Director RD&E

Ecolab Inc.•Naperville, IL

9h•Onsite

About The Position

The RD&E Director – Core Water Technologies leads a team of researchers focused on developing differentiated water treatment chemistries, systems, and programs used across the global water sector. This role sets the strategic technical direction for core product platforms, builds a robust innovation pipeline, and ensures technologies translate into scalable and cost-effective commercial offerings that deliver outsized value to our customers. The role is based at the Naperville, IL Campus. The Director operates both strategically and tactically, partnering closely with Divisional RD&E, Marketing, Regulatory, Supply Chain, and key customers to identify unmet needs, validate total value delivered, protect intellectual property, and accelerate commercialization. The role is accountable for talent development, portfolio governance, and delivering measurable business impact through technology deployment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Environmental Engineering, Microbiology, or related discipline
10+ years of progressive experience in product development and/or applied research, including formulation and performance evaluation
5+ years of people leadership experience managing scientists/researchers, with demonstrated ability to recruit, develop, and retain top technical talent
Proven track record of delivering innovations to market, including translating research into scalable manufacturing and field-deployable solutions
Experience partnering cross-functionally and influencing senior stakeholders; strong written and verbal communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences
Demonstrated ability to build and execute multi-year technology roadmaps and manage a balanced portfolio under resource constraints
Ability to travel domestically and internationally (up to 20%)

Nice To Haves

Master’s or PhD preferred

Responsibilities

Develop and lead the multi-year technology strategy and innovation roadmap for core water treatment platforms (e.g., scale & corrosion control, microbiological control, liquid/solid separations, and sensing/automation-enabled programs)
Collaborate with divisional and international RD&E leaders to identify industry/region-specific customer needs and coordinate with them on project execution
Lead a team of researchers and scientists; set clear objectives, develop capabilities, and build succession plans while fostering a strong safety, innovation, and quality culture
Partner cross-functionally with Marketing, Sales, Regulatory, and Supply Chain to ensure customer value, regulatory compliance, manufacturability, and competitive cost position
Drive intellectual property strategy and maintain freedom-to-operate awareness in partnership with Legal
Lead portfolio governance by prioritizing projects, allocating resources, managing budgets, and tracking value delivery