Full-Time
A Group Leader’s primary responsibility is managing all aspects of the technical health and development for a brand or sub-brand’s products, for all geographic regions where these products will be sold.
Participate in staff development, including training, mentoring and career planning. They will be responsible for evaluating the performance of their employees, providing feedback to them and working to raise the technical and performance standards. They may have scientists, technicians and temporary employees under their management to assist them in delivering multiple products to market in order to meet business objectives.
- Lead decision making on technologies and formulas to pursue towards commercialization. Ensure that technology differentiation can be achieved versus key competitors for each project.
- Lead the group to identify/test hypotheses to meet technical objectives of each project; and to clearly identify the consumer values of each product/project.
- Ensure that group identifies and evaluates new technologies for application to new/existing products.
- Lead group in performing in-depth consumer research to investigate skin/hair condition, unmet needs, etc. Create a product plan based on these consumer and technology insights, to offer new/improved solutions to target consumer.
- Partner with key development groups within and outside R&D such as Package Development, Claims, Global and Regional marketing, Market Research, to realize the best product offering(s). Communicate the consumer values identified to help create concepts, claims and copy.
- Work with responsible groups to provide substantiation proof as required.
- Develop and nurture relationships across groups within R&D (ex. Product Safety, Product Performance, Process Development), and cross-functionally within Kao (ex. Marketing, MRC, Product Supply, Kaihatsu) and with the appropriate laboratories in Kao Japan.
- Attend or guide their staff at representing their projects at the cross-functional team meeting where they will provide updates on PD and be involved in project team decisions.
- Prepare and share communication that explains R&D product vision, technology and consumer insights, and product performance to functional and cross functional counterparts as well as higher management.
- Effectively communicate R&D status, issues and next steps for projects.
- Guide their staff to create and maintain all of the necessary documentation in order to develop and commercialize the products (i.e. lab notebooks, specifications, technical test methods/data, etc.); Guide their staff to work with the process engineer to help transition the formulations to the pilot plant and full scale manufacturing.
- For current business support, manage the decision to take on additional workload required to maintain current products in market. For example, R&D may aid Quality in identifying solutions for manufacturing problems, qualifying alternate source raw materials for Purchasing, or identifying product TCRs with Finance.
- Translate strategy plans and overall vision set by higher management into action plans including milestones and key measures for their group/team.
- Communicate these action plans to their team and higher management, and channel information on progress, issues, etc. between senior management, their team and their functional counterparts.
- Project and resource planning: Set and arrange priorities in line with functional and departmental goals; plan and manage team resources to meet priorities accordingly.
- Bachelor of Science degree (cosmetic chemistry, chemistry, biological sciences or chemical engineering, preferred).
- 10+ years of downstream hands on formulation experience preferably with personal care products.
- Formulation experience working with emulsions and suspensions is a great plus.
- Working knowledge in physical testing and analytical methods.
- Independent thinker with the ability to “connect the dots” across previously unconnected ideas to create a new combination of ideas.
- Demonstrated ability to lead technical direction and teamwork of their staff.
- Ability to manage and motivate different levels of professional technical staff.
- Must be a goal oriented individual who can recognize and seize opportunities and convert those opportunities into workable/marketable ideas.
- The individual must be highly collaborative, well organized, driven and self-motivated with a bright, eager, positive attitude and must have a high degree of both technical curiosity and technical mastery.
- Problem solving, the ability to handle multiple and changing priorities in a fast paced, dynamic organization.
- Excellent (English language) verbal and written communication skills.
Brad Bacher, PHR
Kao USA Inc., Corporate Recruiter
brad.bacher@kao.com
513.629.7037