Director, R&D Digital Capabilities

Director, R&D Digital Capabilities

Job Description

Join the team behind iconic brands like Huggies®, Kleenex®, Cottonelle®, Scott®, Kotex®, Poise®, Depend®, and Kimberly-Clark Professional®  At Kimberly-Clark, it’s all here for you—innovation, growth, and the chance to make a real impact. 

You were made to create Better Care for a Better World: exploring uncharted questions, engineering innovative solutions, advancing scientific understanding, and constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. You want to be part of a performance culture dedicated to solving real-world problems with purpose and precision. You want to work in an environment that promotes sustainability, inclusion, wellbeing, and career development. In this role, you’ll help us shape the future and improve lives for billions of people around the world.

It starts with YOU.

About You

In one of our R&D Digital roles, you’ll focus on winning with consumers and the market, while putting safety, mutual respect, and human dignity at the center. Job responsibilities include:

• Own the R&D digital program roadmap, translating digital transformation priorities into milestones, workplans, dependencies, and delivery timelines.
• Define target operating models, platforms, data products, and patterns for R&D digital capabilities.
• Manage end-to-end execution of priority digital programs, ensuring clear ownership, decision points, risks, issues, costs, and implementation plans.
• Lead executive communication, decision-making, stakeholder alignment, and trade-off management across R&D, QRC, IT, and other partners.
• Establish program intake and prioritization discipline, ensuring digital requests are routed through a strategy-led process rather than one-off solutions.
• Coordinate funding, resourcing, and value cases for digital initiatives, escalating trade-offs and blockers to the Vice President, R&D Digital and AI Transformation.
• Innovate how we innovate to keep pace with consumers, competitors, and technology; embed digital at the core of how innovation is developed and scaled.
• Connect digital programs with R&D, IT, commercial, and enabling functions, with clear build/run responsibilities and cross-functional handoffs.
• Focus program support on the highest-priority initiatives, ensuring scarce digital delivery capacity is directed to the largest impact areas and properly sequenced.
• Build digital capability in partnership with the R&D Modeling and Simulation leader and matrix leaders in Packaging, QRC, Medical Affairs, and other teams.
• Track value realization and adoption, including cycle-time reduction, productivity benefits, user engagement, CSAT, and delivery against agreed baselines.
• Lead and develop leaders, senior individual contributors, and organizational talent, and provide matrix leadership to digital partners across R&D, QRC, IT, and enabling functions.
• Ensure all work complies with Corporate Safety, Regulatory and Quality requirements as well as our Company Code of Conduct.

To succeed in this role, you will need the following qualifications:

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM, computer science/information systems, or business-related field from an accredited college/university.
• 10+ years of experience in R&D, digital, or technology environments, including leading complex change and digital transformation programs.
• Proven leader of leaders with a track record of developing talent and leading through matrix structures and influence.
• Strategy-to-execution leadership, with strong ability to translate digital strategy into executable roadmaps, sequenced investments, governance, and measurable value cases.
• Disciplined product ownership, portfolio prioritization, and program governance mindset; ability to manage risks, dependencies, funding, and executive-level decisions and alignment.
• Systems thinking and technology judgment to connect opportunities into an integrated plan.
• Digital and technology fluency; understands AI, data, platforms, and emerging technology.
• Strong cross-functional influence across R&D, QRC, IT, supply chain, and commercial.
• Strong executive-level verbal and written communication skills.
• Approximately 10-25% travel.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in R&D and/or regulated environments such as quality, regulatory, medical affairs, or sustainability.
• Experience defining target operating models, platforms, data products, and reusable patterns with clear build/run ownership between Business and IT teams.
• Track record of delivering measurable value from digital and AI programs, including improvements in cycle time, productivity, adoption, and user experience against baseline.
• Experience leading agile and product-based delivery with globally distributed teams.   

Led by Purpose. Driven by You.   

Total Benefits 

We believe that our employees are our greatest asset, and we're committed to providing them with the resources they need to be successful. If you're looking for a rewarding career with a company that cares about its employees, then Kimberly-Clark is the place for you.

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

Flex That Works at Kimberly-Clark
We believe great work happens when people come together with purpose. That’s why we offer a flexible work model that blends remote work with intentional in-person collaboration — helping you connect, grow, and innovate while maintaining the balance you value. 

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, which is why we seek to build a workforce that encompasses 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 local policies. 

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

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

This role is available for local candidates already authorized to work in the role’s country only. Kimberly-Clark will not provide relocation support for this role. 

#LI-Hybrid

Grade 6: Grade level and / or compensation may vary based on location/country 

Salary Range: 185,780 – 240,140 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

Neenah - West R&E Office

Additional Locations

Summit, NJ, USA

Worker Type

Employee

Worker Sub-Type

Regular

Time Type

Full time