Senior Biosurfactant Formulation & Applications Lead

Startup Atlas; Oost-Vlaanderen; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meal vouchers

ADV leave days

Hospitalization insurance

Group insurance

CAO90 bonus

Bicycle allowance

Free shuttle service

Job summary

AmphiStar, Ghent-based biosurfactant innovator, seeks a Senior Formulation and Application Manager to translate technical insights into strategic customer solutions. You will drive hands-on formulation with a commercial focus, shaping the biosurfactant roadmap and applications in personal care and home care markets.

You will lead formulation projects, collaborate with R&D and Sales, and engage directly with customers to deliver high-impact, tested formulations and guidance.

Qualifications

• Master in chemistry, chemical engineering, formulation science, biotech, biochemistry, bio-engineering or equivalent; Bachelor degree with min. 6 years experience.
• Experience in formulation development in home/personal care industry (4-6 years)
• Strong interest in the commercial and customer-facing side of the job
• Hands-on, creative formulation mindset with excellent problem-solving skills and lab activity
• Experience in multidisciplinary teams and translating insights across R&D and commercial
• Familiarity with characterization tools for surfactants and formulation processes (interfacial tension, contact angle)
• Strong communicator capable of building relationships with stakeholders
• Proactive team player who drives projects with clarity and structure
• Fluent in English; other languages (French, German, Dutch) are assets

Responsibilities

• Translate strategic roadmap into a clear formulation plan and prioritize projects
• Lead development and optimization of formulations using AmphiStar biosurfactants for home/personal care applications
• Evaluate new biosurfactant molecules in model formulations and convert into prototypes
• Work hands-on in the lab and manage the formulation team
• Collaborate with R&D and Sales to turn results into customer-ready guidance
• Interact with customers and partners to assess needs and explore feasibility
• Represent AmphiStar at customer visits and industry events
• Design and execute performance tests (surface activity, foaming, wetting, detergency, emulsification, stability, rheology)
• Benchmark against conventional surfactants and translate data into improvements
• Interpret analytical data to optimize formulations and guide decisions

Skills

Formulation development

Customer-facing skills

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Communication skills

Surfactant characterization

Analytical reasoning

Education

Master in chemistry or related field

Bachelor degree with 6+ years experience

Tools

Interfacial tension analysis

Contact angle measurement

Lab testing

Job description

AmphiStar, Ghent-based biosurfactant innovator, seeks a Senior Formulation and Application Manager to translate technical insights into strategic customer solutions. You will drive hands-on formulation with a commercial focus, shaping the biosurfactant roadmap and applications in personal care and home care markets.

You will lead formulation projects, collaborate with R&D and Sales, and engage directly with customers to deliver high-impact, tested formulations and guidance.