Global R&D Director, PLM Ecosystems
Reckitt
East Riding of Yorkshire, UK
Posted on Mar 6, 2026
We are Reckitt
Home to the world's best loved and trusted hygiene, health, and nutrition brands. Our purpose defines why we exist: to protect, heal and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world. We are a global team united by this purpose. Join us in our fight to make access to the highest quality hygiene, wellness, and nourishment a right and not a privilege.
Research & Development
In Research and Development we're full of highly skilled talents that include Scientists, Engineers, Medical, Clinical and Regulatory professionals - all working to create a cleaner, healthier world. With nine Centres of Excellence, we continually seek out new opportunities by using science, our entrepreneurial flare and our fearless innovation to develop and enhance our existing portfolio, never compromising on quality or performance. We do the right thing, always, by ensuring we act with responsibility and integrity, by complying with regulatory legislation across the globe, whilst ensuring our products are safe for our consumers and are to the highest quality. The size of our organisation means you'll have the opportunity to learn and work in different functions within Research and Development, giving you exposure to different disciplines, teams and environments. You will also have access to our Research and Development Academy, designed to develop our team and allow you to grow in our great organisation.
About the role
This role provides the business leadership for Reckitt’s largest-ever digital transformation: the execution of a next generation Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and connected compliance ecosystem. You will take a well defined strategic blueprint and turn it into an operational reality — leveraging enterprise platforms, data, process design, organisational change and governance to deliver immediate value while building long term capability. At its core, this transformation connects specifications, data and workflows across functions and geographies, enabled by multiple product centric applications.
You will own the strategy and lead the enterprise-wide programme that strengthens consumer safety and compliance, with specification management as the foundation for broader value creation in simplification, portfolio optimisation and product stewardship. This includes direct leadership of global PLM platforms across the end to product lifecycle, and deep collaboration with R&D, Supply, Quality, Regulatory and Data Governance to align systems, data flows and processes. You will represent the business in key governance forums, partnerships and cross functional initiatives — ensuring that Reckitt’s PLM and compliance ecosystem becomes a connected, scalable and future ready capability.
Your responsibilities
- Lead the execution and operationalisation of Reckitt’s global PLM transformation, delivering against plan and driving enterprise wide adoption.
- Own the transition from legacy processes to new, standardised ways of working, leading both states until the transformation is fully embedded.
- Deliver the long term strategy for a connected compliance ecosystem in partnership with IT&D and senior leaders across R&D, Supply, Quality and Regulatory.
- Build alignment and engagement across global functions through strong stakeholder management and effective governance forums.
- Partner with IT&D to shape technology roadmaps and business transformation plans that enable the PLM and compliance strategy.
- Collaborate with Data Governance & Analytics to embed robust data standards, ownership models and lifecycle management across functions.
- Apply PLM best practice to system design, process architecture and integration across core PLM and the wider connected ecosystem.
- Drive continuous improvement through innovation, benchmarking and data driven insights, ensuring compliance and consumer safety remain central.
- Establish clear prioritisation mechanisms with Global Functions and IT&D to focus resources on the highest value initiatives.
- Own the team budget and contribute to broader functional budget planning, investment decisions and delivery accountability.
- Lead and develop a global team of ~30 functional experts, building capability and driving adoption of new ways of working.
- Simplify, standardise and connect processes and data flows across the compliance ecosystem and key business operations.
The experience we're looking for
- Deep expertise in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) technologies and their deployment within large, complex consumer goods, healthcare, or manufacturing organisations.
- Proven ability to design and execute PLM transformation strategies, moving from concept to full enterprise adoption.
- Demonstrated track record delivering end to end PLM transformations across innovation, R&D, manufacturing, quality, regulatory and distribution.
- Strong knowledge of regulatory, quality and compliance requirements within Healthcare and CPG environments.
- Clear understanding of risk profiles, consumer safety requirements and compliance obligations across the product lifecycle.
- Broad appreciation of R&D and Manufacturing interdependencies, and how data, specifications and processes must connect to ensure safe, compliant products.
- Deep experience with data standards, governance frameworks and cross functional data flows in large enterprises.
- Ability to navigate and simplify complex technical ecosystems, identifying opportunities for long term connection, leverage and simplification.
- Broad operational understanding of core R&D and Supply functions and how they interact within a global product lifecycle.
- Advanced change leadership and influencing skills, with experience driving behavioural and process change across diverse stakeholder groups.
- Strong programme management capability, delivering large scale, multi year transformation programmes.
- Experience leading large, geographically dispersed teams, both through direct line management and influence.
- Strong collaborator who builds trust and alignment across cross functional teams and senior stakeholders.
- Demonstrated leadership grounded in integrity and “doing the right thing,” especially in compliance critical environments.
- Inspires teams with a clear vision and brings people with them through complex change.
- Communicates complex, technical or politically sensitive issues with clarity and confidence to diverse audiences.
- Creates and sustains a culture of innovation, continuous improvement and simplification.
- Genuine passion for digital transformation, value creation and building capabilities that endure.
- Deep experience in R&D operations, ideally within pharma, healthcare or FMCG.
- Understanding of CSV requirements.
- Experience leading global systems development and implementation, ideally including platforms such as Optiva, SSPLM, Oracle or Siemens.
- Ability to travel as part of the role
What we offer
With inclusion at the heart of everything we do, working alongside our four global Employee Resource Groups, we support our people at every step of their career journey, helping them to succeed in their own individual way. We invest in the wellbeing of our people through parental benefits, an Employee Assistance Program to promote mental health, and life insurance for all employees globally. We have a range of other benefits in line with the local market. Through our global share plans we offer the opportunity to save and share in Reckitt's potential future successes. For eligible roles, we also offer short-term incentives to recognise, appreciate and reward your work for delivering outstanding results. You will be rewarded in line with Reckitt's pay for performance philosophy.
Equality
We recognise that in real life, great people don't always 'tick all the boxes'. That's why we hire for potential as well as experience. Even if you don't meet every point on the job description, if this role and our company feels like a good fit for you, we still want to hear from you. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, disability or medical condition; colour, ethnicity, race, citizenship, and national origin; religion, faith; pregnancy, family status and caring responsibilities; sexual orientation; sex, gender identity, gender expression, and transgender identity; protected veteran status; size or any other basis protected by appropriate law.