R&D Portfolio Manager - Technology

Cabot Corporation•Billerica, MA

About The Position

This key position is accountable for overseeing the R&D portfolio of product, process, and application development projects. It will ensure that leadership has the systems, data, governance, and insights required to make high quality, timely decisions about investments, priorities, and risk. This role is well suited for a senior technical leader who combines strategic rigor and strong judgment with the ability to work effectively with senior leadership in a matrix organization.

Requirements

Advanced degree or equivalent experience in chemical engineering, materials science, chemistry, or a related technical discipline.
Demonstrated ability to design and manage portfolio systems, data, and decision frameworks.
Strong track record of cross functional leadership, influencing without authority in matrixed organizations.
Strategic mindset coupled with strong execution discipline, organizational skills, and clear, effective communication.
Strong executive presence and ability to engage effectively with senior leaders, including clear framing of data driven recommendations and trade offs.
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in chemical engineering, materials science, chemistry or a related technical discipline.
10-12 years of experience in an R&D or technical project management role.

Responsibilities

Own and lead the company’s R&D portfolio governance across product, process, and application development, ensuring alignment with business strategy, technology roadmaps, and long term value creation.
Design, implement, and continuously strengthen the portfolio management systems, data structures, and analytics used to support prioritization, trade off decisions, and investment transparency.
Partner with Directors, R&D managers, business leaders, and functional stakeholders to shape portfolio priorities, balance near and long term investments, and enable effective decision making.
Drive portfolio transparency through robust data, dashboards, and reviews, enabling clear visibility to progress, risks, trade offs, and resource constraints.
Monitor portfolio performance against milestones, strategic intent, and value delivery; proactively identify risks and recommend corrective actions.
Continuously improve portfolio management processes, governance forums, and planning tools to increase speed, focus, and impact of R&D investments.
Establish disciplined, repeatable portfolio review and decision processes that enable focused discussion, efficient escalation, and timely decisions at the appropriate level.
Ensure portfolio data is accurate, integrated, and actionable, enabling leadership to confidently assess progress, scenarios, and implications across the full R&D pipeline.