R&D Manager - Cosmetic & Personal Care Formulations

Summary

Lead the Application Function team in developing customer-ready formulations, prototypes, application data, and technical packages that demonstrate the performance, functionality, and customer value of our ingredients across key personal care applications. This role translates customer needs, market requirements, and product positioning into technically sound formulations, prototypes, application data, and claims-supporting technical packages.

The position serves as a hands-on technical leader and customer-facing application expert, partnering with Sales, Marketing, Operations, Product Stewardship, and customers to deliver formulation solutions, responsive technical service, and customer-ready application support that drive adoption and commercial success.

Responsibilities

Essential functions include team leadership, hands-on application development, customer technical support, claims-supporting technical documentation, project execution, and laboratory-based technical problem solving.

Application Development & Prototype Formulation

• Lead the design and development of customer-ready prototype formulations that showcase the performance and value of our ingredients and technologies.
• Provide application support for new ingredient innovation by translating emerging ingredient concepts into prototypes, performance demonstrations, application data, and customer-ready technical materials.
• Develop formulation concepts across personal care categories, including skin care, hair care, sun care, cleansing, hygiene, and other relevant application areas.
• Translate customer briefs, market trends, and performance requirements into practical formulation approaches that meet sensory, stability, cost, positioning, and claims-related objectives.
• Identify new application opportunities for existing ingredients and expand portfolio use across customer segments, product formats, and market needs.
• Ensure prototypes and demonstrators are technically robust, reproducible, well documented, and aligned with customer expectations and commercial support priorities.

Technical Service & Commercial Support

• Serve as a primary technical resource for customers, Sales, Marketing, distributors, and global technical service teams throughout the customer development process, from initial inquiry and formulation recommendation through evaluation, troubleshooting, and commercialization.
• Respond to technical inquiries and performance-related requests with timely, solutions-oriented guidance, including troubleshooting for compatibility, stability, processing, sensory attributes, ingredient interactions, and performance gaps.
• Support customer meetings, technical presentations, workshops, trainings, product demonstrations, launches, and conversions with clear formulation recommendations, prototypes, application data, and differentiated benefit stories.
• Capture customer feedback, formulation learnings, competitive observations, and market needs to inform portfolio positioning, future development, and customer-specific technical solutions.

Claims Support & Technical Validation

• Develop and execute formulation characterization and testing plans to support customer requirements, product positioning, and claims substantiation.
• Coordinate and interpret stability, rheology, sensory, compatibility, performance screening, efficacy, and other relevant application testing.
• Generate technical data packages, application guides, prototype summaries, formulation notes, white papers, technical bulletins, and claims-supporting documentation.
• Translate ingredient features, formulation performance, and technical data into clear customer-relevant and consumer-relevant benefits.
• Partner with Regulatory, Product Stewardship, Research, Marketing, and Sales to ensure claims support materials are scientifically sound, compliant, and customer-ready.

Project Management & Execution

• Manage multiple application development projects, customer technical requests, formulation studies, and claims support activities simultaneously.
• Define project objectives, timelines, deliverables, testing plans, and documentation requirements in alignment with commercial priorities.
• Track active customer briefs, prototype requests, technical service requests, and claims support deliverables.
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, and with high technical quality.
• Continuously improve application development workflows, documentation standards, technical service processes, and knowledge management systems.

Laboratory Practices & Technical Excellence

• Maintain high standards for laboratory safety, scientific rigor, formulation quality, documentation, and data integrity.
• Ensure hands-on formulation work, application testing, and prototype preparation follow established procedures and quality expectations.
• Promote consistent formulation practices, technical documentation standards, and application development best practices across the applications function.
• Support continuous learning, technical capability building, and knowledge sharing within the R&D&C and technical service organizations.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop application scientists, formulation specialists, and technical service professionals, where applicable based on team structure and business needs.
• Set clear priorities, expectations, accountability measures, and development objectives aligned with business and customer needs.
• Foster a culture of customer focus, technical excellence, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Support talent development, technical capability building, and effective cross-functional collaboration across R&D&C, Sales, Marketing, Regulatory, Product Stewardship, and Operations.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Strong expertise in formulation science and application development across personal care categories.
• Deep understanding of ingredient functionality, formulation interactions, performance evaluation, and application testing methodologies.
• Demonstrated experience developing customer-ready prototypes, formulation guides, technical data packages, and claims-supporting materials.
• Strong ability to troubleshoot formulation challenges and provide practical, customer-relevant technical solutions.
• Ability to translate technical data and formulation performance into clear customer benefits and claims support.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, training, and customer-facing communication skills.
• Strong project management, prioritization, documentation, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Ability to manage multiple customer requests and application projects with speed, quality, and accountability.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Material Science, Cosmetic Science, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biochemistry, or related scientific discipline required; M.S. or Ph.D. preferred.
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant industry experience with a B.S.; 6 years with an M.S.; or 4 years with a Ph.D.
• Experience in personal care, cosmetics, specialty ingredients, specialty chemicals, biotechnology, or related application-focused industries preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in formulation development, technical service, customer support, claims substantiation, and application testing required.
• Prior people leadership experience, experience supporting global or multi-region customers, and demonstrated success partnering with Sales and Marketing to support product adoption.

Physical Requirements:

• This position requires regular hands-on laboratory work to support formulation development, prototype preparation, application testing, and technical troubleshooting.
• This position requires on-site presence at our Philadelphia, PA location to support laboratory activities, customer demonstrations, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Occasional travel, approximately 15-25%, may be required for customer visits, technical meetings, training, and industry conferences.
• Work is performed in both laboratory and office environments and requires use of standard laboratory equipment, computer systems, and documentation tools.

We offer a generous compensation package including base salary, annual bonus, 401K with company match, generous PTO policy, health, and dental insurance, etc.

If you are qualified and interested, please submit your resume today!