Principal Scientist, Process Engineer – Burt’s Bees

Principal Scientist – Process Engineer, Burt’s Bees

As the Process Engineering subject matter expert at Burt’s Bees, you’ll lead the transformation of product concepts into scalable, sustainable manufacturing processes. You’ll drive innovation, boost efficiency, and optimize margin—while mentoring technical teams and building long-term capability. This role is a strategic bridge between R&D and manufacturing, where your leadership will fuel technical excellence and deliver results aligned with our brand’s purpose and priorities.

This position is located in our Burt’s Bees office in Durham, NC, and you will be required to go into office a minimum of 3 days a week.

Relocation allowance is offered.

In This Role, You Will

• Be the technical leader and subject matter expert on scale-up readiness and manufacturing feasibility across the full Burt’s Bees product portfolio
• Independently lead complex technical programs and collaborate cross-functionally to drive a suite of projects
• Manage pilot plant operations and capital investments to enable scalable, future-ready technical capabilities
• Actively scout and integrate external technologies and manufacturing innovations to build and strengthen internal capabilities
• Translate business strategy into actionable technical Process solutions, connecting long-term goals to smart, scalable solutions.
• Establish, author, and maintain best practices and standards for scale-up, ensuring safety, compliance, and technical rigor
• Lead with impact, taking ownership of technical talent growth through coaching, skill-building, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• Champion and drive improvements in cost, sustainability, and operational efficiency in close collaboration with manufacturing partners.
• Apply data-driven approaches to inform decisions and optimize processes.
  
  

What We Look For

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Engineering required.
• Minimum 8 years of deep experience in Process Development and scale-up in personal care consumer products or adjacent regulated environments (i.e. OTC, Food, etc.).
• Change-makers who lead with action: spotting opportunities, taking initiative, and moving quickly to create meaningful impact.
• Inspiring and strategic builders, raising the bar on technical excellence and empowering teams through hands-on leadership.
• Strong technical curiosity, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving skills with a record of implemented innovative and effective technical solutions.
• Champions of safety, compliance, and scientific integrity – creating space for learning while driving adoption of new tools, processes, and programs.
• Demonstrated experience in applying Design of Experiments (DoE) and statistical analysis tools (ex: JMP) to optimize and validate processes.