Kao Corporation

kao.com

0open roles

13new in 30 days

8closed in 30 days

0remote-eligible

steadyhiring velocity

What they're building

Cincinnati plant maintenance and utilities staffing strong signal

Today: consumer products such as Jergens Lotion made at the Cincinnati plant

Roles: Electro/Mechanical Technician 2nd shift · Utilities & Maintenance Manager · Boiler Operator · Utilities Services Technician · Machine Maintenance Technician - 3rd shift · Line Technician - 2nd Shift · Industrial Maintenance Technician - 3rd Shift · Machine Maintenance / Line Operator

Requirements mention: Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) license · Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) knowledge · Boiler certificate · Read and interpret blue prints and schematics

Inference: the Cincinnati plant is filling maintenance and utilities coverage across several shifts. Six of the eight postings opened between April 2023 and October 2025, which points to ongoing or hard-to-fill coverage rather than a new build-out; the postings do not say why.

Professional Hair salon field sales moderate signal

Today: promoting the full portfolio of Kao Professional Hair products to salon partners

Roles: Account Executive · Brand Executive · General Interest - Territory Sales, UK, Professional Haircare · Sales Consultant (m/w/d), Salon, Switzerland (Ost-Schweiz)

Requirements mention: salon industry · new account acquisitions · field sales · Verkaufsaussendienst

Inference: salon field sales roles are open in Sarnia, Windsor, Austin, the United Kingdom (a pipeline posting) and Switzerland at the same time; the postings do not show a plan beyond these roles.

Retail customer and category management moderate signal

Today: translating company and brand strategies into actionable customer plans

Roles: Customer Business Manager · Category Manager, FTC

Requirements mention: customer forecasts · promo ROI · category management

Inference: retail account and category planning roles are open in Minneapolis, Cincinnati and London; the postings do not show scope beyond that.

Warehouse, distribution and shipping staffing moderate signal

Today: Kao's distribution center operations in West Chester, OH, and shipping and receiving for Cincinnati production

Roles: Material Handler 2nd shift · Material Handler · Material Coordinator

Requirements mention: Forklift · RF scanning device · International Shipments and Documentation · hazardous material shipments

Inference: two material handler roles support the West Chester distribution center, and a Material Coordinator plans shipments to meet the Cincinnati production schedule; the postings give no reason beyond the roles themselves.

SAP ERP architecture weak signal

Today: designing and overseeing SAP ERP systems at Kao, including preparation for S/4HANA

Roles: Architect, SAP ERP · Credit Controller, EMEA

Requirements mention: SAP ECC · FICO · WRICEF · SAP/S4Hana

No inference drawn; one architecture posting, with S/4HANA also listed in a finance role.

John Frieda new product innovation weak signal

Today: New product innovation and future growth for the John Frieda brand

Roles: Senior Brand Manager, John Frieda

Requirements mention: Stage Gate process · Innovation Masterplan

No inference drawn from one posting.

Where the headcount is going

Department	Open

Of 34 open roles, Manufacturing (11) and Sales (9) are the largest departments, and 17 postings are listed in Cincinnati.

Who they need

Seniority: Junior 12, mid 8, manager 4, senior 3, intern 3, unknown 4 across the 34 open roles.

Skills named most: Excel (6), PLC (5), Canva (5), Microsoft Office (3), SAP (3), compressed air (3), preventative maintenance (2), Forklift (2), HVAC (2), B2B sales (2), salon industry (2), new account acquisitions (2)

Locations: Cincinnati has 17 roles, plus 2 listed as Cincinnati; West Chester, OH. Amersfoort has 3 (EMEA e-commerce, credit control and FP&A), London 2 and United Kingdom 2. Sarnia, Windsor, Toronto, Minneapolis, Austin, Switzerland, Netherlands and Germany have 1 each. The Netherlands, Germany and one UK posting are general-interest pipeline listings. No roles are marked remote.

You'd fit if you have PLC and electrical/mechanical troubleshooting experience and can work 2nd or 3rd shift at the Cincinnati plant; the 2nd-shift Electro/Mechanical Technician role also asks for an HVAC license.
You'd fit if you have B2B sales and salon industry experience; the Switzerland posting also asks for Führerschein und eigenes Fahrzeug (driver's licence and own vehicle), and its requirements are written in German.
You'd fit if you have a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration or a related field and 7+ years of relevant CPG experience for the Cincinnati Customer Business Manager role.

How to use this

If you're applying: Cincinnati plant maintenance is the largest group of open roles. Check the PLC, HVAC license and boiler certificate requirements against the specific posting before applying. Salon sales postings name specific cities, so match your location to the posting.

If you're selling or recruiting: Cincinnati plant maintenance has 8 open roles across shifts, but six have been posted since 2023–2025, so treat them as long-running needs rather than new demand. Salon field sales roles span five locations, so confirm the territory before outreach. Amersfoort holds three EMEA commercial and finance roles, and SAP (including S/4HANA) appears in IT, finance and warehouse postings.

Open roles (0)

Title	Department	Location	Posted