive results in a matrixed environment.
- Demonstrated ability to mentor and coach engineers and project managers, supporting talent development as part of the Capital Engineering pipeline.
Highly organized, detail-oriented, and process-driven, with a continuous improvement mindset.
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Work Environment & Schedule
This position is considered a normal office environment with moderate travel to manufacturing facilities and equipment vendor locations; offices are open workspaces.
Additionally, this role requires up to 20–30% travel.
Our Total Rewards philosophy is to provide a meaningful and flexible spectrum of programs that equitably support our diverse workforce and their families and complement Kraft Heinz’ strategy and values.
New Hire Base Salary Range:
$100,000.00 - $125,000.00
Bonus: This position is eligible for a performance-based bonus as provided by the plan terms and governing documents.
The compensation offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors
Benefits: Coverage for employees (and their eligible dependents) through affordable access to healthcare, protection, and saving for the future, we offer plans tailored to meet you and your family’s needs. Coverage for benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.
Wellbeing: We offer events, resources, and learning opportunities that inspire a physical, social, emotional, and financial well-being lifestyle for our employees and their families.
You’ll be able to participate in a variety of benefits and wellbeing programs that may vary by role, country, region, union status, and other employment status factors, for example:
- Physical - Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, Vision, Screenings/Assessments
- Social - Paid Time Off, Company Holidays, Leave of Absence, Flexible Work Arrangements, Recognition, Training
- Emotional – Employee Assistance Program , Wellbeing Programs, Family Support Programs
Financial – 401k, Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Disability
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Location(s)
Chicago/Aon Center or Toronto
Kraft Heinz is an Equal Opportunity Employer – Underrepresented Ethnic Minority Groups/Women/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity and other protected classes. In order to ensure reasonable accommodation for protected individuals, applicants that require accommodation in the job application process may contact [email protected] for assistance. 