R&D Assistant

At TA Resources we have re‑imagined traditional staffing and HR consulting with small to mid‑size businesses in mind. We focus on what makes our clients unique and match them with the talent they need to continue to grow. We are currently searching for an R&D Assistant for our client located in Lake Forest, IL. This is a full‑time office role.

The client is an entrepreneurial company that provides contract manufacturing services in the cosmetics and personal care fields. They specialize in developing and packaging liquids, creams, and hot‑fill personal care products into bottles, tubes, jars, sachets, packets, and other package formats.

• Work closely with R&D, Regulatory and vendors to develop, update and maintain R&D databases and organize and maintain all raw material technical literature including Safety Data Sheets, Certificates of Analysis, INCI's, composition breakdowns, and other essential information to accurately cost and provide critical documentation to customers.
• Develop and build relationships with raw material suppliers to support R&D and Purchasing; order and maintain inventory of new raw materials to improve lab efficiencies and reduce lead times.
• Build and maintain strong transparent relationships with customers to provide support for raw material research, formula updates, and regulatory documentation.
• Maintain electronic formula data in production systems (Markov); verify, develop and maintain data, including Formula Bill of Materials, batching instructions, change controls, and coordinate with multiple departments for review and sign‑offs of formulas, BOMs, and regulatory documentation; work with QC to build raw material and formula release specifications.
• Research trends, competitive benchmarks and product ingredients to support R&D chemists for new development.
• Research alternate suppliers for cost savings or dual sourcing projects.

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Cosmetic Science or a related field, preferred.
• High school degree minimum required.

Experience:

• Experience in the cosmetics industry and/or related field; experience in contract manufacturing preferred.
• Effective communication and collaboration skills; highly organized and capable of managing multiple projects.
• Good written and verbal communication skills; ability to adapt to change priorities.
• Excellent problem‑solving skills and attention to detail.
• Proficient in Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint.

• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Lake Forest, IL

Full‑time