Our client, a well-established organisation within the manufacturing and personal care industries, is seeking an experienced R&D Manager to lead innovative formulation development and drive product excellence.
Key Functions:
- Lead the development of new product formulations from concept through to commercialisation
- Translate marketing, customer, and private-label briefs into feasible, commercially viable products
- Oversee laboratory formulation and prototype development, ensuring robust, scalable formulations
- Research new ingredients, formulation technologies, and industry developments to foster innovation
- Benchmark competitors and identify opportunities for product improvement
- Manage formulation stability, efficacy, manufacturability, and cost considerations
- Support product claims with technical evidence and maintain oversight of stability programmes
- Collaborate with production teams to ensure seamless transfer from lab to manufacturing
- Develop and optimise manufacturing methods, resolving processing issues and ensuring regulatory compliance
- Manage external laboratories and specialists for testing and validation
- Evaluate raw materials and suppliers, maintaining key relationships and sourcing alternatives
- Lead, support, and mentor the R&D team, fostering a culture of continuous improvement
- Coordinate with cross-functional teams for product launches and represent R&D in stakeholder meetings
Requirements:
- Preferably 5+ years of hands-on formulation experience in cosmetics or personal care
- Proven track record of taking products from concept to commercial production
- Strong laboratory-to-production scale-up experience
- Skilled in formulation troubleshooting and stability testing
- Excellent project management and collaboration capabilities
- Knowledge of regulatory standards relevant to the industry
- Experience in managing R&D teams and mentoring junior staff
- Familiarity with new raw material evaluation and supplier management
Kindly note that you will be redirected to the Ditto website in order to submit your application for this position.