Manager R& d

**ABOUT THE ROLE**
**Strategic Thinking and Portfolio Management**:
- ** Holistic Understanding**: Drive a comprehensive understanding of the consumer product portfolio within the context of consumers, the category, customers, and the company.
- ** Strategic Recommendations**: Make strategic recommendations for innovation based on this understanding grounded in consumer experience.
**Project Management and Cross-Functional Collaboration**:
- ** Project Oversight & Leadership**: Oversee and implement projects with cross-functional partnerships and lead from inception to implementation.
- ** Cross-Functional Collaboration**: Manage projects and relationships across RD&E, Supply Chain, Procurement and External Manufacturing (i.e. fragrance houses, raw material suppliers, third party manufacturers, component suppliers) to drive the project and influence the leadership team.
**Consumer Insight and Concept Validation**:
- ** Consumer Concepts**: Write and validate consumer concepts for innovations.
- ** Idea Testing**: Evaluate new product or service ideas in an iterative model with speed ahead of investing significant resources.
- ** Prototypes and Mockups**: Work with team to create prototypes, mockups, or detailed descriptions of product concept(s).
- ** Feedback Collection**: Seek feedback from potential consumers, industry experts, and stakeholders.
- ** Iterative Process**: Based on feedback, concepts are refined, adjusted, or discarded, ensuring that the final product aligns with consumer needs and expectations.
- ** Tools Utilization**: Proficiency in data analysis, project management tools, and innovation frameworks (eg. Design Thinking, Agile, Sensory Science
- Product Guidance)
**KEY RESPONSIBILITIES**
- Manage innovation in for growth portfolio platforms including but not limited to: aerosol spray, non-aerosol spray, lotions, body washes, hand soaps, sticks, and other on-skin product formats.
- Manage external third-party partnerships working with supply chain and legal in bringing innovative solutions to market to serve consumer needs.
- Responsible for category sustainability leadership.
- Manage a team of technical experts including project managers, product developers, formulators, packaging engineers, and process engineers.
- Lead exploration of disruptive technologies and new business models with the potential to drive disproportionate incremental growth or value creation.
- Leverage latest consumer frameworks (Jobs to Be Done) to identify underserved demand opportunities in collaboration with Marketing and CIBA.
- Consumer first mindset - Translate consumer needs into technical problems to solve. Translate technical solutions into consumer benefits.
- Integrate cross-functional for new products to identify new-to-category options that address underserved demand.
- Strong understanding of market research, consumer insights and trend analysis.
- Ensure scientific rigor and thought leadership in product test methodologies to drive competitive advantage and develop product design strategies including use of novel compounds & processes to achieve and maintain superior efficacy.
- Lead and coach Intellectual Property efforts - Provide input and guidance to IP strategy across Pest control.
- Keep abreast of emerging technologies/materials/test methods to build capabilities of our team.
- Lead/mentor other technical professionals to promote technical curiosity.
- Demonstrate behaviors that reflect SCJ Success Drivers and establish a “Mindset to Win” Culture
**REQUIRED EXPERIENCE YOU’LL BRING**
- Bachelor’s degree in science or engineering and a minimum of 8 years of experience of progressive RD&E experience in CPG or closely related industry or a master’s degree with 6 years of relevant experience.
- Proven track record of managing innovation projects and successfully launching new products.
- 2-3 years of experience in CPG innovation workstreams
**PREFERRED EXPERIENCES AND SKILLS**
- 5 years’ experience in leading programs across functions
- Strong collaboration and ability to influence leaders and peers from across RD&E Business Unit’s, Commercial Marketing, Global Supply Chain and Finance is key
- Big picture thinking - Dealing with ambiguity by building programs and projects, ability to pivot as market dynamics change.
- Possess strong leadership skills with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively with co-workers who are not direct reports
- Ability to think creatively and outside the box and foster an environment of creative problem solving.
- Attention to detail and passion for understanding consumer preferences.
- Possess strong written and oral communication skills; ability to communicate accurately and concisely to all levels within the company
- Possess complex problem analysis and problem-solving skills
- Affinity for fragrance and using fragrance in your home.
- Proven track record of forming external partnerships to drive business results
- Proven program and project

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