Senior Scientist

Senior Scientist

Job Description

Please Note: This role is hybrid based in the Neenah, WI metro area. Kimberly-Clark relocation benefits available!

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:

We are seeking a Senior Scientist to provide technical expertise, depth, and leadership in the areas of material development. The position entails working with business unit teams to understand and define material properties, creating new materials to meet those properties and applying fundamental understanding to provide the business with solutions to material problems. The candidate will have advanced skills in these spaces and a demonstrated history of solving complex problems.

Candidates should have extensive scientific and technology experience and notable accomplishments in the areas of material development, absorbency, and fluid flow through complex medium as well as demonstrated skills in the scientific method and creativity in problem solving. The candidate must have material development leadership experience and demonstrate the ability to create learning plans, timelines, manage stakeholders and deliver business results.  Experience in application of these capabilities to industrial applications is preferred. The candidate will act as a source of direction, training, and guidance for other team members. The person should be knowledgeable in industry and have best practices in their area of expertise and be able to use resources outside of K-C to deliver solutions. The successful candidate will be a self-starter expert with the ability to work at the front end of material development, but just as importantly will have a demonstrated ability to drive and implement technical process through strong collaborative interaction with internal teams and external partners.

• Assess business problems and develop a technical approach to address the issue that considers time constraints, resource limitations and any operational issues. 
• Independently take complex materials/systems and break them down into meaningfully simpler pieces to understand behavior.  Establish design criteria to set development direction for absorbency, mechanical properties, and physical properties.  Develop approaches and solutions to improving the fundamental knowledge of the team, including application of the work to business projects.  Work with internal research teams (NA and global), vendors and other internal parties to execute solutions.
• Keep abreast of latest developments in material testing and analysis: statistical techniques, test methods, mathematical models. Research new techniques/methods to drive material development.
• Leveraging technical depth, coaching junior team members to build the department’s scientific talent in the area of material development.
• Provide protection to technologies, processes, materials, and products through appropriate use of internal technical reports, patents, and trade secrets.
• Conduct all communications and transactions with the utmost integrity and honesty to build an unimpeachable business reputation.  Ensure communication of project plans and results to stakeholders, partners, customers, and other team members.
• Contribute to an environment in which all team members are respected regardless of their individual differences and are motivated to improve both their individual and team contributions to achieve desired business results.
• Visibly demonstrate that safety is a value by following safety procedures, maintaining a safe workplace and complying with safety rules. Develop equipment, processes, materials, and products that meet safety codes, policies and guidelines. Actively participate in achieving organization and personal safety objectives.

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.

Led by Purpose. Driven by You.

About You

You perform at the highest level possible, and you appreciate a performance culture fueled by authentic caring.  You want to be part of a company actively dedicated to sustainability, inclusion, wellbeing, and career development.

You love what you do, especially when the work you do makes a difference. At Kimberly-Clark, we’re constantly exploring new ideas on how, when, and where we can best achieve results. When you join our team, you’ll experience Flex That Works: flexible (hybrid) work arrangements that empower you to have purposeful time in the office and partner with your leader to make flexibility work for both you and the business.

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:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in relevant major scientific or engineering discipline from an accredited college or university.  Relevant degrees include Physics, Chemical Engineering, Material Science, Mechanical Engineering, or Mathematics.
• 5+ years of research experience in a variety of technical assignments with emphasis in the application of material development and absorbency understanding in the solving of business and operational issues.
• An understanding and ability to manipulate molecular to macro-scale factors influencing capillary fluid flow, permeability, and mechanical properties of highly porous materials.
• Demonstrated expertise in leadership in material problems.  Experience in multiple sectors and regions is preferred.
• Experience working on problems in an industrial environment is preferred, particularly in the areas of high-speed manufacturing and consumer products.
• Advanced knowledge of scientific principles, scientific analysis, and project management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills are required to convey complex research in a high impact manner to scientists as well as business leaders.
• Skills in the areas of collaboration, innovation, decisiveness, and conflict resolution are important for success as is working with blended teams consisting of employees, vendors, and consultants.
• Possess strong leadership skills and exhibit creative thinking to be able to come up with inventive solutions to solve scientific and business challenges
• Must be able to work and lead in a team environment to meet aggressive deadlines.
• Willing to travel 10-20% of the time – occasional international travel possible.

Total Benefits

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.
 

Great support for good health with medical, dental, and vision coverage options with no waiting periods or pre-existing condition restrictions. Access to an on-site fitness center, occupational health nurse, and allowances for high-quality safety equipment.

Flexible Savings and spending accounts to maximize health care options and stretch dollars when caring for yourself or dependents.

Diverse income protection insurance options to protect yourself and your family in case of illness, injury, or other unexpected events.

Additional programs and support to continue your education, adopt a child, relocate, or even find temporary childcare.

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 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, c