Research and Development Manager

Lead Innovation. Drive Product Excellence. Shape the Future of Health & Nutrition.

Ourvita is the largest Europe-based contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) with a growing global presence. The company brings together over 3,000 team members worldwide, including more than 120 R&D specialists, all working with a strong customer-centric mindset.

Ourvita is committed to developing and distributing high-quality health and medical products that are available when and where people need them, helping to transform lives and advance healthcare worldwide. With 15 manufacturing sites across Italy, Germany, Poland, the UK, the USA, and China, the organisation offers diverse opportunities in an international, innovation-driven environment. Team members join a culture that values expertise, resilience, service quality, and consumer insight to create impactful solutions.

The Research & Development Manager role at Ourvita is a full‑time, on‑site position based in Tredegar. The role involves leading R&D projects from concept through to commercialisation, including planning, executing, and monitoring research activities aligned with business and customer needs. The manager oversees the development of new formulations and technologies, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and internal quality standards. Daily responsibilities include managing and mentoring R&D/NPD team members, coordinating cross-functional collaboration with production, quality, regulatory, and commercial teams, and providing clear project updates to senior stakeholders.

The role also requires analysing market and scientific trends, identifying innovation opportunities, optimising processes, and supporting continuous improvement across R&D operations.

• Lead the end-to-end development of our softgel and gummy product portfolio.
• Identify emerging ingredients, technologies and market trends to drive innovation.
• Collaborate with Operations, Commercial and Quality teams to deliver commercially viable products.
• Optimise existing formulations to improve performance, scalability and cost efficiency.
• Lead, mentor and develop the R&D team, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
• Manage multiple R&D projects, ensuring delivery on time, within budget and to the highest quality standards.
• Support business growth through strategic product development and competitive market analysis.
• Present technical insights and recommendations to the Senior Leadership Team.

We're looking for an experienced scientific leader who combines technical expertise with commercial awareness.

You'll ideally have:

• A degree in Food Science, Nutrition, Chemistry or a related discipline.
• 5+ years' experience in R&D within the nutritional supplements, food or pharmaceutical sectors.
• Experience working in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong knowledge of global regulations, raw materials and product claims.
• Experience with formulation software, project management tools and advanced Excel.
• Knowledge of GMP, HACCP and Quality by Design (Six Sigma principles).

• Proven leadership and people management experience.
• Excellent project management and organisational skills.
• Strong analytical and technical formulation capability.
• The ability to translate scientific data into commercial opportunities.
• Outstanding communication and stakeholder management skills.
• The flexibility to thrive in a fast‑paced, evolving environment.

This is an exciting opportunity to influence the future direction of a growing business where innovation is at the heart of everything we do. You'll have the opportunity to develop market‑leading products, lead talented scientists, and play a key role in delivering our long‑term growth strategy.

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this role, so candidates requiring sponsorship cannot be considered.

We encourage early applications, as we reserve the right to close this vacancy before the advertised closing date if we receive a high volume of suitable applications. Due to the volume of applications we receive, we regret that we are only able to provide feedback to candidates who are invited to interview.

14th August 2026

This is a fully on‑site position based at our facility in Tredegar, South Wales (NP22 4EF
). Applicants should be located within a reasonable commuting distance or be willing to relocate before commencing employment and also be prepared to travel to other sites.