Role reports to:Global VP of Packaging
Location:North America, United States, New Jersey, Summit
Work Location:Hybrid
What you will doThe Senior Director, North America Segment Packaging R&D is responsible for leading the North America Segment Packaging R&D organization and is accountable for packaging strategy, development and execution across the full North America portfolio. The role translates enterprise and global packaging priorities into an integrated segment strategy, delivers consumer-centric and commercially relevant packaging, and ensures disciplined execution across innovation, lifecycle management, business continuity, sustainability, regulatory and cost/value programs.
Working in close partnership with Segment R&D, Marketing, Design, Supply Chain, Quality, Regulatory, Procurement, Manufacturing and Global Packaging R&D, this leader sets priorities, deploys resources, applies global platforms and standards, and builds a high-performing organization capable of delivering right-first-time at speed and scale.
Location:Summit, New Jersey / Neenah, Wisconsin
Portfolio accountabilityAccountable for packaging strategy, development and execution across all sectors in the segment, including:
• Baby & Child Care - including brands such as Huggies, Johnson's.
• Women's Health & Active Aging - including brands such as Kotex, Depend.
• Skin Health & Beauty - including brands such as Neutrogena, Aveeno, Rogaine.
• Self Care - including brands such as Tylenol, Zyrtec, Bandaid, Listerine.
• Family Care & Professional - including brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Cottonelle.
Essential duties and responsibilities1. Segment Strategy & Portfolio Leadership• Define and execute an integrated North America Packaging R&D strategy aligned with enterprise, global packaging and sector strategies.
• Own segment and sector packaging priorities across innovation, lifecycle management, business continuity, regulatory compliance, sustainability and productivity.
• Translate consumer, customer, channel and market needs into packaging briefs, technical requirements and launch-ready solutions; ensure e-commerce and omnichannel readiness where relevant.
2. End-to-End Packaging Development & Execution• Lead end-to-end packaging development and commercialization from concept through design, prototyping, testing, specification, qualification, scale-up and launch.
• Drive right-first-time execution, speed-to-market and robust technical transfer through clear governance, risk management and decision-making.
• Partner with Manufacturing and Supply Chain to ensure packaging readiness, manufacturability, quality, resilience and crisis/business-continuity response.
3. Global Platform Deployment & Local/Segment Adaptation• Apply and adapt global packaging platforms, standards, specifications and test methods to segment requirements while minimizing unnecessary variation.
• Clarify handoffs with global packaging platforms, innovation, sustainability and operations teams to reduce duplication and accelerate reuse.
• Enable cross-sector leverage of technologies, materials, suppliers, specifications and capabilities.
4. Design-to-Value, Sustainability & Cost Optimization• Drive design-to-value, value engineering and packaging cost optimization while protecting consumer experience, quality, regulatory compliance and brand equity.
• Deliver sustainable packaging priorities including material reduction, recyclability, circularity and carbon-footprint improvement in alignment with enterprise commitments.
• Balance value, performance, supply resilience and sustainability trade-offs using fact-based technical and business judgment.
5. Organization, Capability & Agile Resourcing• Build, lead and develop a high-performing Packaging R&D organization with clear accountability, strong technical depth and an inclusive culture.
• Develop talent, succession plans and future-ready capabilities in packaging materials, digital tools, data/analytics, sustainability and emerging technologies.
• Deploy internal, external and partner capacity dynamically against the highest-value portfolio priorities.
6. Cross-Functional & External Partnership• Partner across Product R&D, Marketing, Design, Supply Chain, Quality, Regulatory, Procurement and Manufacturing to ensure end-to-end packaging readiness.
• Build strategic relationships with packaging suppliers, technology providers, design partners, academia and external innovation ecosystems.
• Represent Segment Packaging R&D in business and technical governance, translating technical choices into business impact, risks and opportunities.
7. Digital, Data & Performance Management• Advance adoption of digital-first development, modeling, simulation, data analytics and knowledge-management tools to improve speed and decision quality.
• Establish and track KPIs across launch delivery, right-first-time execution, cost/value, sustainability, quality, issue resolution and innovation impact.
• Use portfolio data to improve prioritization, capacity decisions, performance transparency and continuous improvement.
8. Financial & Business Stewardship• Accountable for segment Packaging R&D resource and investment prioritization within agreed financial guardrails.
• Deliver productivity and value commitments through disciplined portfolio choices, design-to-value and effective external spend management.
• Ensure appropriate technical governance, compliance and risk management across the packaging portfolio.
Job RequirementsSpecific requirements• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred in Packaging Technology, Packaging Science, Engineering, Materials Science or a related technical field.
• 12+ years of progressively responsible Packaging R&D, engineering and innovation experience, with significant experience across multiple consumer product categories and complex portfolios.
• 5+ years of senior people leadership experience, including leadership of leaders and geographically or functionally dispersed teams.
• Demonstrated experience leading packaging development, commercialization and lifecycle execution in a complex, matrixed consumer products environment.
• Strong business and financial acumen, with demonstrated ability to translate technical decisions into portfolio, cost, growth and risk implications.
• Proficiency in English; additional language capability is beneficial for roles spanning multiple markets.
Essential knowledge and skills• Deep technical knowledge of packaging materials, specifications, testing, design/artwork interfaces, manufacturing technologies and scale-up.
• Strong portfolio and project leadership, including prioritization across competing business needs and resource constraints.
• Proven ability to balance local/segment needs with global platform reuse, sustainability priorities and cost/value trade-offs.
• Advanced cross-functional stakeholder management and influencing skills, including senior business and technical leadership.
• Demonstrated change leadership, organization development and talent development capability.
• Strong external orientation and ability to build productive supplier and technology partnerships.
• Ability to operate effectively in a multicultural, highly matrixed organization with a strong sense of ownership and accountability.
What's in it for youAnnual base salary for new hires in this position ranges:
$242,250.00 - $342,000.00
This takes into account a number of factors including work location, the candidate's skills, experience, education level & other job-related factors.
- Competitive Benefit Package*
- Paid Company Holidays, Paid Vacation, Volunteer Time & More!
- Learning & Development Opportunities
- Kenvuer Impact Networks
- This list could vary based on location/region
*Note: Total Rewards at Kenvue include salary, bonus (if applicable) and benefits. Your Talent Access Partner will be able to share more about our total rewards offerings and the specific salary range for the relevant location(s) during the recruitment & hiring process.
