Manager, SCJ New Ventures

SC JOHNSON IS A FIFTH-GENERATION FAMILY COMPANY BUILT ON THE SPIRIT OF OUR PEOPLE. We have been leading with purpose for over 130 years, building iconic brands that win the hearts and minds of consumers – such as Raid®, Glade®, Ziploc® and more, in virtually every country around the world. Together, we are creating a better future – for the planet, for future generations and for every SCJ team member. Join our winning team of Wave Makers and Go Getters and help us write the next chapter in the SCJ story.

Summary:

The SCJ New Ventures Team is charged with finding growth opportunities through investigation, identification, assessment, and investment and/or acquisition leading to significant growth for SC Johnson. Additional technical resources are needed to support several New Ventures initiatives, including the investigation of investment, partnership, or acquisition opportunities with external companies across several different exploration areas. As Manager, SCJ New Ventures, you will work closely with and support others in a high performing team. The New Ventures team uses a blend of internal and external experts and firms to understand technologies and to surface and assess candidate targets.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

The position will report to the Executive Director, SCJ New Ventures and be dedicated to the SCJ New Ventures Team. The candidate should possess strong cross-functional acumen. The position requires an adaptable and versatile technical resource that can both actively investigate and periodically guide the work of others to obtain knowledge that supports understanding of priority opportunities identified by the team. The position also offers an ability to impact the business and to grow individual skills in broad trend and opportunity assessment, entrepreneurial thinking, opportunity valuation, investment strategies, and significant breadth in technology assessment.

Value Creation:

Support New Business growth by participating in the investigation of global New Ventures prospects for acquisition, partnership, or investment opportunities that create new business growth or offer new opportunities for existing businesses.

Strategic Alignment:

Support and provide input towards SCJ New Ventures prospects and related focus areas.

Develop an understanding of business needs and technology gaps and translate that understanding into search strategies that meet project deliverables and timing.

Investigate potentially unfamiliar areas to become educated enough to identify where additional help is needed to round out understanding.

Identify and recommend expertise that can further deepen understanding.

Influence candidate company selection and focus area activities by providing a technical point of view that helps to reveal relevant differentiation where possible.

Technology Understanding:

Coordinate and drive SCJ New Ventures exploration through the high-level review of hundreds of initial opportunities. As needed, conduct targeted searches against candidate companies and competitors to develop a basic technical understanding of company offerings.

Align with SCJ New Ventures cross-functional teams to deeply evaluate opportunities for technical requirements, identify and assess patents, regulatory requirements, or other forms of IP protection, and suitability of claims relating to both consumer benefit and strategic fit.

Recommend and coordinate external technology search and assessment tools/service vendors to search products, technologies, or services from a broad array of possible sources, including small companies, suppliers, start-ups, government and university organizations that match the project’s/division’s strategic business needs.

Participate in assigned due diligence activities to assess opportunity from an objective and technical point of view.

Demonstrate learning agility through successful investigation of areas that are new to self.

Document and share technical learning and provide recommendations in a clear and concise fashion to communicate with team and leadership, and to facilitate decision making.

Establish robust, concise selection of external sources of expertise (through individual consultants and/or consulting firms) that can provide on-demand assistance in acquiring technology understanding for candidate companies under investigation.

Lead investigations into deeper dives of unfamiliar yet strategically relevant technology spaces to deepen understanding for self and for broader team to support better decision making in company assessments

Relationship Development:

Build, maintain, cultivate and leverage productive relationships with select RD&E and Business Management contacts to maintain awareness of relevant internal efforts and expertise that may relate to ongoing deal flow investigations and decisions.

Establish strong working relationship with SCJNV RD&E Director to facilitate collaboration and communicate shared learnings within NV team.

Leverage and expand current external expert network to support needs of ongoing investigations and business needs.

Participate in SCJ New Ventures supported industry activities related to accelerators, incubators, trade shows, and related events to broaden network.

