Director of Research Development

Research & Development Director

The Research & Development Director leads all scientific, technical, and innovation activities for a clean, high-performance personal care and beauty contract manufacturer. This role defines formulation strategy, drives new product development, and ensures innovation is translated into scalable, commercially successful products.

Responsibilities

Innovation & Product Development

• Lead all formulation, research, and product development from concept to launch.
• Own the long-term innovation roadmap and technical strategy.
• Advance clean, sustainable, high-performance formulations.

Strategic & Operational Leadership

• Oversee the full innovation lifecycle, including regulatory, pilot, and commercialization stages.
• Align innovation priorities with company goals, customer needs, and financial targets.
• Conduct technical due diligence on new technologies and ingredient platforms.

Team Leadership

• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary R&D team.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, scientific excellence, and accountability.
• Strengthen organizational capability through talent and resource planning.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Business Development, Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, and Regulatory to deliver on-time, on-budget launches.
• Serve as the technical point of contact for customers.
• Coordinate the stage-gate process and ensure cross-functional alignment.

Technical Excellence

• Translate consumer insights into differentiated formulation strategies.
• Identify and integrate new raw materials and processing technologies.
• Maintain high standards for documentation, claims support, and regulatory compliance.
• Lead scale-up and ensure successful pilot-to-commercial transfer.

Executive Communication

• Represent R&D in executive meetings, customer presentations, and strategic partnerships.
• Communicate project status, risks, and opportunities to leadership.

Qualifications

Education:

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Cosmetic Science, or related field.

Experience:

• 10 years R&D/product development leadership in personal care, beauty, or OTC.
• Proven record of successful product commercialization.
• Experience leading teams in a fast-paced, customer-centric environment.

Competencies:

• Expertise in formulation science, ingredient functionality, and stability testing.
• Knowledge of FDA/EU/ISO regulations, sustainability principles, and IP strategy.
• Strong communicator and strategic thinker; inspirational team leader.

Additional Details

• Supervises all chemists, scientists, technicians, and engineers.
• Standard office/lab setting; reasonable accommodations available.
• Full-time, Monday–Friday 8am–5pm.
• Travel up to 15%.
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S.