Dir, R&D Chief of Staff & Op Excellence

Kenvue•Summit, NJ

5d•$202,300 - $285,600•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, R&D Chief of Staff & Operational Excellence serves as a trusted advisor to the CRDO and R&D Leadership Team (RDLT), helping leaders make informed decisions and deliver R&D priorities. The role drives leadership team effectiveness and OGSM delivery through disciplined planning, executive communication, and follow-through on decisions. Working across a global matrix, this leader identifies delivery risks and organizational gaps, brings external insight into R&D priorities, and mobilizes accountable owners to take action. The role coordinates delivery and recommends improvements within established decision rights, while the VP and RDLT retain decision authority.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or science.
Experience in consumer goods and/or R&D.
A minimum of 8–10+ years of business experience, including leadership of complex initiatives in a global matrix organization.
Director-level ability to lead through influence and secure action from accountable owners.
Strong analytical judgment and business insight, including the ability to interpret market intelligence and diagnose delivery or organizational gaps.
Executive presence, discretion, and clear communication, including the ability to prepare effective senior leadership briefings.
Strong situational awareness and stakeholder judgment, adapting counsel and escalating issues within established decision rights.

Responsibilities

Advise and prepare the CRDO and RDLT by anticipating meeting and decision needs and providing relevant context, analysis, and market insight.
Drive leadership team effectiveness by owning the RDLT agenda and decision cadence in alignment with the CRDO, and facilitating RDLT Connect and Performance & Execution meetings with clear decisions and follow-through.
Monitor OGSM progress, technical readiness, and risk at project and aggregate levels; integrate inputs from Strategy, PPM, and functional teams to identify dependencies, issues needing attention, and escalation needs.
Lead focused reviews with accountable owners to diagnose systemic causes of delivery challenges, recommend corrective action, and track agreed decisions and actions through closure.
Develop presentations, briefings, and management reporting for senior leadership reviews under the CRDO’s direction, translating complex information into clear decision-support materials.
Use benchmarking and market intelligence to identify opportunity areas and inform strategic thinking, prioritization, and organizational focus.
Identify and elevate organizational issues, represent the R&D perspective, work with leaders to resolve gaps, and partner with Communications on leadership alignment, updates, and town halls.
Act as PMO for R&D priority workstreams and strategic initiatives by tracking milestones and dependencies, managing risk visibility, and ensuring follow-through on open actions.