Director of Research and Development

System One; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

The client seeks an experienced Director of Research & Development to lead product development initiatives and provide hands-on technical leadership onsite in Columbus, Indiana. You will supervise a small R&D team, drive formulations and manufacturing process improvements, design experiments, and troubleshoot challenges while coordinating with Quality, Regulatory, and Operations.

This role shapes projects from concept through commercialization and requires prioritizing initiatives to accelerate

Qualifications

• Experience leading end-to-end product development and formulation programs.
• Ability to design and evaluate experiments to inform decisions.
• Experience in regulated manufacturing environments and quality systems.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Lead product development and formulation projects from concept to commercialization.
• Provide technical direction to an R&D team and mentor staff.
• Collaborate with Quality, Regulatory, and Operations to meet business goals.
• Prioritize projects and allocate resources; present findings to leadership.

Skills

Leadership

R&D Management

Experiment design

Formulation development

Manufacturing processes

Cross-functional collaboration

Regulatory knowledge

Mentoring

Job description

The client is seeking an experienced Director of Research & Development (R&D) to lead product development initiatives and provide hands-on technical leadership. This onsite, direct-hire role is based in Columbus, Indiana, and is expected to be a key driver of continued growth and effectiveness within the R&D function, with a focus on solving technical challenges and moving ideas from concept through commercialization.

Responsibilities include leading product development and formulation projects from concept through implementation, designing experiments, analyzing results, and providing technical recommendations. The Director will supervise, mentor, and develop a small R&D team; develop and improve formulations, products, and manufacturing processes; and troubleshoot formulation and technical challenges. The role also requires collaborating cross-functionally with Quality, Regulatory, and Operations teams, prioritizing projects and resources to support business objectives, and presenting findings and recommendations to leadership and customers.

The role will support laboratory, safety, quality, and regulatory compliance requirements. Required qualifications include leading product development and formulation efforts end-to-end, providing technical direction to an R&D team, designing and evaluating experiments, improving formulations and manufacturing processes, troubleshooting technical issues, collaborating with Quality and Regulatory partners, prioritizing multiple initiatives, and communicating recommendations to stakeholders. Preferred qualifications include product development and/or formulation experience, familiarity with regulated manufacturing environments, working knowledge of quality and regulatory compliance requirements, and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.