About the role
The R&D Manager directs the full lifecycle of chemical product innovation, from initial lab formulation and prototyping through to pilot plant scale-up and high-volume commercial production. This role ensures that all technical projects comply with strict chemical safety regulations, sustainability goals, financial budgets, and corporate objectives. 1. Strategic Innovation & Project ManagementGoal Translation: Translate high-level corporate innovation goals and market trends into actionable, structured R&D projects and timelines.Intellectual Property: Document proprietary chemical processes and assist in filing patents to protect technology.2. Formulation & Process DevelopmentFormulation Leadership: Lead the end-to-end design, development, testing, and optimization of new chemical and microbiological formulations to improve product performance.Process Scale-up: Transition products safely from lab-scale and pilot testing to full-scale chemical manufacturing.3. Quality, Testing & ComplianceScientific Integrity: Review comprehensive project results and laboratory data, ensuring absolute scientific integrity, compliance, and technical excellence.Testing & Quality: Establish rigorous testing methodologies to validate product stability and chemical compliance.Regulatory Compliance: Ensure all activities adhere to environmental, health, and safety regulations (e.g., REACH, OSHA, SDS).4. Team Leadership & MentorshipLab Leadership: Manage, mentor, evaluate, and develop a team of chemical researchers and lab technicians.Culture of Innovation: Actively promote a workplace culture rooted in innovation, continuous learning, and collaboration.5. Cross-Functional CollaborationProduction & Sales Alignment: Partner with Production to troubleshoot manufacturing bottlenecks and support Sales with technical insights.Marketing & Operations Alignment: Coordinate and align R&D project pipelines with Marketing for consumer insights and Production/Operations for seamless manufacturing scale-up.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Industrial Chemistry, or Chemical Engineering, preferred Master’s or PhD in Chemistry, Microbiology, or related field.Experience: +10 years in chemical R&D.Technical Expertise: Deep knowledge of chemical formulation, hazardous materials, and analytical instrumentation (e.g., HPLC, GC).Project Management: Proven ability to lead complex projects using PMP, Agile, or Stage-Gate frameworks.Analytical Thinking: Superior capacity to troubleshoot formulation failures, chemical instability, and process bottlenecks.Commercial Acumen: Understanding of manufacturing cost modeling, raw material supply chains, and consumer insights.Communication: Strong capability to translate complex chemical data into actionable business insights for executives.
