Head of Product Research & Innovation

We are looking for a Head of Product Research & Innovation to lead our R&D, Product Innovation, and Packaging Development functions, with a strong focus on skincare, cosmetics, personal care, & nutrition product development.

This role will be the technical lead for formulation R&D, overseeing product development from initial research and formulation through testing, optimization, and commercialization. Beyond core R&D. The role will also lead the Packaging team, ensuring packaging development is aligned with product requirements, functionality, quality, cost, and development timelines.

This is a hands‑on leadership role for someone with strong technical expertise in cosmetic formulation and product development, combined with the ability to lead teams, manage development priorities, and turn technical opportunities into commercially viable products.

• Lead the R&D, Product Innovation, and Packaging Development functions, providing technical direction and setting priorities across the teams.
• Act as the key technical lead for formulation R&D and product development, from research and formulation through testing, optimization, scale-up, and commercialization, for skincare, cosmetics, personal care, & nutrition.
• Lead the development and improvement of skincare, cosmetics, & personal care formulations, ensuring product performance, stability, safety, quality, and cost requirements are met.
• Research and evaluate new ingredients, formulation technologies, product formats, and development approaches to support both new product development and product improvement.
• Review and challenge formulations, raw materials, product specifications, testing results, stability data, and other technical development outputs.
• Provide technical direction and recommendations on formulation feasibility, product performance, ingredient selection, testing, and development trade‑offs.
• Lead the overall product development pipeline, ensuring projects are prioritized appropriately and progress according to agreed timelines and business priorities.
• Work closely with Marketing and Commercial teams to translate product briefs and market requirements into technically feasible and differentiated product concepts.
• Lead collaboration with third-party manufacturers, laboratories, ingredient suppliers, packaging suppliers, and other external R&D partners.
• Work closely with Regulatory and Quality teams to ensure products meet applicable quality, safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Lead the Packaging team and oversee packaging development, including material selection, functionality, product compatibility, specifications, testing, quality, and development timelines.
• Ensure packaging solutions are technically compatible with the product and suitable for manufacturing, scalability, consumer use, and cost requirements.
• Oversee product testing, stability, compatibility, optimization, and technical troubleshooting throughout the development process.
• Support and provide technical direction during scale-up, manufacturing trials, and commercialization.
• Identify technical risks, development challenges, potential delays, and provide direction on appropriate solutions.
• Prioritize projects and allocate resources across R&D, Innovation, and Packaging based on business priorities, technical complexity, and timelines.
• Develop and continuously improve R&D, product development, innovation, and packaging processes and standards.
• Lead, develop, and coach R&D, Product Innovation, and Packaging Development teams, including setting technical standards (Process Workflow, SOPs, & Work Instructions), reviewing performance, and building team capabilities.
• Stay updated on cosmetic & nutrition ingredients, formulation technologies, packaging innovations, and…