Director, product stewardship & regulatory programs

This is where your work makes a difference.

At Baxter, we believe every person—regardless of who they are or where they are from—deserves a chance to live a healthy life. It was our founding belief in 1931 and continues to be our guiding principle. We are redefining healthcare delivery to make a greater impact today, tomorrow, and beyond.

Our Baxter colleagues are united by our Mission to Save and Sustain Lives. Together, our community is driven by a culture of courage, trust, and collaboration. Every individual is empowered to take ownership and make a meaningful impact. We strive for efficient and effective operations, and we hold each other accountable for delivering exceptional results.

Here, you will find more than just a job—you will find purpose and pride.

Your Role at Baxter

Baxter is seeking an experienced leader to oversee Product Stewardship and the execution of environmental and social product-related regulatory programs across the enterprise.

This role is responsible for monitoring emerging regulations, assessing business applicability, establishing implementation roadmaps, and driving cross-functional execution to ensure compliance across Baxter's global portfolio. The leader will work closely with business segments, drive collaboration with other functions such as R&D, Regulatory Affairs, Quality, and Legal, and Operations teams to translate evolving requirements into practical and timely actions.

Success in this role requires exceptional program management, organizational leadership, and execution capabilities. The individual must be skilled at coordinating complex initiatives across multiple stakeholders, driving accountability, and ensuring that Baxter remains ahead of regulatory requirements while proactively identifying opportunities to develop products and solutions that meet future market needs.

The role serves as a critical connection point between regulatory developments and commercial opportunity. By helping the business understand where regulations are heading, this leader will enable segments to make informed product, packaging, materials, and portfolio decisions that strengthen Baxter's competitive edge and support evolving customer expectations.

What you'll be doing

Regulatory Monitoring and Business Impact Assessment

• Lead Baxter's global monitoring and assessment of environmental, product, packaging, chemical, circular economy, and social regulatory developments.
• Establish structured processes for evaluating applicability across business segments, product categories, and geographic markets.
• Develop risk assessments and implementation plans for emerging regulations.
• Maintain an enterprise regulatory roadmap and prioritization framework.
• Provide actionable recommendations to segment leaders regarding potential business impacts and required actions.

Enterprise Compliance Program Leadership

• Lead execution of product stewardship programs addressing chemicals compliance, packaging regulations, extended producer responsibility requirements, product environmental requirements, human rights due diligence, and other emerging obligations.
• Establish governance, timelines, milestones, and accountability mechanisms to ensure on-time implementation.
• Drive enterprise-wide readiness activities and compliance programs.
• Track progress, escalate risks, and ensure effective issue resolution.
• Develop and oversee internal reporting mechanisms for compliance status, milestones, and program performance.

Regulatory Readiness and Market Leadership

• Partner with business segments to identify areas where Baxter can proactively address future regulatory requirements.
• Translate regulatory trends into opportunities for product and portfolio innovation.
• Support the development of sustainable product, packaging, and material solutions that position Baxter ahead of future requirements.
• Enable "first-to-market" approaches where emerging regulatory trends create opportunities for competitive differentiation.
• Ensure product stewardship considerations are incorporated into new product development and lifecycle management processes.

Cross-Functional Execution and Program Management

• Lead large-scale, cross-functional initiatives involving R&D, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Legal, Procurement, Supply Chain, Operations, and Commercial teams.
• Establish clear ownership, decision-making structures, and implementation plans.
• Drive execution through disciplined project management practices.
• Remove barriers, resolve conflicts, and maintain momentum across multiple concurrent programs.
• Build repeatable processes and operating mechanisms to scale regulatory compliance efforts across Baxter.

Commercial and Customer Enablement

• Partner with Commercial Sustainability and segment leadership teams to understand evolving customer requirements and market expectations.
• Provide regulatory and product sustainability expertise to support customer tenders, audits, questionnaires, and product inquiries.
• Help commercial teams understand how regulatory trends may influence future purchasing decisions and customer expectations.
• Support development of product-level sustainability information and compliance documentation needed for customers and health systems.

Leadership and Governance

• Lead the Product Stewardship function and associated governance forums.
• Provide regular updates to the Sustainability Leadership Team and executive leadership.
• Build strong partnerships across business segments and functional organizations.
• Foster a culture of accountability, execution excellence, and proactive problem solving.

What you'll bring

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Regulatory Affairs, Life Sciences, Business, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in product stewardship, regulatory affairs, environmental compliance, product compliance, quality systems, or related disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex global compliance or regulatory implementation programs.
• Strong understanding of environmental and social regulations impacting products, packaging, chemicals, materials, and supply chains.
• Exceptional project management and execution skills.
• Proven ability to lead large cross-functional initiatives and drive organizational accountability.
• Strong business acumen and ability to translate regulatory developments into practical business actions.

Preferred

• Medical device, pharmaceutical, healthcare, or other highly regulated industry experience.
• Experience with REACH, RoHS, PFAS regulations, Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), conflict minerals, and human rights due diligence requirements.
• Experience working directly with product development, R&D, quality, and regulatory teams.
• Program Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent project management experience.
• Experience supporting customer sustainability requests, tenders, or product-level regulatory disclosures.

We understand compensation is an important factor as you consider the next step in your career. At Baxter, we are committed to equitable pay for all employees, and we strive to be more transparent with our pay practices. The estimated base salary for this position is $176,000 - $242,000 annually. The estimated range is meant to reflect an anticipated salary range for the position. We may pay more or less than of the anticipated range based upon market data and other factors, all of which are subject to change. Individual pay is based on upon location, skills and expertise, experience, and other relevant factors. This position may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses, commission, and/or long-term incentive. For questions about this, our pay philosophy, and available benefits, please speak to the recruiter if you decide to apply and are selected for an interview.

Baxter is committed to supporting the needs for flexibility in the workplace. We do so through our flexible workplace policy which includes a required minimum number of days a week onsite. This policy provides the benefits of connecting and collaborating in-person in support of our Mission. The flexible workplace policy is subject to local laws and legal requirements. At its discretion, Baxter may decide to adjust, suspend, or discontinue as business needs change.

US Benefits at Baxter (except for Puerto Rico)

This is where your well-being matters. Baxter offers comprehensive compensation and benefits packages for eligible roles. Our health and well-being benefits include medical and dental coverage that start on day one, as well as insurance coverage for basic life, accident, short-term and long-term disability, and business travel accident insurance. Financial and retirement benefits include the Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), with the ability to purchase company stock at a discount, and the 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan (RSP), with options for employee contributions and company matching. We also offer Flexible Spending Accounts, educational assistance programs, and time-off benefits such as paid holidays, paid time off ranging from 20 to 35 days based on length of service, family and medical leaves of absence, and paid parental leave. Additional benefits include commuting benefits, the Employee Discount Program, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and childcare benefits. Join us and enjoy the competitive compensation and benefits we offer to our employees. For additional information regarding Baxter US Benefits, please speak with your recruiter or visit our Benefits site: Benefits | Baxter.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Baxter is an equal opportunity employer. Baxter evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, disability/handicap status or any other legally protected characteristic.

Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal

Reasonable Accommodations

Baxter is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities globally. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or interview process, please click on the link here and let us know the nature of your request along with your contact information.

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