Senior Director, R&D Chief of Staff and Capabilities

Description

About Us

Kleenex®. Cottonelle®. Scott®. Huggies®. 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.

We’re out to create Better Care for a Better World, and that takes leaders and teams who care about making a difference. In the Senior Director, R&D Chief of Staff and Capabilities role, you’ll apply your professional expertise, talent, and drive to building and managing our portfolio of iconic, ground-breaking brands to help us deliver better care for billions of people around the world. It starts with YOU.

What You’ll Do (Role Purpose)

The Senior Director, R&D Chief of Staff and Capabilities (Chief of Staff) serves as a strategic partner to the Chief Research & Development Officer, driving operational excellence, cross-functional alignment, and execution of key initiatives across the global R&D organization. This role acts as a force multiplier for R&D leadership, enabling focus on innovation, talent development, and long-term growth by managing strategic planning, communications, governance, and special projects.

The Chief of Staff will lead and coordinate high-impact programs, facilitate decision-making processes, and ensure seamless collaboration across R&D, Global Growth Organization and Corporate functions. This individual will also serve as a trusted advisor, helping to shape the R&D agenda, monitor progress against strategic goals, and foster a culture of accountability, agility, and innovation. The role is also responsible for developing capability and talent development strategy and initiatives, like digitization of work, technical Learning & Development within R&E University, and more.

More specifically, the Chief of Staff will :

Global R&D Budget Planning and Governance : Lead the coordination and oversight of the global R&D budget planning process, ensuring financial discipline, transparency, and alignment with strategic priorities. Partner with Finance and R&D leaders to manage budget governance and optimize resource allocation.

Innovation KPIs and Impact Measurement : Develop and maintain innovation performance metrics and impact tools to assess R&D effectiveness across the portfolio. Enable data-driven decision-making and storytelling around innovation outcomes and value creation.

Long-Term Research Pipeline Tracking and Reporting : Collaborate with the Central R&D team to ensure the long-term research pipeline is robust and aligned with the Enterprise growth agenda. Oversee governance, tracking, and reporting of long-term research initiatives to the R&D Leadership Team (RDLT).

Capital Planning : Manage capital planning processes for R&D, including investment prioritization, governance frameworks, and alignment with strategic growth initiatives. Ensure capital deployment supports innovation and infrastructure needs.

Strategy & Transformation Office Interface : Serve as the primary liaison between R&D and the Strategy & Transformation Office, supporting strategic planning cycles, enterprise initiatives, and executive-level deliverables (e.g., Board of Directors presentations, major cross-functional projects).

RDLT Meetings, Town Halls, and Communications : Lead the planning and execution of R&D Leadership Team meetings, global town halls, and internal communications. Ensure consistent messaging, effective engagement, and alignment across the R&D organization.

R&D Communications : Drive a unified and compelling R&D narrative across segments and sectors, showcasing the value delivered from early-stage innovation (e.g., Moonshots, Technology Platforms) through to lifecycle management (LCM). Partner with Communications to amplify R&D impact internally and externally.

Functional Strategic Plan Governance and Reporting : Oversee governance and reporting of the R&D functional strategic plan, ensuring alignment with enterprise goals, visibility of progress, and accountability across teams.

Organizational Effectiveness and Design Optimization : Partner with the Global Head of R&D Transformation to evolve the R&D operating model, including organizational design, capabilities, ways of working, and high-performance culture. Support change management and continuous improvement efforts.

Experiences We’re Looking For

The Chief of Staff will possess / be :

15+ years of strategic leadership experience within large complex global companies; ideally within CPG or manufacturing industries

Proven ability to work in or alongside R&D, Engineering, Product Development, QRC and / or innovation teams

Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional initiatives, managing complex projects, and driving execution across global teams

Ability to synthesize complex information, anticipate challenges, and advise the Chief R&D Officer on strategic decisions

Financial acumen, understanding of corporate governance, strategic planning, and performance metrics; comfort with data analysis, dashboards, and performance tracking

Ability to connect people and create networks - align teams around strategic priorities and foster collaboration (e.g., marketing, supply chain, finance)

Exceptional program management, prioritization and process optimization skills

Familiarity with scientific processes, product lifecycle management, and regulatory environments

Clear thinker, who is focused and demonstrates attention to detail, organization and high drive for results

Demonstrated operational intensity via simplification

Good judgment and high EQ to navigate complex interpersonal dynamics

Willingness to provide Senior Leaders with advice and counsel that challenges

Comfort with ambiguity & complexity

Experience driving transformation, cultural change, or organizational redesign in fast-paced environments

Agile, fluid and comfortable with change management

International and multicultural experience desired

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Life Sciences or related field; Advanced Degree is an added benefit

Location

Neenah, WI or Roswell, Georgia

Ways of Working and Leadership Competencies We Value

Focus on Consumers . We keep the needs of customers and consumers at the center of our work. Building strong customer relationships and delivering consumer-centric solutions. Seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies that delight our consumers.

Play to Win . We aim high, measure our results, and live our values because winning with integrity matters. Setting aggressive goals and consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances. Pushing past status quo to create new and better ways to solve problems and win.

Move Fast . We turn decisions into action, remove barriers and seek progress over perfection. Stepping up to champion ideas, address difficult issues and say what needs to be said. Tackling challenges with a sense of urgency, seizing new opportunities and scaling winning solutions.

Grow our People . We champion inclusion and encourage our people to ideate, innovate and contribute to their growth. Encouraging diverse perspectives, experiences and backgrounds that enable our winning culture. Placing a high priority on developing self and others to meet career goals and the organization’s goals.

Total Benefits

Here are a few of the benefits you’d enjoy. For a complete overview, see .

Great support for good health with medical, dental, and vision coverage options. 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.

And finally, the fine print…

Salary Range : 215,900 – 279,100 USDAt Kimberly-Clark, pay is just one aspect of our total rewards package, which also includes a variety of benefits and opportunities to achieve, thrive and grow. Along with base pay, this position offers eligibility for a target bonus and a comprehensive benefits suite, including our 401(k) and Profit Sharing plan. The anticipated base pay range for this role is provided above for a fully qualified hire. Actual pay will depend on several factors, such as location, role, skills, performance, and experience. Please note that the stated pay range applies to US locations only.

Primary Location

USA-GA-Atlanta-Roswell

Additional Locations

Neenah - West R&E Office

Worker Type

Employee

Worker Sub-Type

Regular

Time Type

Full time