R&D Associate Director, Innovation Accelerator

Clorox is the place that’s committed to growth – for our people and our brands. Guided by our purpose and values, and with people at the center of everything we do, we believe every one of us can make a positive impact on consumers, communities, and teammates. Join our team. #CloroxIsThePlace

Your role at Clorox:

As the R&D Associate Director, Innovation Accelerator, you will be responsible for driving strategic innovation accelerator projects, by identifying white space opportunities and enabling technologies, leading discoveries with consumer & customer-forward big ideas and collaborating with cross-functional innovation internal and external partners.

Exciting opportunity to join the Innovation Accelerator team and impact all Business Units’ innovation funnel, capabilities, and future growth trajectory.

This hybrid position can be based in Pleasanton, CA; Durham, NC; or Willowbrook, IL

In this role, you will:

• Lead and execute technical learning plans to ideate, prototype, and launch innovative products and services.
• Collaborate with BU Studios to align innovation efforts with business goals.
• Foster a culture of creativity and continuous improvement within the CIA team.
• Analyze technology, competitive landscape and consumer trends to identify new opportunities for innovation.
• Oversee the budget, resources, and timelines for innovation projects.
• Establish and maintain relationships with external partners, vendors, and industry thought leaders.
• Communicate progress and results of innovation initiatives to stakeholders at all levels.
• Utilize cutting edge AI tools to Identify new product ideas based on trends, consumer tensions and needs.
• Develop new product and package ideas and utilize prototyping (physical or virtual), proof of concept models, MVPs and other agile tools to gain consumer feedback.
• Partner with BU, internal and external experts to assess feasibility of new claims, products and packaging ideas, with a broad view of pushing what is possible to meet consumer needs.
• Develop technical expertise in the categories of the relevant BUs, including competitive assessment, technology product and package trends, manufacturing and supplier assessments, consumer and customers/channel opportunities.

What we look for:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a relevant technical field (Engineering, Chemistry, Materials, or similar)
• Minimum of 10 years R&D experience in the packaged goods industry, experience in front-end innovation desired
• Track record of thinking-out-of-the-box, driving innovation and launching successful initiatives; Digitally Savvy and proficient in design thinking and agile methodologies
• Strong analytical skills and data-driven mindset
• Ability to influence leadership, demonstrated through ability to advance ideas for recommendations to GMs and other stakeholders
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a passion for continuous learning and staying updated on industry trends, emerging technologies, and consumer behaviors to identify future possibilities and translate them into executable, breakthrough strategies in the Cleaning, Beauty or Food segments
• Leverage data to be able to inform decision-making and refine innovation strategies based on real-world feedback and performance metrics
• Experience with agile or lean development tools, process and/or concepts to enable faster, leaner, and consumer-obsessed teams that increase speed of outcomes
• Generate original and novel ideas that meet consumer needs and stand out from competitors in current, adjacent, and new categories
• Ability to work across varied functions and roles across different business units to drive results and influence decision-making
• Excellent communication (both written and verbal) and presentation skills, with ability to effectively communicate complex ideas to both internal and external stakeholders

Workplace type:

Hybrid: This role will work 3 days onsite and 2 days remotely.

We seek out and celebrate diverse backgrounds and experiences. We’re looking for fresh perspectives, a desire to bring your best, and a non-stop drive to keep growing and learning.

At Clorox, we have a Culture of Inclusion. We believe our values-based culture connects to our purpose and helps our people be the best versions of themselves, professionally and personally. This means building a workpl