Formulation Scientist

Notpla; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A sustainable packaging innovation firm in Greater London is seeking a Formulation Scientist to join their dynamic team. This role involves developing and optimising seaweed-based formulations, collaborating closely with engineers for scale-up and conducting analytical chemistry tests. The ideal candidate will have a degree in Chemistry, strong analytical skills, and experience in formulation development. The position offers a competitive salary range of £30,000 - £40,000 plus EMI Share Options, with a hybrid working policy promoting productivity and collaboration.

Benefits

EMI Share Options

Zero-carbon pension scheme

Discounts with local businesses

Subsidised social activities

Qualifications

• Experience in formulation development and optimisation.
• Strong background in analytical chemistry.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with engineers and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Design and optimise seaweed-based coatings and formulations.
• Conduct material characterization and performance testing.
• Collaborate with engineers on scale-up and trials.

Skills

Analytical skills

Material characterization

Problem-solving

Collaboration

Education

Degree in Chemistry or related field

Tools

Rheology equipment

Analytical test methods

Job description

The Role

At Notpla we’re at the leading edge of sustainable innovation, creating natural alternatives to single‑use plastic packaging that’s carefully engineered to create a healthier planet. Founded on the belief that nature knows best, we’re an innovative, ideas and action‑oriented scale‑up who develop and manufacture uncompromisingly natural packaging solutions from seaweed and plants.

As a Formulation Scientist, you’ll be joining an innovative, fast moving and agile Formulation & Process team that pride themselves on their pivotal research and development. This is an exciting time to join Notpla, right on the brink of a record‑breaking year for revenue and on‑track for major growth in the next 18‑24 months.

Led by strong values, all Notpla employees are encouraged to take responsibility for their domain, giving a high level of autonomy. Our aim is to build an inspiring culture that is reflected in our working policies, environment and employees. Besides offering exciting roles and a great working environment, Notpla provides competitive salaries, the potential for EMI Share Options, a zero‑carbon pension scheme, discounts with local businesses and subsidised social activities. Our office first hybrid working policy allows you to work in the manner that maximises your productivity, while still creating a vibrant and collegiate work environment. We are a social business with regular clubs and events, and we are proud of how our diverse workplace has created a community that is all pushing towards the common goal of making plastic disappear.

The Formulation Scientist will play a critical role in developing and optimising seaweed‑based formulations, ensuring they meet performance requirements and can be successfully scaled up for commercial use. The Formulation Scientist will work closely with our Paper & Coatings Engineers, collaborating on research, formulation, and process improvements. This is an exciting opportunity to drive impactful R&D work for commercial projects.

What You’ll Do

Formulation Development & Optimisation

• Design and optimise seaweed‑based coatings and paper formulations, balancing key properties such as adhesion, flexibility, barrier performance, and biodegradability.
• Conduct rheology studies and material characterization to fine‑tune formulations for specific applications.
• Identify and integrate novel raw materials to enhance performance and sustainability.
• Work on material compatibility studies, ensuring formulations meet required industrial and regulatory standards.
• Develop prototype samples and conduct performance testing under real‑world conditions.

Analytical Chemistry & Material Characterisation

• Develop and validate analytical test methods to ensure consistency and reproducibility in formulation performance.
• Assess film‑forming properties, barrier properties and mechanical performance of coatings and substrates.
• Interpret data and provide insights to refine formulations based on performance outcomes.

Scale‑Up & Trials

• Work closely with the Paper and Coating engineers to transition lab‑scale formulations into pilot‑scale and commercial‑scale production.
• Participate in pilot trials and factory production runs, ensuring formulations perform as expected in real‑world conditions.
• Troubleshoot formulation issues that arise during scale‑up, working collaboratively with cross‑functional teams.
• Document all scale‑up findings, optimising processes for efficiency and reproducibility.

Project Management

• Develop and maintain project timelines, coordinating with internal teams and external partners to ensure smooth execution.
• Communicate project progress effectively with internal stakeholders, providing clear updates and risk assessments.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with the entire technical team, ensuring formulation strategies align with process capabilities.
• Translate complex scientific findings into clear, actionable insights for non‑technical stakeholders.

Quality Assurance & Documentation

• Ensure formulations meet regulatory and industrial standards, documenting all formulation parameters and testing results.
• Maintain detailed formulation records, creating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure reproducibility.

Salary £30,000 - £40,000 + EMI Share Options.

About us

Notpla is a family of regenerative packaging materials, made from seaweed and plants. Behind these products is a company of the same name, deeply committed to making the planet a healthier place. Winner of the prestigious Earthshot Prize, Notpla are famed for their innovative, scalable alternatives to plastic. These include the edible liquid bubbles - Ooho, their seaweed‑coated food containers, single‑use films and rigid materials. To date, their solutions have already replaced 16 million pieces of single‑use plastic from entering our environment.

Notpla Limited takes inclusion and diversity seriously. It is important for us that we live by our values and our policies outline how – We work better together. Notpla is committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion among our workforce, and eliminating unlawful discrimination.