R&D Lead (Product Formulation)

Seven; Maidstone; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading ingredient solutions provider in Maidstone is seeking an R&D Lead (Product Formulation) to oversee the R&D department responsible for formulating nutritional products. The role includes leading a team, managing product value chains, and ensuring compliance with standards. The ideal candidate will have a degree in Food Science, experience in R&D leadership, and expertise in sports nutrition. Benefits include a competitive salary, hybrid working, and a subsidised gym membership.

Benefits

Competitive Salary

Pension

Hybrid Working

Subsidised Gym membership

Qualifications

• Degree-qualified in Food Science or relevant fields.
• Direct experience in R&D leadership in formulation.
• Strong background in sports nutrition.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow the R&D department focused on nutritional products.
• Manage the full product value chain from concept to commercialization.
• Define and execute departmental strategy aligned to customer goals.

Skills

R&D leadership

Nutritional product formulation

Cross-functional stakeholder management

Technical expertise in powder technologies

Sensory understanding

Education

BSc/MSc in Food Science, Nutrition, Chemistry, Biochemistry, or relevant fields

Job description

Our client

• A global leader in ingredient solutions, supporting innovation across food, beverage, and sports nutrition markets.
• Driving growth through strategic partnerships with retailers, manufacturers, and health-focused brands.
• Renowned for high-quality, functional ingredients that help brands meet evolving consumer needs.

The role

• The R&D Lead (Product Formulation) is responsible for leading and growing the R&D department which is responsible for formulating, scaling and manufacturing nutritional premixes and sports nutrition products across powders, RTM and RTD‑support formats.
• Own the full product value chain end to end, from concept to commercialisation, ensuring compliance with regulatory, quality, safety and commercial requirements.
• Manage and develop the R&D Product Formulation team, building capability, driving performance and strengthening succession pipelines.
• Define and execute the departmental strategy aligned to NPD, margin, customer satisfaction and category growth goals.
• Oversee science‑based formulation of premixes, functional blends and sports nutrition products, ensuring efficacy, stability, sensory quality and commercial viability.
• Approve product specifications and ensure team expertise in functional ingredients, regulatory changes, raw‑material optimisation and dual sourcing.
• Provide technical leadership for customer briefs, presentations, scoping, costing and on‑time launch delivery, ensuring right‑first‑time development.
• Support commercial, quality and production teams with technical service, compliance projects and raw‑material qualification.

Ideal candidate

• Degree‑qualified: BSc/MSc in Food Science, Nutrition, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, or Chemical/Process Engineering (or relevant).
• Experience in food or nutrition manufacturing, including people leadership and cross‑functional stakeholder management.
• Direct experience in an R&D leadership role in premix formulation, including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, botanicals and probiotics (any food and beverage raw materials).
• Strong background in sports nutrition, covering whey and plant proteins, BCAA/EAA, creatine, electrolytes and pre‑workout products will be highly beneficial.
• Technical expertise in powder technologies, such as blending, segregation/flowability management, hygroscopic ingredients, encapsulation, granulation, milling and sieving.
• Proven ability to design science‑based formulations, applying data‑driven principles to create high‑performing products.
• Sound sensory understanding, including flavour and sweetener systems, masking strategies and texture optimisation for both RTM and RTD formats.

Benefits & details

• £Competitive Salary
• Pension
• Hybrid Working 3 days on site, 2 days' work from home
• Subsidised Gym membership

Please send your CV using the form on this page, quoting reference 16/17557/7. Confidentiality assured.

Whilst we would like to respond to all our online applicants, regrettably we are unable to do so due to the high volumes we receive. If you do not hear back within 14 days unfortunately the relevant consultant has decided not to progress with your application. For alternative opportunities please search our vacancies on our website.