Sr Director, Sci Affairs & Innovation

Relocation Assistance Offered Within Country
Job Number #173102 - Overland Park, Kansas, United States

Who We Are

Colgate-Palmolive Company is a global consumer products company operating in over 200 countries specializing in Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care, Skin Care, and Pet Nutrition. Our products are trusted in more households than any other brand in the world, making us a household name!

Join Colgate-Palmolive, a caring, innovative growth company reimagining a healthier future for people, their pets, and our planet. Guided by our core values—Caring, Inclusive, and Courageous—we foster a culture that inspires our people to achieve common goals. Together, let's build a brighter, healthier future for all.



 

GPVA plays an integral role in positioning Hill’s in the global profession as a scientific, innovative and credible partner who is engaged in improving the health of dogs and cats, and in supporting the profession. The Senior Director, Scientific Affairs & Innovation is part of the Global Professional and Veterinary Affairs team (GPVA), who are responsible for our strategy with veterinary customers that will result in endorsement for and active recommendation of Hill’s therapeutic and wellness products. This role reports to the (Global) Chief Veterinary Officer and supports the execution of strategies that position Hill’s as the most valuable partner, providing scientific evidence-based advancements in the field of nutrition that promotes Hill’s product superiority, and demonstrating our commitment to transforming the lives of people and their pets. 

The Senior Director, Scientific Affairs & Innovation is part of the Global Professional and Veterinary Affairs team (GPVA), who are responsible for our strategy with veterinary customers that will result in endorsement for and active recommendation of Hill’s therapeutic and wellness products. This role supports the execution of strategies that position Hill’s as the most valuable partner, providing scientific evidence-based advancements in the field of nutrition that promotes Hill’s product superiority, and demonstrating our commitment to transforming the lives of people and their pets. This role works cross-functionally to ensure brand consistency, content syndication, and measurable ROI for all initiatives globally. This position is based in the Hill’s Pet Nutrition Global Headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Content & Product Development Support

• Design the global strategies for professional technical content

• Support the development of technical content and claims to support product launches, tailoring messages so that materials feel relevant and credible to veterinarians, veterinary technicians, academic institutions, and key accounts.

• Provide nutritional oversight for all relevant product categories, review product concepts and formulations to ensure alignment with clinical evidence and regulatory expectations, and partner with cross-functional teams to plan innovations across the portfolio.

• Participate in cross-functional or sprint teams as the nutritional science expert, anticipate clinical and customer impacts of formulation changes, and manage Claims Risk Governance Team (CRGT) technical support.

• Lead a team of clinical technical experts and seamlessly integrate their expertise into the organization’s strategic and operational business objectives.

• Provide strategic input for long-term (H2/H3) innovation in all categories.

Go-To-Market (GTM) Strategy & Field Support

• Support GTM strategies for new product launches and core products by shaping clinical positioning, messaging, educational content, technical FAQs, objection-handling guides, and field training.

• Partner with Marketing and Sales to shape claims and proof points.

• Prevent GTM timelines from slipping by providing rapid, and relevant clinical scientific input and ensuring frontline teams have fast, expert responses.

Sustain Academic Partnerships & Key Thought Leader (KTL) Relationships

• Cultivate and maintain peer-to-peer relationships with established KTLs across key specialties (such as oncology, GI/microbiome, derm, urinary/renal, mobility, feline medicine, and Small & Mini).

• Support the global school strategy, manage KTL delegate strategies for key meetings, and support specific university programs like the K-State nutrition course classes.

• Engage and educate global veterinary student associations, cultivating them as future product endorsers, and determine strategic goals for specialty colleges.

• Maintain and regularly update the KTL database, tracking expertise, engagement history, and speaking preferences.

Field Questions & Escalated Case Management

• Provide rapid, context-aware, science-based support for complex clinical nutrition questions and coordinate nutrient information requests from external KTLs.

• Collaborate with the Global Quality team on escalated case management, including clinical case reviews, adverse event reporting, unexplained mortality, or recall-related responses.

