Here at Alexander Steele Recruitment we continue to work with an established FMCG manufacturer that develops and produces a wide range of consumer household products.
Due to continued growth within their product development function, they are looking to recruit a Development Chemist to join their NPD team.
This is a hands-on role combining formulation development, laboratory work, innovation and manufacturing support. You will be involved in taking products from initial concept through testing, scale-up and commercialisation, while also improving existing formulations and supporting wider technical projects.
The Role
As Development Chemist, you will be responsible for:
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Developing and improving formulations across a range of household goods.
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Planning and carrying out laboratory trials, stability testing, compatibility assessments and product performance evaluations.
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Supporting the transfer of new formulations from laboratory development through pilot trials and into full-scale manufacturing.
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Investigating formulation, raw material and manufacturing issues, working closely with Production and other technical teams to resolve problems.
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Evaluating new ingredients, raw materials and more sustainable alternatives to support innovation and product improvement.
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Working closely with Quality, Regulatory, Procurement, Marketing and Production to ensure products are commercially viable, compliant and suitable for manufacture.
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Benchmarking competitor products and identifying opportunities to improve product performance, quality and cost.
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Preparing and maintaining technical documentation including formulation records, test results, specifications and manufacturing information.
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Supporting product registrations, regulatory requirements and quality standards where required.
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Managing multiple development projects at different stages, ensuring agreed timelines, budgets and milestones are achieved.
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Presenting technical findings, development progress and recommendations to key stakeholders.
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Providing technical guidance to laboratory colleagues and supporting the development of best practice within the formulation process.
About You
We are looking for someone with a strong technical background in formulation or product development, ideally within household goods, FMCG, chemicals or a closely related manufacturing environment.
You will ideally have:
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Previous experience working within formulation chemistry, product development or NPD.
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Hands-on laboratory experience including formulation trials, stability testing and performance evaluation.
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Knowledge of raw materials, ingredients and functional additives used within formulated products.
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Experience supporting scale-up from laboratory through to manufacturing.
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The ability to troubleshoot formulation and production issues in a practical and methodical way.
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An understanding of product quality, regulatory requirements and technical documentation.
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Strong project management and organisational skills, with the ability to manage several development projects at the same time.
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Good communication skills and the confidence to work cross-functionally with technical and commercial teams.
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A relevant scientific qualification, ideally within Chemistry or a related discipline.
Why Join?
This is a great opportunity to join a growing manufacturer where you will have genuine involvement in product development from concept through to launch.
The role offers a broad mix of hands-on formulation work, innovation, manufacturing support and cross-functional collaboration, making it ideal for someone who enjoys seeing their technical work progress into commercial products
