Global Director Research & Technology

KX Technologies LLC

As a part of the global industrial organization Marmon Holdings—which is backed by Berkshire Hathaway—you’ll be doing things that matter, leading at every level, and winning a better way. We’re committed to making a positive impact on the world, providing you with diverse learning and working opportunities, and fostering a culture where everyone’s empowered to be their best.

Marmon Water Residential Filtration is a leading and innovative filter manufacturing company dedicated to providing high-quality filtration solutions to customers. With a commitment to excellence, sustainability, and customer satisfaction, we aim to revolutionize the industry by delivering cutting-edge products and exceptional services. We are seeking an experienced and dynamic individual to join our team as the Director, Global R&D.

As Director of Research and Development, you will lead the advancement and expansion of MWRF’s technology platforms while overseeing three critical global research functions: Lab Services, Applied Research, and Discovery Research. This role is central to shaping innovation strategy and driving sustainable, long-term growth across both core and adjacent business areas.

Leveraging deep customer and market insights, you will identify opportunities to evolve and scale technology platforms that deliver differentiated value and competitive advantage. You will play a key role in aligning R&D initiatives with broader business objectives, ensuring that innovation efforts translate into tangible commercial outcomes.

This position requires a strategic and forward-thinking leader who can inspire high-performing teams, foster cross-functional collaboration, and navigate a fast-paced, competitive landscape. You will have significant influence on company strategy, driving innovation priorities, resource allocation, and execution discipline to deliver measurable results.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Define and execute a multi-year innovation and technology roadmap aligned with business growth objectives across core and adjacent markets
• Partner with customers, industry experts, and executive leadership to identify high-value innovation opportunities and emerging applications
• Continuously assess market trends, competitive dynamics, regulatory developments, and disruptive technologies to define “where to play” and “how to win”
• Develop and implement a long-term laboratory and capability investment strategy to support future growth, scalability, and market leadership

Tactical Leadership

• Manage, prioritize and deliver results for:

• • Discovery Research: Explore and deploy breakthrough materials and technology platforms.
  • Applied Research: Advance core technologies through incremental innovation and develop filtration media supporting new product development and value engineering (VAVE) initiatives.
  • Laboratory Services: Provide analytical, microbiological, and standardized performance testing in water purification.
  • Establish and enforce robust portfolio governance, including stage-gate processes, prioritization frameworks, and resource allocation discipline
  • Balance short-term product delivery with long-term innovation investments to optimize pipeline health and business impact
  • Identify and proactively mitigate technical, regulatory, and operational risks undefined.

Communication

• Provide quarterly updates to the Senior Leadership Team, highlighting progress against strategic priorities, key risks and opportunities, and recommended adjustments to the plan.
• Embed voice-of-customer insights into the innovation process to address unmet and emerging needs
• Engage directly with key customers as a trusted technical advisor and innovation partner
• Establish a visible and credible leadership presence across the global organization, prioritizing the critical drivers of employee engagement and fostering a high-performing, connected team environment.

Innovation

• Drive innovation across Research & Development to sustain a differentiated competitive advantage.
• Anticipate and address unmet customer needs through insight-driven solutions.
• Build, protect, and actively manage a robust intellectual property portfolio.

Collaboration

• Build and manage high-impact partnerships with vendors and cross-functional internal and external stakeholders.
• Foster strong cross-functional collaboration across engineering, operations, commercial, and supply chain teams.

Continuous Improvement

• Champion a culture of operational excellence and continuous improvement by identifying and implementing opportunities for cost reduction, process optimization and productivity gains.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to drive results and enhance organizational effectiveness.

Health, Safety, and Environmental Compliance

• Lead a safety-first culture across all R&D and laboratory operations.
• Ensure compliance with all health, safety, and environmental regulations and standards.
• Drive continuous improvement in safety practices and accountability.

People Leadership

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing global R&D organization.
• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous learning.
• Develop talent pipelines, succession plans, and critical technical capabilities.
• Lead with a hands-on, agile approach—enabling speed, adaptability, and strong decision-making.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Engineering, or related science.

Master’s or PhD preferred

• Minimum of 10 years of progressive R&D leadership experience within the manufacturing industry, or 7+ years in a senior leadership role specifically within water filtration and purification
• Deep expertise in Intellectual Property strategy and management, with the ability to build, protect, and leverage IP to drive competitive advantage
• Proven track record of successfully commercializing new technologies, delivering measurable impact on revenue growth and business performance
• Strong understanding of filtration and separation technologies (preferred), with the ability to translate technical capabilities into market-ready solutions
• Strong strategic orientation with the ability to balance long-term innovation and near-term results
• Proven leadership capability in managing complex, global R&D organizations with a demonstrated ability to inspire innovation and foster a high-performance culture
• Ability to drive execution and deliver outcomes in a dynamic, competitive environment

Compensation

The base salary range for this position is $170,000–$175,000 annually.

This position is also eligible to participate in the Marmon Bonus Plan.

Following receipt of a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be required to complete additional job-related screening processes as permitted or required by applicable law.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all applicants will be considered for employment without attention to their membership in any protected class. If you require any reasonable accommodation to complete your application or any part of the recruiting process, please email your request to [email protected], and please be sure to include the title and the location of the position for which you are applying.