Lead Product Scientist

Responsibilities

• Scientists at Kimberly-Clark work as a member of an R&D team to develop, optimize, and implement changes in the product, process, material, or technology concepts.
• The Scientist for this role will improve and optimize product designs for Huggies diapers.
• The incumbent reports to a manager and receives work direction from a Product Lead or Technical Leader.
• Lead product development experiments to improve and define the future diaper specification in order to develop winning product propositions and substantiate claims.
• Support the development and lead portions of the consumer learning plan in conjunction with Marketing Research and Innovation Testing teams.
• Facilitate discussions with marketing and legal and complete experiments and documentation to support claims substantiation.
• Incumbent’s primary audience will include R&D team members from product, process and material disciplines at their same level or the level above and below as well as study and design managers.
• Incumbent will regularly influence the decisions and direction provided by the Product lead, the Product Technical leader and the R&D Manager.
• Incumbent may influence the brand innovation plans and claims substantiation plans through R&E leads listed above, the R&D director, Brand Team members and Legal team members through core team meetings and at key milestones in the learning plan.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university
• 3 years or more of experience in product development, technology development, executing consumer, and/or technical / scientific studies
• Strong communication skills
• Demonstrated strengths in these skills: scientific experimentation methods, analysis and planning/organizing, reading and comprehension of technical literature (and summarizing)

Preferred (Not Essential, But Desired)

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Science
• Prior 5 years or more of relevant experience
• Significant work experience in a Research & Development organization
• Experience in executing both consumer studies and product performance evaluation
• Experiences and skills in influencing peers and leaders
• Experience in the development and commercialization stages of product or technology development
• Understanding of Baby and Child Care products, brands, business and technologies