VP Information Technology

The Vice President, Information Technology is responsible for leading Green Plains’ enterprise technology organization and ensuring technology capabilities are effectively aligned with business priorities, operational needs, cybersecurity requirements, and long-term enterprise objectives. Reporting to the Chief Administrative Officer, this role serves as the senior technology leader for the company and is accountable for enterprise applications, infrastructure, cybersecurity and data protection, technology project delivery, IT governance, vendor management, digital transformation initiatives, and enterprise technology strategy.

This role serves as the critical link between business operations and technology, partnering closely with leaders across business functions to improve processes, enhance data quality, optimize technology investments, mitigate risk, and deliver measurable business outcomes. The Vice President is expected to operate as a business-first technology leader who understands how to balance strategic direction with practical execution.

Success in this role requires broad business and technology leadership experience, strong financial and operational discipline, exceptional stakeholder management capabilities, and a demonstrated ability to build high-performing teams. The ideal candidate combines executive leadership capability with a hands-on, player-coach mindset and possesses a pragmatic approach focused on leveraging technology to simplify processes, improve performance, strengthen decision-making, and create enterprise value.

The Vice President is accountable for ensuring Green Plains maximizes the value of technology investments by improving utilization of existing systems, simplifying the technology landscape, strengthening cybersecurity and operational resilience, enabling automation and data-driven decision-making, and building a scalable technology organization capable of supporting the company's growth and evolving business needs.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Enterprise Technology Leadership & Governance

• Develop and execute the enterprise technology strategy in alignment with Green Plains’ strategic business objectives.
• Establish and maintain a business-facing IT operating model that strengthens collaboration between technology and business functions.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on technology strategy, investments, risks, opportunities, and emerging technologies.
• Establish governance frameworks for technology prioritization, investment decisions, project delivery, portfolio management, and value realization.
• Lead executive stakeholder communication regarding technology initiatives, priorities, project performance, operational risks, and business outcomes.

Business Partnership & Digital Enablement

• Serve as the primary technology liaison, partnering closely with Finance, Operations, Commercial, Human Resources, Legal, and other business functions to understand priorities, challenges, opportunities, and strategic objectives.
• Translate functional strategies and business needs into practical technology-enabled solutions and actionable roadmaps.
• Facilitate cross-functional process integration and ensure technology solutions support end-to-end business workflows rather than functional silos.
• Promote continuous process improvement through workflow optimization, automation, improved reporting, and enhanced data accessibility.

Enterprise Applications & Business Systems

• Own the enterprise applications portfolio, including Dynamics Finance & Operations, OneStream, Emburse/Certify, Capex360, Microsoft 365, and other business-critical platforms.
• Establish strategic direction, governance, utilization expectations, vendor relationships, and optimization plans for enterprise systems.
• Ensure enterprise applications are reliable, fully leveraged, effectively adopted, and aligned with business process requirements.
• Lead enterprise application roadmap development focused on business outcomes, simplification, process improvement, productivity, and value creation.
• Identify opportunities to rationalize applications, eliminate redundancy, reduce complexity, and improve user experience.
• Champion data quality, system adoption, process discipline, and continuous improvement across all supported platforms.

Technology Portfolio Optimization & Financial Stewardship

• Continuously assess the technology portfolio to improve business value, reduce unnecessary complexity, and optimize total cost of ownership.
• Establish disciplined processes for evaluating buy, build, replace, retire, and consolidation decisions across the technology landscape.
• Lead technology budgeting, forecasting, investment planning, and financial performance management.
• Develop and maintain visibility into technology costs, utilization, business benefits, and portfolio performance.
• Drive value realization efforts to ensure technology investments generate measurable business returns.

Infrastructure, Service Delivery & Operational Support

• Lead enterprise infrastructure, networking, telecommunications, endpoint management, collaboration technologies, and service desk operations.
• Ensure reliable and secure technology services across corporate offices, operating facilities, and remote environments.
• Establish service management standards, performance metrics, operational procedures, and support expectations.
• Ensure disaster recovery, backup, business continuity, and operational resilience capabilities meet business requirements.
• Regularly engage with operating locations to understand and address technology needs, opportunities, risks, and operational challenges.