• Help design case-based tools, resources, and training that reflect day to day clinical practice.

Influencer Strategy & Speaking Engagements

• Execute global influencer strategies to actively engage with experts, create advocacy, support & design KTL roundtables/boards and drive third-party endorsement.

• Serve as a speaker and panelist for global and regional events, CE programs, and webinars, ensuring Hill's shows up with the right message and the right experts.

Research, Feedback Initiatives & MMI Strategy

• Design and manage initiatives like networking studies, first-to-know communications, in-clinic feeding experiences (ICFE; where appropriate), and KTL insight panels.

• Synthesize insights from KTL engagements to inform product development, clinical messaging, and strategic decisions.

• Decide the overall MMI strategy and sit on the MMI Board.

This is not an exhaustive list of duties or functions.

Required Qualifications

• DVM or equivalent 

• 6+ years of experience working as a veterinarian , with special interest and knowledge in small animal nutrition. 

• Experience in animal health industry roles (corporate practice) or in academia / education, including experience leading teams in a matrix organization.

Preferred qualifications

• Diplomate status in the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. 

• Previous experience in technical marketing, development and delivery of education to veterinary audiences or in training and coaching (of sales teams and/or veterinary professionals).

• Previous specialisation or postgraduate courses in education or communication related fields; previous experience with digital LMS and other learning modalities. MS/PhD in related sciences.

• Digital Savvy: Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google properties and mobile applications with the ability to adapt to a changing digital environment. Experience with Google Analytics and/or DOMO is a plus.

• Coaching: Ability to coach veterinary professionals and internal teams in the use of digital tools and professional competency.

• Communication: Exceptional technical and scientific writing skills; ability to communicate well-defined ideas effectively through public speaking. Actively listens and incorporates feedback to optimize outputs.

• Critical Thinking: Strong assessment, questioning, and analytical skills to drive data-based decisions.

• Languages: Fluent in English (oral and written); proficiency in another major European language is a plus.

Leadership & Functional Competencies

• Cross-functional perspective and collaboration.

• Veterinary clinical nutrition or internal medicine expertise.

• Digital aptitude and profession insights.

Working Relationships

• Supervision: Manages 3 Senior Managers of Professional Innovation, 1 Manager of Clinical Nutrition, 1 Associate PVA Manager, and 1 Professional Engagement Manager 

• Reporting: Direct report to the CVO.

• Key Partnerships: Global Professional and Veterinary Affairs (GPVA), Regional/Country PVA, Global Customer Development, Global Marketing and Innovation, and Legal/Regulatory/Science and Technology teams.

• Expected percentage of travel: Up to 30%.

Compensation and Benefits
Salary Range $245,000.00 - $275,000.00 USD

Pay is determined based on experience, qualifications, and location. Salaried employees may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses, profit-sharing, and long-term incentives for Executive-level roles.

Benefits: Salaried employees enjoy a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, basic life insurance, paid parental leave, disability coverage, and participation in the 401(k) retirement plan with company matching contributions subject to eligibility requirements. Additional benefits include a minimum of 15 vacation/PTO days (hourly employees receive a minimum of 120 hours) and 13 paid holidays (vacation days are prorated based on the employee's hire date within the calendar year). Paid sick leave is adjusted based on role and location in accordance with local laws. Detailed information regarding paid sick leave entitlements will be provided to employees upon hiring and may be subject to adjustments based on changes in legislation or company policies.

Our Commitment to Inclusion
Our journey begins with our people—developing strong talent with diverse backgrounds and perspectives to best serve our consumers around the world and fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels a true sense of belonging. We are dedicated to ensuring that each individual can be their authentic self, is treated with respect, and is empowered by leadership to contribute meaningfully to our business.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Colgate is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, marital status, veteran status (United States positions), or any other characteristic protected by law.

Reasonable accommodation during the application process is available for persons with disabilities. Please complete this request form should you require accommodation.

For additional Colgate terms and conditions, please click here .

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