R&D Manager-PACE Center at KimberlyClark
Neenah, Wisconsin, USA -
Full Time


Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

13 Nov, 25

Salary

157600.0

Posted On

13 Aug, 25

Experience

3 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

No

Skills

Product Testing, Strategic Planning, Financial Oversight, Business Acumen, Platform Integration, Change Management, Collaboration

Industry

Marketing/Advertising/Sales

Description

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.

In this role, you will:

  • Provide strategic direction and visible leadership for the Product and Consumer Experience Center (PACE) team, ensuring all facilities, resources, and programs continuously enable innovative, consumer-centric product development and testing.
  • Establish and drive a robust operational strategy for PACE, optimizing processes, space utilization, technology platforms, and resource deployment to maximize impact and efficiency.
  • Foster a culture of safety, collaboration, and high performance, developing team members and building organizational capability in product development best practices, consumer research, and data integration.
  • Lead the PACE team (10+ associates) to design, execute, and refine end-to-end consumer and product experience studies, leveraging state-of-the-art methodologies and new digital capabilities to deliver actionable insights.
  • Champion the integration of new testing technologies, digital tools, and workflow improvements that enhance responsiveness, data quality, and the speed of product iteration. Drive reinvention of existing methods to be more consumer and business relevant
  • Oversee the governance, compliance, and operational excellence of PACE; ensure adherence to all company, quality, and safety standards as well as external regulations.
  • Act as primary ambassador for the Center, representing PACE to both internal partners (R&E, Marketing, Quality, Digital, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing) and select external collaborators (vendors, academic partners, innovation ecosystems).
  • Manage the financial and operational aspects of PACE, including annual budget planning, capital investments, and program prioritization in support of KCNA Family Care business strategies.

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.

Responsibilities

In this role, you will:

  • Provide strategic direction and visible leadership for the Product and Consumer Experience Center (PACE) team, ensuring all facilities, resources, and programs continuously enable innovative, consumer-centric product development and testing.
  • Establish and drive a robust operational strategy for PACE, optimizing processes, space utilization, technology platforms, and resource deployment to maximize impact and efficiency.
  • Foster a culture of safety, collaboration, and high performance, developing team members and building organizational capability in product development best practices, consumer research, and data integration.
  • Lead the PACE team (10+ associates) to design, execute, and refine end-to-end consumer and product experience studies, leveraging state-of-the-art methodologies and new digital capabilities to deliver actionable insights.
  • Champion the integration of new testing technologies, digital tools, and workflow improvements that enhance responsiveness, data quality, and the speed of product iteration. Drive reinvention of existing methods to be more consumer and business relevant
  • Oversee the governance, compliance, and operational excellence of PACE; ensure adherence to all company, quality, and safety standards as well as external regulations.
  • Act as primary ambassador for the Center, representing PACE to both internal partners (R&E, Marketing, Quality, Digital, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing) and select external collaborators (vendors, academic partners, innovation ecosystems).
  • Manage the financial and operational aspects of PACE, including annual budget planning, capital investments, and program prioritization in support of KCNA Family Care business strategies

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:

  • A minimum of a bachelor’s degree is required, preferably in a scientific or engineering discipline.
  • 7+ years of relevant experience, including 3+ year of technical/people leadership in R&D, innovation, or product experience roles. Exp
  • Proven ability to serve as a visionary leader and change agent.
  • Demonstrated success in leading multidisciplinary teams and achieving results through influence and collaboration in complex, cross-functional environments
  • Deep expertise in consumer research, product testing, or experience center operations, with a proven ability to drive innovation and deliver consumer-relevant solutions.
  • Exceptional business acumen with demonstrated expertise in strategic planning, operational leadership, and financial oversight.
  • Excellent communication, influencing, and stakeholder engagement skills at multiple organizational levels
  • Experience modernizing labs or experience centers, including digital platform integration and change management, preferred
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