ROLE DESCRIPTION
Product Development Senior Scientist
Schedule: Permanent
Location: Englewood Cliff, NJ
Function: R&D
Reports to: Senior Manager, New Product Development, Wellbeing Collective
WHO ARE WE?
Established in 2018, Unilever’s US-centric Wellbeing business is a collective of fast-growing, science-backed companies powering a lifestyle of wellbeing designed for a lifetime of possibilities. Comprised of Liquid I.V., Nutrafol, OLLY, Onnit, SmartyPants, Welly and Equilibra (in Italy), the Wellbeing Collective operates with a start-up mindset and is supporting consumers on their proactive wellbeing journey by bringing innovative products to the market.
Unilever identified Wellbeing collective as a key growth space for the future and has built the business through a clear M&A criteria and growth strategy to €1bn+ turnover, delivering double-digit, volume-led growth quarter after quarter.
You will be part of the Global team which is responsible for launching H&W’s brands across the world. This cross functional team has end to end responsibility for international expansion of the brands in a fast-paced environment. If you are excited. about the prospect of bringing disruptive brands across the world this role is for you
OUR BUSINESS
Unilever’s Wellbeing Collective Group holds the company’s functional dietary supplement brands and the portfolio of brands that includes Equilibra (Italy) and US acquired brands Olly, LiquidIV, SmartyPants, Welly, Onnit. Each brand is completely unique and focused on giving consumers superior experiences within their respective spaces and target segments. For the acquired businesses, we are committed to continue growing this strategic business for Unilever through international expansion of the acquired brands, utilizing Unilever’s scale and network in the markets.
JOB DESCRIPTION OVERVIEW
The Product Development Scientist, Wellbeing Collective will be responsible for supporting the development of the best-in-class formulations to aid the growth ambition for the Wellbeing Collective – specifically in relation to new product development and new market entry and the establishment of an external ecosystem technical partners/capabilities. The role will have cross functional interactions and coordination across Marketing, Supply chain, SEAC, Quality, Regulatory and external Contract labs & Raw material suppliers to ensure timely delivery of the objectives.
The role will be required to provide technical support related to formulation development and would cover a broad range of challenges – from designing consumer preferred robust formulas, to developing raw material and finished product spec, scaling up by leveraging external Contract labs and Collaborative manufacturers.
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES
Conduct research and development activities to create new gummy products and improve existing ones. Develop and optimize gummy formulations, ensuring product quality, consistency, and compliance with industry standards. Design and execute experiments to test new ingredients, flavors, and textures. Analyse data and interpret results to make informed decisions on product development. Troubleshoot and resolve manufacturing issues related to gummy production. Ensuring statutory regulatory & legal compliances for products & process. Responsible for identifying and establishing appropriate technology for manufacturing products to specification at lab-scale and pilot-scale. Responsible for specification, formulation, process, pack, and Quality Assurance regimes to support / enforce these specs agreed technical action standards. Provide support to conduct shelf-life studies to establish shelf-life of new products and/or intervene through formulation/recipes to enhance shelf-life. Use appropriate analytical techniques (either existing or develop new techniques) to characterize key physical attributes of the product. Work seamlessly with other R&D functions (packaging, Consumer Technical Insights, processing, regulatory teams) to ensure delivery on assigned projects. Stay updated on industry trends, new technologies, and regulatory requirements. Document all research and development activities, including formulation records, test results, and standard operating procedures (SOPs). Build and maintain strong networks with cross functional (Brand, CMI, SC, CQA etc) teams. Ensure compliance with safety and quality standards in the laboratory and production environments. Anticipate assessment and minimization of environmental, safety, regulatory, PR and competitive challenges.KEY EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
Bachelor’s degree required in Pharmacy/Science. Master’s degree (Science/Pharmaceutics/Industrial Pharmacy) would be preferred. 5+ years’ experience in formulation development or technology development (Dietary supplement/OTC products experience would be preferred). Good understanding of Product development Principles – formulation development for consumer-friendly ingestible dosage forms such as Functional Powders, Mouth-dissolving films, Effervescent tablets etc., material understanding, product scale up, ingredient sources and GMP. Excellent written and oral communication skills, ability to work well with others, and ability to plan and execute work independently with minimal supervision. Ability to support projects with multiple external parties including contractors, research partners, manufacturing facilities, etc.Additional info
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190418005592/en/Unilever-to-Acquire-OLLY-Nutrition https://www.nutritioninsight.com/news/merging-wellness-with-nutrition-unilever-expands-supplements-portfolio-with-smartypants-vitamins-acquisition.html https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/liquid-iv-expands-its-flagship-product-line-after-unilever-acquisition/ https://www.nutraingredients.com/Article/2021/04/27/Unilever-to-acquire-human-optimisation-brand-Onnit#------------------------------------
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