Senior R&D Technical Leader

About the role

Kimberly‑Clark is seeking a Senior R&D Technical Leader to drive the product portfolio and innovation strategy for its Adult & Fem Care (AFC) open‑diaper business across Emerging Markets. You will partner with marketing and cross‑functional teams to shape short‑ and medium‑term road‑maps, ensuring high‑quality, timely delivery of new products that meet regional cost and supply constraints.

Key responsibilities

• Partner with the marketing leader to define short‑ to medium‑term product portfolio strategy and innovation plans for EM categories.
• Lead the AFC open‑diaper innovation pipeline, overseeing projects from ideation through IMF, commercialization and regional rollout.
• Manage the R&E open‑diaper product development team and prioritize initiatives across the EM organization.
• Adapt global and North‑America solutions to EM‑specific formats, mill capabilities, cost targets and supply‑chain complexity.
• Serve as the senior technical authority for the EM R&D AFC community, providing direction, coaching and capability building.
• Influence and align Marketing, Supply Chain, Procurement, Manufacturing and Global R&D to secure buy‑in and accelerate execution.
• Contribute to business performance and cost‑transformation initiatives, balancing technical rigor with pragmatic “right‑enough” solutions.

Required profile

• Proven senior‑level experience leading R&D and product development projects in consumer‑goods or health‑care categories.
• Strong ability to define and execute product portfolio and innovation road‑maps for emerging markets.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills across marketing, supply chain, manufacturing and global R&D.
• Demonstrated capability to coach teams and build technical expertise within a regional R&D community.
• Results‑oriented mindset with focus on cost optimisation and fast market adoption.

Required skills