UI R&D - Digital Transformation - Assistant Manager

Business Context:

Unilever International is Unilever’s White Space Arm of Unilever and a decacorn in-making. UI has scaled 10x since its launch in 2012 and with a turnover of 1.4 billion € in 2024 it is one of the fastest growing and most profitable sizable business of Unilever. UI caters to the last billion consumers in underserved markets, consumer segments, and channels across 200+ countries and all Unilever categories. As intrapreneurs we deploy an agile innovation model that enables more than 1 launch per day. We introduce Unilever’s brands into white space geographies like Korea, Pacific Islands, Mongolia, and spearhead launches of iconic brands like Dove, Vaseline, Knorr, Surf, TRESemme into big markets like U.S, China, Europe, & Asia.

Crafting product innovations for niches like Corporate Partnership serving Hospitality & Travel retail, marketing to institutional partners like the United Nations, and seeding Unilever brands to overseas diaspora who crave for a taste of their familiar home brands.  As well as premium product segments, on-trend formats and D2C innovations globally. We navigate complex and dynamic global regulatory landscape to ensure product compliance and EHS assurance across Personal Care, Beauty & Wellbeing, Homecare, Nutrition & Ice Creams.

Singapore is our global hub leading strategy, marketing thinking, seeding plans, and alignment with the global categories and supply chain. We have a global presence with UI hubs all over the world. R&D is primarily spread across India (Mumbai & Bangalore) & Korea with some resources present globally.

PC is UI’s largest BG representing 42% of UI turnover.  Skin cleansing is the largest business for PC (€275 M), with double-digit growth rates. Deo is the second largest PC business (roughly 240M€), while Oral care, Grooming and others contribute to about €50M to PC turnover.  B&W is the most profitable BG for UI business growing double digit with an ambition to grow from 400M€ to 600M€. UI Lip care is already number #1 Lip business for Unilever, while Vaseline is number #2 for Unilever.  Apart from rapidly rolling BW portfolio globally, UI also has wide mandates for multiple PC & B&W brands including Pears, Camay, Suave, St Ives, Simple among others, wherein UI leads product design globally as per UI mandates.  HC & Foods are fast growing BGs for UI representing close to 30% of its turnover.

Job Title: R&D Digital Transformation Lead, Unilever International

Location: Mumbai, Unilever House

Function: Unilever International - R&D

Geographic Scope: Global

Travel Requirement: <10%

Purpose of the Job:

This exciting role offers opportunity to make significant impact in embedding Digital Mindset and Digital Initiatives to meet fast track requirements from R&D in UI. Data is/will be the lifeline of UI to drive its ambition in FAST paced environment, and there is a need to adopt digital in routine and cut down on nonvalue adding activities.

Core Responsibilities:

• Digital Tools relevant to R&D UI – The Roadmap:

First task is to know what we don’t know before solving anything bespoke. You will be responsible to create a typical user journey, or “day in a life” of a R&D professional in UI (E.g.: Conduct user/stakeholder interviews, map day in life of key personals, pain points, what’s working and what’s not, what is needed in future etc.). Once done, engage with Digital Intelligence team in UI & Digital Partners in BG to understand what’s existing that can be adopted and what new needs to be built etc to fill-in the gaps. This roadmap with timings is the crux of how digital ways of working will evolve within UI.

• Data Capture and Quality – The Bedrock for everything digital:

Right data collected in a right way is the bedrock to build any successful digital tool, and is one of the most underrated, least understood aspect of digital transformation. In general, a data scientist spends 70 – 75% of its time on just data cleaning and making it fit for model building! At UI, the fast-track nature of job may lead to loss of critical data. Your key job would be to Identify data capture needs for UI R&D processes (the WHAT), engage various digital teams to understand HOW can it be captured automatically, and propose relevant digital tools (WHERE) to record UI data. Propose the ways of working (as needed) to capture minimum / core / good to have in relevant tools, and how that information will be exploited.  Ensure data quality checks and balances followed by Digital Data Quality Teams with KPI’s and bring them inside UI (improve as needed). Explore how data capture tools can be added as a part of project approval process before final launches happen, so that critical information is not lost.

• Digital Tools Integration outside R&D, but relevant to R&D – The Efficiency:

One of the most exciting and quick wins is to leverage existing tool not well known across Unilever functions and bring information at fingertips for quick decision making. You will be responsible for identifying areas to cut down information availability for R&D, especially from other functions such as marketing (sales for eg.) or supply chain (such as raw material pricing, volume, location used etc) or how relevant info can be extracted from existing data capture system with ease (eg. PLM, AWS, SDC etc.). This also involves creating simple power BI dashboard, integrating existing disjoint systems for data flow, while protecting data privacy (eg. Access based on role and requirement).

• Success Stories, Adoption KPI, Stakeholder and Digital Transformation the Present and Future:

Nothing drives success like success stories! Engaging 100% UI R&D team for digital adoption, sharing best practices, solving pain points through digital, cutting time spent of non-value adding activities, engaging last user and senior stakeholder together, and having a sense of success through clear KPI’s is critical to keep digital transformation on track. You are expected to share success stories from UI (to UI from R&D etc), carrying out regular feedback survey (such as Net Promotor Score survey), connect with digital leader across R&D to bring ‘whats-new’ and solve real pain points. Building futuristic road map on digital revolution in UI on “Digital Normal” will work in UI, will help you bring futuristic digital tool (such as AI bots, first product design in 24-hours etc., data driven quick decisions etc) to meet UI ambitions.

Apart from above core responsibilities, you will be engaging various digital leads across R&D, be UI representative in relevant R&D forums for digital, engage external (non UI) stakeholder as relevant to bring “Digital IN” for UI.

Preferred Skills

• Digital first Mindset: MUST be confident and knowledgeable in use of digital tools and challenge the status quo as “Why NOT” use the digital tool.
• Effective Storyteller: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, enjoys storytelling, with ability to convey complex (even scientific) information in a simple and engaging manner. Adapts communication style to different people and settings.
• Team Player: Role demands working together with diverse set of teams spread across multi-cultural / geographical / functional etc. You are expected to be able to work in such diverse settings and get moving.
• Problem Solver and Analytical: MUST think on solutions and approaches to overcome any issues faced in day to day working and influence right people to get the job done.
• Engage Stakeholders: Right message to stakeholder and get buy-in is critical to digital transformation, and the skill to influence stakeholders in right direction will be key to get buy-in and embed digital in UI ways of working.

Desired Qualification & Experience:

• Bachelors/Masters in any STEM is a must. Formal qualification in Data science is highly desirable.
• Experience in data sciences, big data or use/implementation of digital tools with be a BIG Advantage,
• Experience is digital transformation roles, and/or project leader experience is also a PLUS for this role,
• MUST have a minimum work experience of 3 – 4 years in any role in Unilever

Standards of Leadership: (Unilever International)

• CARE DEEPLY to nurture our tribe and work and win together
• FOCUS ON WHAT COUNTS – Consumer and customer obsession
• STAY THREE STEPS AHEAD to drive hunger for growth
• DRIVE WITH EXCELLENCE & Passion for execution
• DIGITAL YODA (Digital first mindset)