Associate Director, R&D Product Development, Wellbeing Collective

WHO ARE WE?
We are the Global Business Unit - Wellbeing Collective (WBC) team at Unilever. We are a start-up (less than 4 years old), focused on one of Unilever’s largest growth opportunities – the €140bn Health & Wellbeing space defined by Vitamins, Minerals, and Supplements (VMS).
We work in an agile and entrepreneurial way, collaboratively within the team and with our Unilever colleagues around the world. We work in a project based networked way where everyone needs to be able to take a step back and think strategically as well as rolling up their sleeves and get their hands dirty, to be entrepreneurial and experiment as well as bringing in the best of Unilever and work the structures of a large company, to take charge and lead as well as follow and support others.
OUR BUSINESS
Unilever’s Health & Wellbeing Group holds the company’s functional nutrition brands and the portfolio of brands that includes Equilibra (Italy) and US acquired brands Olly, LiquidIV, SmartyPants, Welly, Onnit and most recently, Nutrafol. 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 Americas & EU Technical Leader, Wellbeing International R&D is responsible for driving best-in-class product development to support the growth ambitions of the Wellbeing Collective international business. The role leads innovation and new market entry across Canada, Latin America, the UK, and Europe for WBC brands.
This role owns end-to-end technical delivery for innovation and market expansion, partnering closely with cross-functional teams (Marketing, Supply Chain, Procurement, SERs, Nutrition Science, Quality, and Regulatory) to deliver projects on time and in compliance.
The role also:
• Builds and delivers a robust innovation pipeline in partnership with the global marketing team, aligned to growth priorities
• Drives cost savings and strategic business continuity initiatives to ensure resilience, efficiency, and margin improvement
• Leads and develops a team of formulators and process engineers, building strong technical capability and execution excellence

TECHNICAL PROJECT LEADERSHIP & ACCOUNTABILITIES
• Lead end-to-end product development and commercialization, designing cost-effective, sensorially superior, and scalable formulations aligned to business and consumer needs
• Own technical delivery on project teams, integrating inputs across disciplines and ensuring execution against timelines, cost targets, and quality standards
• Partner cross-functionally (Marketing, Regulatory, Claims, CTI, Packaging, Analytical, Supply Chain, Procurement, Quality) to:
o Define and lock project briefs and product designs
o Establish resource requirements, budgets, and target product/pack costs
o Drive flawless execution across all development phases
• Build and support digital capability, embedding data-driven tools and digital solutions to enhance product development efficiency and decision-making.

• Translate Brand Performance Standards (BPS) into clear technical targets (performance and attributes) to enable superior product design and validation
• Ensure all product designs meet requirements across safety, regulatory, claims, analytical, and CTI, with a robust and compliant technical pathway
• Lead commercialization with contract manufacturers, including technical oversight and scale-up execution
• Build and manage external partnerships (development, commercialization, raw material suppliers), ensuring alignment on milestones, deliverables, and technical pathways
• Drive clear communication, milestone tracking, and decision-making across internal teams and external partners
• Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate technical risks, escalating issues appropriately to ensure delivery continuity
• Partner with Supply Chain and Quality to assess and qualify contract manufacturers and testing laboratories
• Ensure R&D protocols, reports, specifications, and dossiers are developed in line with established end-to-end technical guidance
• Assess gaps in technical processes and support development of SOPs and guidance documents to strengthen ways of working
• Build strong, trust-based external relationships, resolving conflicts effectively to maintain project momentum
• Coach and mentor team members, strengthening technical capability and execution rigor across the team
• Maintain strong awareness of emerging scientific literature and technologies, applying insights to projects and upskilling self and team


KEY EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

We’re looking for someone with:
• Strong R&D TPL experience (senior-level)
• Deep expertise in gummy formulation
• Based in China with Mandarin fluency to speak to the manufacturers in China
• Experience working on TPL projects beyond China, ideally with a regional or global lens
Details
• Bachelor’s degree required in science or engineering. Master’s degree/PHD would be preferred. BS with 12+ years 2. Masters with 10+ years 3. PhD with 7+ years’ experience in formulation development or technology development of which at least 3 years as Technical Project Lead.
• Excellent understanding of Product development Principles – formulation development for consumer-friendly ingestible dosage forms such as Powders, Gummies/ capsules, material understanding, product scale up, product costing, ingredient sources and GMP. (Dietary supplement experience would be preferred)
• Experience working with cross functional teams across geographies
• Ability to lead more complex portfolio of innovation/quality & Value Improvement Project (VIP) projects including multiple brands/regions/ technologies
• Technical leadership by exhibiting and fostering initiative, motivation, judgment, flexibility, and breadth
• Resource planning and budgeting
• Problem-solving ability using innovative thought and good scientific judgment
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, ability to work well with others, and ability to plan and execute work independently with minimal supervision. Able to interact effectively with the most senior levels of management both internally and externally
• Ability to lead projects with multiple external parties including contractors, research partners, manufacturing facilities, etc.
• Project Management skills and proven ability to handle multiple priorities in an ever-changing business environment.

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#

Pay: The pay range for this position is $146,200 to $219,400. Unilever takes into consideration a wide range of factors that are utilized in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, qualifications and education, and other business and organizational needs. 

Bonus: This position is bonus eligible. 

Long-Term Incentive (LTI): This position is LTI eligible. 

Benefits: Unilever employees are eligible to participate in our benefits plan. Should the employee choose to participate, they can choose from a range of benefits to include, but is not limited to, health insurance (including prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage), retirement savings benefits, life insurance and disability benefits, parental leave, sick leave, paid vacation and holidays, as well as access to numerous voluntary benefits. Any coverages for health insurance and retirement benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents. 

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