Manager, Research & Development

Victoria’s Secret & Co.; Reynoldsburg (OH); On-site; USD 128,500 - 175,245; Full time

Job summary

Victoria’s Secret & Co. is seeking an R&D Manager in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, responsible for leading formulation development within the beauty industry. This role requires significant experience in formulation expertise and leadership skills to manage product lifecycles and develop a high-performing team.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong problem-solving abilities, effective communication skills, and a deep understanding of formulation processes. Join a company where innovation is a core value and every team member is empowered to make a meaningful impact.

Qualifications

• 10-15 years of experience in formulation development.
• Minimum of 2 years in a people leadership role.
• Strong technical formulation expertise with hands-on experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead formulation development across product lifecycle.
• Manage product deliverables while ensuring timeline protection.
• Mentor and develop a team of technical project managers.

Skills

Formulation expertise

Leadership

Problem solving

Communication

Systems thinking

Education

Master's in Cosmetic Science, Chemistry, or related field

Job description

Your Impact

Why You Belong Here

At Victoria’s Secret & Co, you’ll join a world-leading specialty retail brand recognized globally for innovation and excellence in lingerie and fashion. You’ll work alongside industry leaders to set the standard for what a retail brand can achieve, placing customers at the center of everything we do to create products and experiences that bring them joy.

We believe everyone deserves a place where they truly belong. We celebrate individuality and know that your passion, experience, and unique perspective strengthen our team and business. Here, you’ll be empowered to perform, grow, and engage through unmatched opportunities to develop your skills, gain real‑world experience, and learn from the best in the business.

Description

Your Role

The R&D Manager is a critical technical and people leader responsible for translating innovation briefs and market trends into robust, scalable, and compliant product formulations. This role leads formulation development across the full product lifecycle—ideation through commercialization—while building strong cross‑functional partnerships, developing team capability, and enabling informed technical decisions that support VS&Co Beauty’s innovation agenda and global growth.

The ideal candidate is a strategic, hands‑on leader with deep formulation expertise, strong systems thinking, and the ability to balance creativity with disciplined execution. This role serves as a trusted technical partner to Product Development, Packaging, Safety, Regulatory, and external suppliers—ensuring products are technically sound, execution ready, and aligned with enterprise priorities.

Your Impact

Formulation Leadership & Product Development

• Lead the development of innovative, high‑performance formulations aligned with briefs, consumer insights, market trends, and regulatory requirements, in partnership with the PFD team.
• Own formulation strategy and technical decision making from concept through pilot, scale‑up, and commercialization.
• Anticipate technical, stability, compatibility, and scalability risks early in development and proactively define mitigation strategies to protect timelines and launch readiness.

Lifecycle & Cross‑Functional Execution

• Manage product deliverables across all phases of development, ensuring clear ownership, disciplined milestones, and effective cross‑functional handoffs.
• Partner closely with Packaging Development to ensure formula package synergy, lead compatibility troubleshooting, drive root‑cause analysis, and implement sustainable solutions.
• Strengthen collaboration across R&D, Packaging, Safety, Regulatory, Quality, Supply Chain, and contract fillers to improve ways of working and reduce rework.

Decision Enablement & Technical Insight

• Synthesize formulation data, stability results, and development learnings into concise, actionable insights, options, and recommendations for cross‑functional and leadership stakeholders.
• Clearly communicate risks, assumptions, trade‑offs, and mitigation paths to support informed and timely decisions.
• Elevate technical issues appropriately, balancing urgency, business impact, and solution‑oriented thinking.

Stability, Systems & Process Excellence

• Oversee internal and external stability testing programs; assess results, troubleshoot failures, and ensure formulas are robust and commercially ready.
• Ensure accurate execution of systems workflows with strong documentation discipline, data integrity, and downstream readiness.
• Identify and lead continuous improvement opportunities within R&D workflows, systems, and documentation to improve first‑pass success, reduce cycle time, and enable scalable execution.

Supplier & External Partnership Leadership

• Lead the sourcing and evaluation of new raw materials, actives, and technologies in collaboration with contract fillers and suppliers.
• Translate supplier capabilities and external technical insights into development strategies that support innovation, performance, and long‑term scalability.
• Ensure seamless transfer of formulas, specifications, and expectations to external manufacturing partners.
• Track and assess supplier performance, using metrics to drive accountability and continuous improvement.

Safety & Regulatory Partnership

• Partner with the Safety team to define appropriate clinical and performance testing strategies to support product claims.
• Collaborate with Regulatory partners to understand upcoming requirements and ensure development plans proactively align to current and future compliance expectations.
• Embed Product Integrity and regulatory considerations early in development to avoid late‑stage risk and rework.

People Leadership & Capability Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of technical project managers and lab technicians—assigning work, setting priorities, and building strong technical and problem‑solving capability.
• Coach beyond task execution by developing ownership mindset, decision quality, and systems thinking within the team.
• Own onboarding, development planning, performance feedback, and recognition to build an engaged, high‑performing R&D team.
• Foster a culture of accountability, curiosity, continuous improvement, and collaboration aligned with Product Integrity and enterprise priorities.

Click here for benefit details related to this position.

Minimum Salary: $128,500.00
Maximum Salary: $175,245.00

VS&Co provides a range of compensation for this role as shown. Your actual salary will be determined by a number of factors, including your specific skills and experience, geographic region, or other relevant factors.

Qualifications

• 10–15 years of experience in formulation development within beauty, personal care, fragrance, or a related regulated industry.
• Minimum of 2 years in a people leadership role.
• Master’s degree in Cosmetic Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field preferred.
• Strong technical formulation expertise with hands‑on experience in stability, compatibility, and scale‑up.
• Proven ability to lead teams, influence cross‑functional partners, and translate technical complexity into clear insights.
• Demonstrated problem solving, systems thinking, and continuous improvement mindset.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills; confident engaging with internal and external stakeholders.
• Comfortable operating in a fast‑paced, innovation‑driven environment with multiple priorities.
• Willingness to travel to suppliers and external partners as needed.

We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with arrest records, conviction records, or other criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of any applicable state and local laws. Please see links: California Fair Chance Act, Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, Philadelphia Fair Chance Law, San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance

An equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate in hiring or terms and conditions of employment because of an individual’s race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status or any other protected category recognized by state, federal or local laws. We only hire individuals authorized for employment in the United States.