Director,Applications & Experimental Lab

Join us and celebrate the beauty of human experience. Create for happier, healthier lives, with love for nature. Together, with our customers, we deliver food innovations, craft inspired fragrances and develop beauty and wellbeing solutions. There’s much to learn and many to learn from, with more than 17,000 employees around the world to explore ideas and ambitions with.

In the USA, we develop, market and produce a wide array of solutions from our 25 most innovative sites, based across the country. Stretch your skills, create and get inspiration from passionate colleagues. Every day, your energy, your thirst for knowledge, and your creativity will shape our future, making a positive difference on billions of people. Every essence of you enriches our world. We are Givaudan. Human by nature.

The Laboratory Director will provide strategic and operational leadership for the Fragrance Application, Experimental, and Stability laboratory functions for the Consumer Products division in North America. You will drive technical excellence, and customer-focused solutions while partnering with Perfumers, Creative Fragrance Managers, Sales, and R&D teams. You will lead technical teams, and oversee laboratory operations, that support business growth and customer success.

Your Title Laboratory Director, Consumer Products

Your Location East Hanover, NJ

You Will Report To Creative Centre Director

Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead laboratory teams focused on fragrance application, oil compounding, stability testing, and troubleshooting.
• Ensure management and development of team members by promoting teamwork, accountability, creativity, efficiency, and professional growth.
• Foster an inclusive, collaborative, and high-performance culture that inspires employee engagement and continuous improvement.
  
  

Laboratory Operations & Compliance

• Direct daily laboratory operations to provide accurate, timely, and high-quality support to team members.
• Manage laboratory resources, equipment, budgets, infrastructure, and laboratory design to ensure safe and efficient operations while implementing upgrades and innovations that support our needs.
• Ensure compliance with Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and company quality standards.
  
  

Strategy, Performance & Innovation

• Establish laboratory strategies, priorities, and operational plans aligned with business and customer goals.
• Monitor and analyze laboratory KPIs, defining key metrics that advance operational excellence.
• Lead high-impact projects and continuous improvement initiatives that drive innovation, reinforce best practices, and streamline non-value-added activities.
  
  

Technical Leadership & Collaboration

• Define and implement technical and scientific support for internal and external customers, including new product development, innovative concepts, fragrance ingredient stability and compatibility, and fragrance-base interactions to ensure service excellence.
• Partner with Perfumers, Creative Fragrance Managers, Sales, Marketing, and R&D teams to support fragrance development while maintaining effective dialogue on project status, sample requests, and troubleshooting activities.
• Promote global and cross-functional collaboration to enhance laboratory performance and represent the region within the global laboratory network.
  
  

Your Professional Profile Includes

• Advanced university degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Cosmetic Science, or a related scientific field.
• 12 years of relevant industry experience in laboratory, technical, research, application, or product development environments.
• 6 years of people management experience leading scientific or technical teams, with the ability to supervise all levels of a technical organization and provide guidance, coaching, and technical skill development.
• Demonstrated expertise in fragrance and/or product formulation, fragrance application, stability testing, troubleshooting, and laboratory operations.
• Ability to lead complex, high-impact projects from design through execution.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex data into clear, impactful insights that drive innovation and organizational change.
• Knowledge of laboratory equipment, safe handling practices, EHS requirements, GMP and ISO standards, and quality systems.
• Experience supporting innovation, customer-focused development, and technical excellence.
• Experience influencing and collaborating across departments, regions, and organizational levels.
• Lean certification and/or demonstrated experience applying continuous improvement methodologies preferred.
• Knowledge of SAP and laboratory software applications such as LCMS and SmartLab preferred.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
  
  

Compensation And Benefits

The established salary range for this position is $160,000 - $190,000. Actual compensation will depend on individual qualifications.

Medical, dental, and vision coverage and a high-matching 401(k) retirement plan.

Givaudan takes into consideration a wide range of factors that are utilized in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, qualifications/certifications and education, and internal equity.

At Givaudan, you contribute to delightful taste and scent experiences that touch people’s lives.

You work within an inspiring teamwork culture – where you can thrive, collaborate and learn from other talented and passionate people across disciplines, regions and divisions.

Every essence of you enriches our world.

Diversity of perspectives fuels innovation and fosters deeper connections with our employees, customers, and partners. At Givaudan, we are dedicated to cultivating an inclusive environment where every individual’s voice is valued and has the power to shape our world. Join us in making a difference together.