Senior Scientist, Brita Water Filter R&D Product Development

Clorox • Pleasanton, CA

43d • $91,200 - $210,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Clorox R&D turns consumer needs into trusted products that improve everyday life. In Brita, that work has a direct connection to people, water, and the planet—helping millions of consumers to access better-tasting water while reducing reliance on single-use bottles. As a Senior Scientist on the Brita R&D team, you will help shape the future of filtration by leading water filter product development and commercialization work across one of Clorox’s most recognized brands. This is a highly cross-functional, hands-on technical leadership role for someone who wants to combine science, consumer empathy, manufacturing partnership, and business impact. Brita’s mission is to enable better water for people and the planet. As a Senior Scientist in Brita R&D Product Development, you will lead complex and often ambiguous technical work focused on filtering innovation and commercialization across the Brita portfolio. You will serve as the technical lead for programs that span concept development, formulation/design, prototyping, testing, risk assessment, design for manufacturing, scale-up, and start-of-production. This role requires translating consumer needs, business priorities, technical feasibility, regulatory requirements, and manufacturing realities into robust product and process solutions in partnership with internal teams, external suppliers, plants, and manufacturing partners. This evergreen role is expected to build and apply deep Brita filtration expertise, influence cross-functional and leadership decisions, elevate technical best practices, and strengthen organizational capability through knowledge capture, training, and improved ways of working.

Requirements

• 5+ years of R&D, product development, product design, process development, formulation, materials, chemistry, water treatment technology, filtration, analytical chemistry, manufacturing scale-up, or related technical experience.
• Product development, product design, commercialization, or technology development experience is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to lead undefined, complex technical work and bring clarity to ambiguous product, process, supplier, or manufacturing challenges.
• Strong technical judgment with hands-on testing, methodical problem solving, data analysis, statistics, DOE, tolerance assessment, capability analysis, and sample-size rationale.
• Ability to translate consumer needs, business priorities, claims, regulatory requirements, quality expectations, and manufacturing constraints into technical specifications and execution plans.
• Ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders, leadership teams, suppliers, and manufacturing partners through clear technical recommendations and risk-based decision making.
• Ability to leverage digital tools, data analysis, models, and AI-enabled ways of working to improve speed, learning, documentation, and quality of technical decisions.
• Strong communication, organization, learning agility, and ownership mindset; able to work independently and cross-functionally with minimal supervision in a fast-paced environment.
• Minimum bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, Environmental Engineering, Materials Science/Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or a related technical field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.

Nice To Haves

• Highly relevant experience may come from consumer products, food and beverage, beverage systems or appliances, medical filtration device/medtech, diagnostics, applied biotech, water treatment technologies, filtration media, specialty chemicals/materials, regulated products, manufacturing scale-up, supplier technical management, or adjacent technical industries—especially where the candidate has led product design, product development, verification/validation, commercialization, or technology transfer work.
• Knowledge of drinking water, filtration, or treatment standards and certification pathways is preferred, including familiarity with EPA water requirements, NSF/ANSI test methods or standards, and third-party certification processes.
• Direct filtration or consumer products experience is preferred but not required if the candidate brings strong technical depth, product development orientation, and relevant transferable experience.
• Experience developing or improving best practices, test methods, technical standards, knowledge capture, training, or capability-building approaches for a broader technical team.
• Also pursuing advanced degrees (M.S. or Ph.D.) in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Materials Science/Engineering, Polymer Science, Water Resources Engineering, or a related discipline, particularly with experience in water treatment/chemistries or filtration/media is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Develop and refine filter formulations, product specifications, process parameters, and performance requirements through lab experimentation, pilot trials, and full-scale manufacturing.
• Apply strong technical judgment, structured problem solving, statistical analysis, and design-of-experiment approaches to deliver consumer delight, product quality, manufacturability, and supply continuity.
• Identify, lead, and execute new product development and technical initiatives where consumer metrics, formulation/design, process, supplier capability, or manufacturing location may be undefined.
• Bring clarity to ambiguity, shape technical plans, and drive decisions that advance Brita business priorities.
• Serve as the R&D technical lead and “one R&D voice” across Marketing, Insights, Design, Sales, Supply Chain, Quality, Regulatory, Legal, project teams, suppliers, plants, and external manufacturers.
• Translate consumer, business, regulatory, quality, manufacturing, and cost needs into technical requirements, specifications, claims support, risk assessments, and commercialization-ready decisions that balance impact, speed, feasibility, and execution risk.
• Partner effectively with external filtration technology suppliers, domestic and international manufacturers, and Clorox plants to ensure technical requirements, quality expectations, regulatory needs, and commercial launch requirements are met.
• Create, approve, and educate teams on product development, test method, specification, risk assessment, trial, and commercialization best practices.
• Capture technical learning, train others on Brita filtration technologies, and strengthen the broader department’s ability to deliver with speed and rigor.
• Use digital tools, data analysis, models, and emerging AI-enabled ways of working to improve speed, quality of decisions, technical learning, knowledge management, and delivery of R&D work outputs.
• Provide organizational leadership beyond project work through mentoring, recruiting support, communities of practice, training, and knowledge sharing.

Benefits

• Robust health plans
• Market-leading 401(k) program with a company match
• Flexible time off benefits (including half-day summer Fridays depending on location)
• Inclusive fertility/adoption benefits

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior