Lead Scientist Materials

You’re not the person who will settle for just any role. Neither are we. Because we’re out to create Better Care for a Better World, and that takes a certain kind of person and teams who care about making a difference. Here, you’ll bring your professional expertise, talent, and drive to building and managing our portfolio of iconic, ground-breaking brands. In this role, you’ll help us deliver better care for billions of people around the world. It starts with YOU. 

The primary purpose of this position is to collaborate with a focused cross-functional R&E team to understand consumer demand spaces and develop 5+ year product vision strategies. The incumbent will provide a broad materials lens for Front End Innovation (FEI) to fill a Discover funnel. Identified FEI items will be prioritized likely into projects, and the dedicated cross-functional FEI team will work to bring the demand spaces and consumer needs to life through workshops, prototyping, experimental trials, qualitative consumer feedback, rapid learning cycles, and concept development.

The Lead Materials Scientist will report to a R&E Manager and take guidance from a Technical Leader. The incumbent will work closely with other Discovery Team members to progress material innovation on all Kimberly-Clark Personal Care Brands and Materials through Technical Readiness Level 3 (Innovation Stages and Gates).  This role will work in conjunction with the PC R&E Product and Process Teams, Kimberly-Clark Corporate Research Organization, Material Suppliers, Global Nonwovens, Brand, and most importantly other Material Subject Matter and Technical Experts.

In this role you will:

• Collaborate with a cross-functional Discovery team to develop Vision innovation plans with a lens on Materials. 
• Collaborate with FEI teams to assess and prioritize a pipeline for PC Brands and Materials to deliver on consumer demand spaces and needs.
• Collaborate with PC Materials Team Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and Supplier Relationship owners to advance development through Technical Readiness Level 3.   
• Protect and defend Kimberly-Clark proprietary product and technology through the appropriate use of patents and trade secrets.
• Ensure all work complies with corporate safety, regulatory, product safety and sustainability requirements

About Us

Huggies®. Kleenex®. Cottonelle®. Scott®. Kotex®. Poise®. Depend®. Kimberly-Clark Professional®. You already know our legendary brands—and so does the rest of the world. In fact, millions of people use Kimberly-Clark products every day. We know these amazing Kimberly-Clark products wouldn’t exist without talented professionals, like you.

At Kimberly-Clark, you’ll be part of the best team committed to driving innovation, growth and impact. We’re founded on more than 150 years of market leadership, and we’re always looking for new and better ways to perform – so there’s your open door of opportunity. It’s all here for you at Kimberly-Clark.

Led by Purpose. Driven by You.

About You

You perform at the highest level possible, and you appreciate a performance culture fueled by authentic caring.  You want to be part of a company actively dedicated to sustainability, inclusion, wellbeing, and career development.

You love what you do, especially when the work you do makes a difference. At Kimberly-Clark, we’re constantly exploring new ideas on how, when, and where we can best achieve results. When you join our team, you’ll experience Flex That Works: flexible (hybrid) work arrangements that empower you to have purposeful time in the office and partner with your leader to make flexibility work for both you and the business.

In one of our professional roles, you’ll focus on winning with consumers and the market, while putting safety, mutual respect, and human dignity at the center. To succeed in this role, you will need the following qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university
• A minimum of 3+ years of in research and engineering or a related field
• Experience effectively communicating and influencing across all levels of the organization
• Ability to provide coaching to team members to achieve success criteria
• Demonstrated strengths in key skills: creativity, broad thinking, scientific experimentation methods, analysis and planning/organizing

Preferred:

• 5+ years of related experience
• Experience in Kimberly-Clark or similar Personal Consumer Products and Materials
• Experience with a breadth of personal care product material classes with a proven ability to see beyond current offerings (innovation).
• Experience in Front End Innovation, Strategic development, or Innovation partnerships with Material Suppliers
• Experience leading strategic relationships through external suppliers and partners
• Research experience, including the development of technical study plans (bench, qualitative, quantitative) and translation of results into material innovation opportunities that deliver against consumer insights.

Total Benefits

Here are a few of the benefits you’d enjoy in this role working for Kimberly-Clark. For a complete overview, see www.mykcbenefits.com.

Great support for good health with medical, dental, and vision coverage options with no waiting periods or pre-existing condition restrictions. Access to an on-site fitness center, occupational health nurse, and allowances for high-quality safety equipment.

Flexible Savings and spending accounts to maximize health care options and stretch dollars when caring for yourself or dependents.

Diverse income protection insurance options to protect yourself and your family in case of illness, injury, or other unexpected events.

Additional programs and support to continue your education, adopt a child, relocate, or even find temporary childcare.

To Be Considered
Click the Apply button and complete the online application process. A member of our recruiting team will review your application and follow up if you seem like a great fit for this role.

In the meantime, please check out the careers website.

And finally, the fine print….

For Kimberly-Clark to grow and prosper, we must be an inclusive organization that applies the diverse experiences and passions of its team members to brands that make life better for people all around the world.  We actively seek to build a workforce that reflects the experiences of our consumers.  When you bring your original thinking to Kimberly-Clark, you fuel the continued success of our enterprise. We are a committed equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, pregnancy, genetic information, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The statements above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this classification. Statements are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities and skills required for this position.

Employment is subject to verification of pre-screening tests, which may include drug screening, background check, and DMV check.

Additional information about the compensation and benefits for this role are available upon request. You may contact 866-444-4516 – when prompted for employee ID, say “OTHER CALLER” -  or kcchrprod@service-now.com for assistance. You must include the six digit Job # with your request.

Veterans and members of the Reserve and Guard are highly encouraged to apply.

Kimberly-Clark will support in-country relocation for the chosen candidate for the role. The benefits provided will be per the terms of Kimberly-Clark’s applicable mobility policies. The benefits/policy provided will decided in Kimberly-Clark’s sole discretion.

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