Negotiations:

Proven ability to influence multi-functional teams, including Marketing, RD&E, Finance, Procurement/Product Supply and Legal, related to technology licensing/acquisitions. Aptitude to learn and participate in negotiations/deal process.

Work with Legal to establish appropriate service, testing, or consulting agreements with external companies.

Communication:

Effectively communicate verbally and in writing both internally up within SCJ New Ventures Team and with other business leaders such as RD&E Director and Business Directors.

Ability to interact with internal and external sources in a way that represents our group, respects confidentiality, builds a personal network, and enables deeper relationship building with external service providers, accelerators, incubators, startup founders, etc.

Demonstrates excellent communication skills when interacting with external candidate companies from initial contact through Due Diligence and post Deal activities.

Leadership:

Strong demonstrated individual leadership qualities in managing self, assigned activities, investigative research; honors commitments to team objectives.

As needed, manage external testing, evaluation and consulting requests.

Budget: Responsibly leverage budget toward relevant external activities such as technical searches &/or evaluation aligned with business goals. Inform SCJ New Ventures RDE Director to enable effective budget management.

Required Skills / Experience / Competencies:

• Technical undergraduate degree required (preferably in Chemistry, Biology, or Engineering)

• Minimum of 5-8 years of experience. An advanced degree is preferred with total of 10-15 years of work experience

• Qualified candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Preferred Skills / Experience / Competencies:

• Highly results driven: Proactive and results oriented: a “team oriented” personality that effectively balances a strong sense of urgency with exceptional interpersonal skills.

• Project Management: Proven track record of managing complex technical projects, and translating ideas, methods, technologies into practical applications.

• Curious/Exploratory: Demonstrated ability to seek out and link various external technologies to business strategies and implications.

• Deals well with ambiguity and adapts to changes in direction as well as to new information.

• Tenacious/demonstrates agility – able to handle rejection, responds resourcefully to change.

• Demonstrated independent thinking skills.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills - effectively converse with technical consultants, marketing, senior RD&E and business management and external parties.

• Experience working with patent searches and legal agreements.

• Technically strong with demonstrated ability to broaden skills and knowledge.

• Demonstrated expertise in high performing team skills.

• Able to influence others to achieve best results.

• Proven experience in Research and Development as well as experience and aptitude for working with external partners (e.g. suppliers, consultants, engineering and design firms).

Job Requirements:

• This position will be based in Racine and could involve potentially one week per month of travel (mostly in the US, but may include international travel).

• Other duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice as assigned by the Manager.

• The job description does not constitute a contract of employment and the position remains at-will.

BENEFITS AND PERKS:

 SC Johnson’s total compensation packages are at or above industry levels. In addition to salary, total packages may include bonuses, long-term incentives, matching 401(k) contributions and profit sharing based on company profitability, job level and years of service. As a family company, we’re committed to providing benefits such as subsidized health care plans, maternity/paternity/adoption leave, flexible work arrangements, vacation purchase options, recreation and fitness centers, childcare, counseling services and more.

Inclusion & Diversity

We’re a global business, with people from every culture, ethnicity, race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age and ability. We recognize the breadth of human experience, and we work to celebrate it. It is our goal to build a diverse, inclusive and supportive work environment where all people can thrive.

We’re committed to ongoing efforts that help us attract, hire, and retain diverse talent who want to build a positive, inclusive environment. Read more about our ongoing initiatives at https://jobs.scjohnson.com/inclusion.

Better Together

At SC Johnson, we strive to create a positive, inclusive and unique workplace. We strongly believe SCJ people are able to achieve their best when they can collaborate and work together in person.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The policy of the Company is to ensure equal opportunity for all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, gender identity, gender expression, disability, citizenship, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in any active or reserve component of the U.S. or state military forces, genetic history or information or any other category protected by law.

Accommodation Requests

If you are an individual with a disability and you need an accommodation or other assistance during the application process, please call our Human Resources department at 262-260-3343 or email your request to SCJHR@scj.com. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply. Download the EEO is the Law poster for more information.