Your role at Clorox:
R&D Quality Transformation COE was established to ensure consistent, trusted, and efficient management of microbial risk across Clorox by embedding technical rigor into standards, tools, and decision making. We are looking for Scientists who thrive at the intersection of science, manufacturing, and organizational transformation.
As the Senior Scientist - Microbiologist in the R&D Quality Transformation group you will be responsible for advancing Clorox’s Microbiological Risk Assessment (MRA) capability. As products, materials, processes, and timeline pressures cause projects to become more complex, microbiological risk must be anticipated, designed out, and managed upstream – integrating into innovation and product design through to manufacturing and market introduction.
This role is ideal for a technical leader who has experience with the Product Lifecycle through manufacturing, understands where failures originate, and is motivated to build systems, standards, and behaviors that prevent them—at enterprise scale.
Partnering with R&D Microbiology, Supply Chain Quality Microbiology, and External Networks this R&D role is focused on microbial risk prevention, innovation enablement, and technical strategy – that achieves business results. You will shape how microbiology enables innovation—while protecting consumers and the Clorox brands.
This position, hybrid, may be based in either the Pleasanton, CA or Durham, NC office, with an expectation to work onsite at least 3 days per week.
In this role, you will:
Enterprise MRA Enablement & Influence
Serve as a key Microbiology technical lead in the improvements of the Microbiological Risk Assessment (MRA) process across all Business Units.
Shape microbiology-related expectations, guide appropriate use of the MRA framework, and support consistent application of microbiological risk thinking—while allowing flexibility for BU-specific needs.
Technical review & escalation discipline
Support the rollout of the MRA process by conducting first-line technical review and approvals to build rigor and consistency across BUs—assessing completeness, clarity, and early adherence to emerging standards and appropriately escalating novel or higher-risk issues to senior leaders.
Microbiological Risk Strategy while Balancing Business Outcomes
Serve as the R&D Microbiologist resource for enterprise Quality Transformation efforts collaborating closely with Microbiology teams in R&D and Supply Chain.
Coordinate and provide technical judgment on medium- and high-risk MRA situations, helping leadership teams navigate trade-offs while maintaining consumer and business objectives.
Standards, Best Practices & External Networking
Collaborate and evolve R&D microbiology preservative standards, guidance, and expectations in partnership with R&D Microbiology & Quality Transformation leadership.
Stay connected to industry trends, emerging risks, and microbiology best practices, translating external learning into practical internal application.\Represent R&D microbiology perspective in cross-functional and enterprise discussions when microbiological risk is a key consideration.
What we look for:
SKILLS & ABILITIES
Experience in applied / industrial microbiology as it relates to consumer products.
Strong understanding of microbiology impact across:
Formulation and preservation
Raw materials and water systems
Manufacturing processes and environments
Ability to apply microbiology judgment in ambiguous, real-world scenarios with incomplete data.
Credibility to influence senior technical leaders and business stakeholders without formal authority.
EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Bachelor’s degree or higher in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Microbiology, Food Science, Materials Science, or a related technical discipline.
5+ years of experience including Microbiology across one or more of the following:
Strong understanding of:
Product development lifecycles
Microbiological Practices in Development and Manufacturing
Risk-based quality and decision-making frameworks
Change Management
#LI-Hybrid
Workplace type:
This position, hybrid, may be based in either the Pleasanton, CA or Durham, NC office, with an expectation to work onsite at least 3 days per week.
