Jobs and Careers

Senior Innovation Project Leader

United Statesfull_timeVerifiedPosted 19 Jun 2026

About the role

Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. The company’s innovation-driven growth model takes advantage of world-class technology platforms, deep customer engagement, and differentiated application development to grow its leading positions in attractive end markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables. As a globally inclusive company, Eastman employs approximately 13,000 people around the world and serves customers in more than 100 countries. The company had 2025 revenue of approximately $8.8 billion and is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. For more information, visit www.eastman.com.

Position Overview

The Senior Innovation Project Leader is a visible leadership role at the center of Eastman’s innovation and growth agenda. This position is responsible for leading high-impact, cross-functional initiatives from opportunity definition through commercialization—shaping strategy, aligning stakeholders, and driving disciplined execution that creates meaningful business and customer value.

This role is ideal for a leader who thrives in complexity, brings strong business judgment, and can influence across functions, levels, and geographies. The Senior Innovation Project Leader serves as a catalyst for progress—connecting commercial insight, technical capability, operational readiness, and strategic priorities to move critical initiatives forward. Success in this role requires the ability to lead through ambiguity, make sound decisions with incomplete information, and inspire teams toward bold outcomes.

This position is located onsite at our Kingsport, TN headquarters.

Role Expectations

Lead with enterprise mindset, ensuring projects are aligned to Eastman’s strategic growth priorities and long-term value creation goals.
Provide confident, visible leadership across cross-functional teams, building alignment and momentum without direct authority.
Translate complex opportunities into clear direction, executable plans, and decision-ready recommendations for leaders and stakeholders.
Champion accountability, pace, and execution discipline across the full project lifecycle—from concept development through launch.
Anticipate risks, remove barriers, and navigate ambiguity with resilience, sound judgment, and a solutions-oriented approach.
Build strong partnerships with commercial, technical, manufacturing, and functional teams to accelerate progress and strengthen outcomes.
Communicate with clarity and executive presence, tailoring messages for senior leaders, project teams, and key stakeholders.
Foster an environment of inclusion, trust, continuous improvement, and high performance while modeling Eastman’s values of safety, integrity, and collaboration.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership: Lead innovation programs and complex growth initiatives that advance Eastman’s long-term business strategy and translate opportunity spaces into actionable roadmaps.
Cross-Functional Influence: Align diverse stakeholders across commercial, technical, manufacturing, and functional teams to accelerate decisions, remove barriers, and maintain forward momentum.
Enterprise Execution: Drive projects from early-stage concept through commercialization with strong planning, governance, prioritization, and execution discipline.
Leadership Through Ambiguity: Provide direction and stability in dynamic environments by navigating uncertainty, managing competing priorities, and enabling teams to stay focused on the most critical outcomes.
Business and Customer Value Creation: Shape compelling business cases, strengthen value propositions, and ensure innovation efforts remain grounded in customer needs and strategic business impact.
Risk and Change Leadership: Identify project, organizational, and market risks earl