Research Scientist

Research Scientist (11-12) - I&S Oral Care North America

909 River Road Piscataway, NJ 08854

Monday – Friday, 8am – 4pm (with some flexibility)

6 months

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Perform appropriate Lab practices and procedures for making product formulation and testing of products. Follow product stability protocols. Maintain, monitor, validate and calibrate lab equipment, as necessary. Prepare reports, collect data analysis, and communicate progress and completion of tests to leadership. Maintain good record keeping habits.

Responsibilities include:

• Lead the development and implementation of new toothpaste formulas for North America - under the hello and Tom's of Maine brands.
• Be the R&D point of contact for commercial teams for hello and Tom's key innovation.
• Lead experimental designs to help identity launch formulations and production processes.
• Make lab and pilot batches of formulations for stability testing and customer sampling.
• Support Pilot Plant batches by preparing batch sheets, requesting raw materials, pre-weighing materials and batch execution.
• Support plant trial batches at various North America locations as needed.
• Manage multiple stability studies at the lab, pilot and plant scale, working with support groups (analytical, flavor, micro, etc) to deliver samples and follow up on results.
• Create/maintain all required R&D documentation to ensure flawless, high quality commercialization.
• This may include R&D project timelines, formula databases, tech transfer checklists, proof of claims documents, registration documents, NODs, change control documents and technical justifications.
• Manage independent projects and collaborate with cross-functional teams, leveraging diverse perspectives to achieve key project goals and influence beyond your network
• Create and maintain all required documentation under GMP/GLP per FDA/ICH guidelines as required.
• Validate new raw material suppliers and packaging as required.
• Maintain a clean and organized working environment.
• Work on multiple tasks with changing priorities.
• Make day-to-day recommendations and escalate issues regarding formula development.
• Stay abreast of supplier and competitor's new developments.
• Abide by and follow all company standard operating procedures (SOPs) including those for product development, regulatory and safety.
• Deliver effective presentations of technical data and project status.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or MS Degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Biochemistry, Food Science or related fields.
• 4 years of experience developing and/or implementing consumer products.
• Experience scaling up formulations from the lab through pilot or manufacturing scale.
• Technical understanding of related chemistry and science (for example: active deliveries, emulsions, surfactants, rheology, liquid chemistry)
• Strong knowledge of ingredient chemistry to be able to understand how the interdependencies and interactions of raw material components affect formulation and process performance
• Able to multi-task and coordinate various simultaneous projects
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Self-motivated but able to work well within a team environment
• Knowledge of cGMP /GMP and GLP
• Excellent computer skills (MS Office, Google suite, SAP, etc.)

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of equipment and procedures for making oral care formulations
• Experience running stability studies for OTC/Drug products
• Experience & understanding of producing formulations at the manufacturing scale.
• Experience with claim substantiation.
• Strong project planning and management experience
• Knowledge of Regulatory environment in North America and across the globe
• Knowledge of ICH/FDA guidelines for stability and testing of new drug products

Other Required Experience/Qualifications:

• Previous laboratory experience preferred.
• Must have hands-on experience with laboratory instruments.
• Must be able to learn new procedures in a short period of time.
• Must be able to follow SOPs and obtain reliable and accurate data.
• Must be able to document data consistently and accurately.
• Must be able to perform routine tasks daily