Lead, R&D - Operating Model Excellence Lead , US Posted

Position: Lead, R&D - Operating Model Excellence Lead , US Posted a day ago
## Lead, R&D - Operating Model Excellence Lead Glenview R&D Center, Illinois, United States of America Apply Now Job :
R-107718

Date posted:
10/16/2026

Team:
R&D

Location:

Glenview, IL, USManage a team of research and development professionals, overseeing research and development projects and studies in order to investigate relationships, solve technical problems, and develop new solutions for a specific application or within a specific branch of science. Independently evaluate, select, and apply standard engineering/scientific techniques, processes, and criteria.##

Job Description Job Purpose The R&D Operating Model Excellence Lead provides a consistent connective layer across NA BU R&D and Central R&D operations. This role anchors, prioritizes, and enables disciplined ways of working and execution — including enterprise standards, maturity development, and operational or transformational initiatives. The role ensures Central R&D work is appropriately tracked, gated, and progressing toward integration with business strategic plans, underpinned by strong governance, reporting, and data-driven insights.

It also ensures that BU R&D is operating with consistency and per process and guardrail expectations. Essential Functions & Responsibilities
******* Reporting, Insights, & Governance
* * Aggregate BU and Central internal R&D capability initiatives into views for R&D leadership and key stakeholders. Examples include system and process pilots, GBS operating model assessments, people programs, and new technical standards.
* Deliver recurring status reporting that improves transparency, cadence, and decision-making across R&D work streams.  Reporting includes center commitments, technology readiness and transfers, resource utilization, etc.
* Define, build and maintain dashboards that surface R&D-specific KPI health and strategic progress in a practical, decision-oriented format with high confidence in data and insights.
* Support enterprise reporting needs tied to external and internal requirements (e.g., government reporting, tax credit documentation, audit support) by ensuring traceability, completeness, and consistency.
* Portfolio & Prioritization
* * Ingest and maintain Central R&D technology pipelines and initiatives within the Portfolio Management Tool, ensuring work is visible, comparable, and trackable against technical readiness levels across BUs.
* Develop and provide resourcing visibility of all R&D teams within the Portfolio Management Tool to support planning, prioritization, and trade-off discussions.
* Coordinate prioritization of cross-R&D internal asks, helping leadership align on sequencing, capacity constraints, and operating models.
* Ensure high-priority capability initiatives have clear ownership, milestones, and escalation paths when dependencies or constraints threaten outcomes.
* Operating Model & Change Leadership
* * Strengthen operating model rigor across R&D by supporting clear standards, processes, and governance mechanisms.
* Enable effective R&D forums (e.g., Technical Review Board, Monthly Business Reviews) with routine audit, established R&D calendar, structured inputs and outputs, decision tracking, and follow-through.
* Serve as a governance partner to leadership, ensuring updates and decisions are captured, communicated, and translated into execution.
* Drive adoption of more disciplined ways of working, improving consistency, readiness, and predictability across the R&D portfolio.
* Apply change management practices to increase adherence to shared standards while balancing practicality for teams executing day-to-day work.
* Anticipate technical pipeline risks to delivery and readiness early, creating simple mechanisms to surface issues and drive action before they escalate.

Expected Experience & Required Skills
* Bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as Engineering, Food Science, Chemistry, Biology, Operations/Supply Chain;
Master's degree or MBA highly desired.
* 10+ years of experience leading transformation, portfolio, or program work in complex, cross-functional environments (R&D, product development, manufacturing, supply chain, or similar).
* Strong capabilities in portfolio coordination, prioritization, and governance, with the ability to create clarity across multiple stakeholders and competing demands.
* Proven ability to design and implement executive-ready reporting, dashboards, and operational metrics that drive decisions, not just visibility.
* Strong change management and stakeholder…