Cybersecurity, Data Protection & Risk Management

• Lead the company's cybersecurity strategy and ensure security principles are embedded throughout technology operations and business processes.
• Oversee cybersecurity programs, security vendors, identity and access management, vulnerability management, incident response, and data protection efforts.
• Ensure appropriate controls, policies, governance processes, and monitoring capabilities are implemented and maintained.
• Manage technology-related risk assessments, audit support activities, compliance obligations, and third-party technology risk management.
• Communicate cybersecurity and technology risks to executive and functional leaders.
• Establish governance and guardrails for artificial intelligence and emerging technology adoption.

Program & Project Leadership

• Provide executive sponsorship and oversight for enterprise technology initiatives, programs, and projects.
• Own project intake, prioritization, governance, execution, reporting, and resource allocation processes.
• Establish project management standards, methodologies, templates, reporting expectations, and governance practices.
• Ensure projects have defined scope, business ownership, measurable outcomes, risk assessments, resource plans, and adoption strategies.
• Monitor project performance and provide transparency to executives regarding progress, risks, dependencies, and outcomes.

Artificial Intelligence, Automation & Innovation

• Lead practical adoption of artificial intelligence, workflow automation, and emerging technologies that improve efficiency, productivity, reporting, and decision support.
• Evaluate new technologies through the lens of business value, scalability, risk, and return on investment.
• Partner with business leaders to identify opportunities where technology can eliminate manual work, improve data quality, and increase organizational effectiveness.

Leadership, Talent & Vendor Management

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing technology organization characterized by accountability, ownership, collaboration, customer service, and continuous improvement.
• Recruit, develop, retain, and coach technology talent while building succession and capability plans for critical roles.
• Assess current and future organizational capability needs across applications, infrastructure, cybersecurity, analytics, project management, and support functions.
• Establish performance expectations, measurable objectives, career development opportunities, and accountability mechanisms across the IT organization.
• Manage strategic technology vendors, implementation partners, and service providers through defined performance expectations, service levels, scorecards, and ongoing reviews.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Management Information Systems, Business Administration, Engineering, or related field required.
• Master's degree preferred.
• 12 years of progressive leadership experience across information technology, enterprise applications, infrastructure, cybersecurity, data and analytics, project delivery, or technology operations.
• Experience leading technology functions within manufacturing, agriculture, industrial, logistics, energy, commodities, ingredient processing, or other multi-site operating environments.
• Demonstrated success leading enterprise application portfolios, infrastructure operations, cybersecurity programs, project delivery organizations, and technology vendors.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to connect technology investments to financial, operational, and strategic outcomes.
• Experience implementing, optimizing, and supporting enterprise systems, including Microsoft Dynamics Finance & Operations and related business applications preferred.
• Proven track record of leading cross-functional transformation initiatives and delivering measurable business results.
• Demonstrated ability to build high-performing teams and lead through organizational change.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, financial management, and executive presentation skills.

Green Plains Inc. offers competitive pay: a generous benefit package including business casual work environment, health, dental, vision, life insurance, paid holidays, Paid Time Off (PTO) and a 401(k)-retirement plan with immediate vesting and company safe harbor matching. All potential employees of Green Plains Inc. will be required to successfully pass a pre-employment drug screening and background check prior to employment.

Green Plains does not provide immigration-related employment sponsorship for new hires (for example, H-1B, F-1 OPT, TN, or other work visas). Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis and be able to maintain ongoing work authorization without employer sponsorship now or in the future.

Equal Opportunity Employer

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Other duties may be assigned.

Company Description
Green Plains Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) is a leading biorefining company driving the transition to a low-carbon economy through the production of renewable fuels and sustainable, high-impact ingredients. Leveraging agricultural, biological, and fermentation expertise, the company transforms renewable crops into low-carbon energy and feedstocks. Green Plains is a leader in low-carbon intensity (CI) biofuels production and continues to explore opportunities to expand its output. With a strong commitment to innovation and operational excellence, Green Plains is delivering long-term value to stakeholders. For more information, visit www.gpreinc.com.

This role is ideal for a business-first technology executive who enjoys partnering with operational leaders, simplifying complexity, building strong teams, and creating measurable value through practical technology solutions. You will shape how Green Plains leverages technology to support growth, improve efficiency, strengthen decision-making, and drive sustainable business results across the enterprise.