Dir, R&D Chief of Staff & Op Excellence

Kenvue•Summit, NJ

4d•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), supporting informed decisions and delivery of R&D priorities. The role strengthens leadership team effectiveness and OGSM delivery through disciplined planning, executive communication, and follow-through on decisions. Working across a global matrix, the Director identifies delivery risks and organizational gaps, brings external insights into R&D priorities, and mobilizes accountable owners to act. The role coordinates delivery and recommends improvements within established decision rights; the VP and RDLT retain decision authority. The position reports to the VP Global Head of Innovation Portfolio and Project Management and is based in Summit, New Jersey, with a hybrid work arrangement.

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, with the ability to adapt counsel and escalate issues within established decision rights.

Responsibilities

Advise the CRDO and RDLT, anticipating meeting and decision needs and providing relevant context, analysis, and market insight.
Own the RDLT agenda and decision cadence in alignment with the CRDO; facilitate RDLT Connect and Performance & Execution meetings, ensuring clear decisions and follow-through.
Assess OGSM progress, technical readiness, and risk at project and aggregate levels; integrate input from Strategy, PPM, and functional teams to identify dependencies, areas needing attention, and escalation needs.
Lead focused reviews with accountable owners to understand 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 opportunities and inform strategic thinking, prioritization, and organizational focus.
Identify and elevate organizational issues, represent the R&D perspective, and work with leaders to resolve gaps; partner with Communications on leadership alignment, updates, and town halls.
Act as PMO for R&D priority workstreams and strategic initiatives, tracking milestones and dependencies, managing risk visibility, and ensuring follow-through on open actions.