Head of Innovation for Infrastructure, Protection & Repair
About The Position
At Henkel, you’ll be part of an organization that’s shaping the future through innovation, sustainability and collaboration. With our trusted brands like Persil®, ‘all®, Loctite®, Snuggle®, and Schwarzkopf® and our cutting-edge technologies, you’ll have countless opportunities to explore new paths and grow. This position is with our Adhesive Technologies business unit – where we empower our people to transform industries and provide our customers with a competitive advantage through adhesives, sealants and functional coatings. Dare to learn new skills, advance in your career and make an impact at Henkel. As the Head of Innovation for Infrastructure Protection & Repair (IPR), you will lead our global product development teams across coatings, composite repair, adhesives, and protective technologies. You will be the driving force behind shaping our innovation strategy, building a strong technical culture, integrating teams, and enabling the next generation of market‑shaping solutions.
Requirements
- Master’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field.
- 10+ years industry experience in adhesives, coatings, sealants, composites, or protective coating technologies.
- Strong product development or engineering experience within industrial applications.
- Proven track record leading large technical teams (~15+; ideally 30+).
- Experience leading organizational transformations or building new teams.
- Strong people leadership: motivation, coaching, conflict management.
- Strategic mindset with ability to connect innovation to business value.
- Strong commercial orientation and customer understanding.
- Excellent communication skills and ability to influence across organizations.
- Collaborative mindset and ability to unify diverse teams.
- Process-focused and data-driven.
Responsibilities
- Lead the integration of technical teams into one unified IPR innovation organization.
- Build a collaborative, high‑trust culture across diverse backgrounds.
- Drive the execution of IPR’s global innovation strategy.
- Manage and prioritize the global product development and technology portfolio.
- Lead key technology programs across coatings, composite repair, corrosion protection, and thermal/structural solutions.
- Lead and coach ~35 product development & technical experts across regions.
- Retain and develop talent during the integration phase.
- Set and monitor KPIs and drive continuous improvement.
- Build strong relationships with customers in core segments.
- Support customer visits, technical decisions, and major opportunities.
- Build partnerships with external suppliers, research institutions, and industry experts.
- Ensure strong collaboration across regional technology and PD hubs.
Benefits
- Health Insurance: affordable plans for medical, dental, vision and wellbeing starting on day 1
- Work-Life Balance: Paid time off including sick, vacation, holiday and volunteer time, flexible & hybrid work policies (depending on role), and vacation buy / sell program
- Financial: 401k matching, employee share plan with voluntary investment and Henkel matching shares, annual performance bonus, service awards and student loan reimbursement
- Family Support: 12-week gender neutral parental leave (up to 20 weeks for parents giving birth), fertility support, adoption & surrogacy reimbursement, discounted child and elderly care, and scholarships
- Career Growth: diverse national and international growth opportunities, access to thousands of skills development courses, and tuition reimbursement
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Executive
