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RD&E Group Leader

ECOLAB
$120,500.00 - $180,700.00
United States, Illinois, Naperville
Company Location (Show on map)
Mar 14, 2026

Nalco Water, an Ecolab Company, is seeking a talented RD&E technical leader with expertise in water unit operations and portfolio leadership to join our Power RD&E team located in Naperville, IL as a Group Leader. The Power team supports the global Power generation business including Gas, Nuclear, Coal, Geothermal, and new sources of power generation such as renewables and Hydrogen.This Group leader role will drive a newly re-ignited Power innovation portfolio with clear ideation, and execution while continuing to build the pipeline of cooling, effluent, and boilers with digital innovation integrated while building and cultivating the right RD&E team to deliver on these initiatives. In addition, this leader will coordinate innovation initiatives across the Power businesses globally; working closely with regional RD&E leads, communicating regularly with marketing, field representatives, business leaders, and customers to deliver on innovation pipeline and sales targets every year. Finally, the Group leader will be building innovation roadmaps for the future; ensuring a robust pipeline for new products and platforms that help our customer solve complex water problems and aligned internally with growth initiatives.

What you will do:

  • Manage and drive a portfolio of projects that deliver unique solutions related to water usage and water circularity across the Power segment.

  • Develop solutions to complex research problems requiring creativity and ingenuity. Plan, perform, and interpret results from relevant experiments and present data in a concise and usable format.

  • Ensure protection of Nalco Water intellectual property through patenting, licensing, and joint development agreements.

  • Collaborate with a diverse, cross-functional team of sales leaders, researchers, industry technical consultants, functional business partners such as Marketing, and OEM partners to develop new ideas that solve difficult problems related to core as well as water circularity, water usage and energy efficiency.

  • Lead and grow a talented RD&E team that are focused on delivering innovative solutions

  • Communicating project status and innovation impact regularly to stakeholders and business leaders.

  • Assume a leadership role in Safety and embody Nalco Water's safety culture. Ensure all research activities are performed with safety as the top priority.

Minimum Qualifications

  • Degree or Advanced degree in a related Engineering or Technical discipline. Bachelors Degree and 8 years of experience or Master degree and 5 years of experience or PhD and 3 years related experience in water treatment, cooling, and/or digital/automation innovation for industrial and commercial applications.

  • Previous technical and managerial leadership as well as developing technical talent for an organization.

  • Preferred to have Power operations, Renewables energy operations previous experience

  • Proven experience in technical project leadership and implementation of strategic roadmaps

  • No Immigration Sponsorship available for this role

Annual or Hourly Compensation Range

The base salary range for this position is $120,500.00 - $180,700.00. This position is eligible for annual bonus pay based on performance, per plan terms. Many factors are taken into consideration when determining compensation, such as experience, education, training, geography, etc. We comply with all minimum wage and overtime laws.

Benefits

Ecolab strives to provide comprehensive and market-competitive benefits to meet the needs of our associates and their families.Click here to see our benefits.

If you are viewing this posting on a site other than our Ecolab Career website, view our benefits at jobs.ecolab.com/working-here.

Potential Customer Requirements Notice

To meet customer requirements and comply with local or state regulations, applicants for certain customer-facing roles may need to:

- Undergo additional background screens and/or drug/alcohol testing for customer credentialing.

- Be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, including a booster if eligible, unless a religious or medical accommodation is requested by the applicant and approved by Ecolab.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Ecolab will provide reasonable accommodation (such as a qualified sign language interpreter or other personal assistance) with our application process upon request as required to comply with applicable laws. If you have a disability and require accommodation assistance in this application process, please visit the Recruiting Support link in the footer of each page of our career website.

Our Commitment to a Culture of Inclusion & Belonging

At Ecolab, we believe the best teams are inclusive. We are on a journey to create a workplace where every associate can grow and achieve their best. We are committed to fair and equal treatment of associates and applicants and recruit, hire, promote, transfer and provide opportunities for advancement based on individual qualifications and job performance. In all matters affecting employment, compensation, benefits, working conditions, and opportunities for advancement, we will not discriminate against any associate or applicant for employment because of race, religion, color, creed, national origin, citizenship status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expressions, genetic information, marital status, age, disability, or status as a covered veteran.

In addition, we are committed to furthering the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) through Affirmative Action (AA).

We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the New York City Fair Chance Act.

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