Formulation Design Assistant Manager

Job Title: Formulation Design Assistant Manager

Location: Leeds Office and R&D

Job Purpose

The Deodorants category is a key part of the Unilever Personal Care Business Group, with a family of Power Brands; Dove, Lynx & Rexona, which are critical growth drivers of the company.

This role will focus on the delivery of the Dove Deodorant Innovation programme for Dove International by leading the formulation workstream across a range of innovation projects.

We are seeking a candidate with formulation and project delivery experience who is curious about solving formulation challenges and finding novel ways to deliver to consumers.

The individual should also have a strong digital mindset and be able to demonstrate digital capability to structure and connect data, identify insights, and draw conclusions that drive greater efficiency and better decision making.

Key Challenges of the role

• Taking responsibility for planning and delivering the technology development and testing programme for projects and/or the longer-term technology roadmap, ensuring all testing is completed to meet network timings. 

• Addressing formulation or product concerns as they occur, such as issues related to fragrance or formulation stability. Drive investigation to find and implement appropriate solution.   
• High level of practical laboratory skills is required

Responsibilities

• Acts as the primary formulation contact at a global level, handling technical queries from various business areas including Regional R&D Teams, Marketing, Safety, Environmental & Regulatory Science (SERS), and Supply Chain. Communicates with multiple functional teams to help meet deadlines. Participates in technical team meetings as needed, with guidance provided by senior WL1 or WL2 staff. 
• Understand raw material functions and their roles in formulations. With senior WL1 guidance, adapt or create new formulas that meet product benefit and claim requirements within the formulation workstream. 
• Be able to formulate in autonomy by planning and executing technical testing, interpreting results, troubleshoot technical issues, generating support for claims, preparing reports, communicating results to the team, and contributing towards savings initiatives. 
• Provide supporting documentation, e.g., safety clearance, for prototype products for both internal and external testing, including consumer/claims testing. 
• Carry out relevant qualitative and quantitative technical testing, to ensure products are fit for market/ consumer testing including specialist testing where required.  
• Utilise Unilever software to create specifications and recipes that are used for safety and regulatory clearance and used for setting specifications for implementation into factories. 
• To be aware of key competitors in specific to applicator area and develop formulation expertise to understand implications for Unilever products and brands. To be aware of tools for protecting intellectual property when reporting information. 
• Keep laboratory files/records, SOP’s, risk assessments, COSHH, etc. up to date. Design and implement new protocols and testing techniques with guidance as necessary from senior WL1’s. 
• Actively participate in departmental initiatives, processes and maintain high standards of laboratory housekeeping and safety. Supports training and provides technical support for colleagues.   
• To prepare relevant documentation for laboratory technicians such as batch sheets, gassing sheets, results templates for capturing data in relevant Unilever software.

All About You

• Education: Preferably degree level in Chemistry  
• Relevant experience: Some laboratory experience in formulation. 
• Desirable skills for the position:
• Formulation Chemistry - Understanding of ingredients; ability to modify and manipulate formulations. Evaluate and understand interactions between ingredients within formulation/process/pack through physical stability assessments. 
• Design of experiments/protocol development 
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills and ability to work effectively within cross-functional technical team.  
• Analytical capability – analyse and interpret data 
• Digital skills: Skilled in data handling, analysis and interpretation of data. Demonstrates digital capability by leveraging AI tools, dashboards and digital solutions to connect data, identify insights, and form conclusions that drive efficiency and decision‑making 
• Information Management - knowledge capture, reporting and effective communication 
• Health & Safety regulations and processes 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Limited travel with overnight stays may be necessary 
• Full EU driving licence is desirable 

NOTES

Location

In September 2020, Unilever announced the intention to build a new sustainable campus site in Kingston, London to house the employees who currently work in 100 Victoria Embankment in Blackfriars, Lever House in Kingston, Unilever House in Leatherhead and Graze in Richmond. We are creating our own Unilever sustainable, agile work environment, purposefully bringing us together in our own Unilever ecosystem. The campus is due to be completed in early 2025 and will consist of two interconnected buildings, as well as landscaped surrounding areas.

What We Offer

Not only do we offer a competitive salary and pension scheme, we also offer an annual bonus, free gym, a discounted staff shop and shares. You’ll have the opportunity to work directly with our renowned and exciting brands in a flexible and hybrid working environment.

Whilst the role is advertised on a full-time basis, we would be happy to discuss possible flexible working options and what this may look like for you. We are a key advocate of wellbeing and offer a variety of support for our people including hubs, programmes and development opportunities. We strive to achieve a family-friendly and inclusive workplace and to, above all, create possibilities for all.

Diversity at Unilever is about inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities and growing together for better business performance. We embrace diversity in our workforce. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity. We are also more than happy to provide reasonable adjustments during our application and interview process to enable you to be present your best self. To find out more, click here: Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

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How is Unilever tackling this?

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