Careers

As the Director of R&D Innovation, you will lead the formulation strategy, sustainability initiatives, and innovation roadmap for a fast-paced, contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) specializing in beauty and personal care. You’ll serve as the scientific and technical expert behind the creation and optimization of consumer-driven, high-performing, and environmentally responsible formulations. This role bridges visionary product development with scalable manufacturing, ensuring speed-to-market, technical excellence, regulatory compliance, and alignment with sustainability goals.

Key Responsibilities (Updated Sections):

Strategic Leadership & Innovation

• Spearhead formulation and innovation strategy across skin, hair, oral care and personal care categories.
• Identify white space and category opportunities using trend analysis, ingredient scouting, and consumer insights.
• Own the development of a robust product chassis library to accelerate customer briefs and new launches.
• Execute the R&D sustainability strategy for new product development — from raw material sourcing and green chemistry principles to packaging compatibility and lifecycle considerations.
• Serve as a thought partner to Sales and Marketing in client engagement and pipeline development.
• Lead innovation gate meetings and contribute to business planning cycles.

Technical & Operational Excellence

• Oversee all phases of product development from concept to commercialization: lab batching, scale-up, pilot, stability, regulatory, and validation.
• Guide formulation optimization for cost, efficacy, environmental impact, and manufacturability.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Quality, Regulatory, and Operations to ensure development alignment with compliance, sustainability, and manufacturing feasibility.
• Support manufacturing teams with technical troubleshooting and production scale-up.

Team Management & Development

• Lead, coach, and mentor a high-performing R&D team of chemists and scientists.
• Foster a culture of curiosity, agility, and continuous improvement.
• Oversee department performance, budgeting, and resource planning.
• Ensure laboratory safety and adherence to SOPs and regulatory standards.

Customer & Market Engagement

• Represent the R&D function in customer-facing meetings and technical discussions.
• Translate customer needs into technical strategies and product solutions.
• Develop and present technical data, innovation roadmaps, and trend analyses to internal stakeholders and external partners.

Qualifications:

Education & Experience

• B.S. or M.S. in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Biology, or related discipline.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in formulation development and scale-up within personal care, OTC, cosmetic, or medical device industries.
• Proven track record of launching innovative, market-leading products in a CDMO or brand environment.

Technical Skills

• Strong working knowledge of formulation types (emulsions, suspensions, gels, serums, etc.), ingredient functionality, and regulatory landscapes (OTC, FDA, etc.).
• Experience in designing and executing stability, safety, efficacy, and performance testing.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, project management tools and formulation databases.
• Understanding of sustainability principles and clean beauty standards is a plus.

Soft Skills

• Inspirational leader with strong communication and presentation skills.
• High emotional intelligence with ability to influence across functions and levels.
• Entrepreneurial spirit with a passion for innovation and excellence.

Physical Requirements:

• Standing or walking on hard surfaces for up to 50% of the day.
• Lifting or carrying up to 40 pounds; pushing/pulling up to 75 pounds.
• Ability to use lab equipment and perform lab-based work as needed.
• Normal visual and auditory capabilities for lab and office environments.

Travel:

Yes — occasional domestic travel for customer meetings, trade shows, or internal manufacturing support.