R&D Formulation Manager — Personal Care Lab Lead

Scientific Search; Montgomeryville (Montgomery County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Bonus plan

Strong benefits

Job summary

Scientific Search is seeking a Manager, R&D Formulation to lead the day-to-day operations of the formulation lab and manage a team of chemists and technicians responsible for developing personal care products across skincare, haircare, and oral care.

You will oversee project execution, ensure formulation readiness from brief to customer delivery, drive safety and sustainability initiatives, and partner with Sales, Project Management, and Regulatory to align on timelines and documentation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in chemistry, biology, chemical engineering, or related field.
• 7–10 years of formulation experience in personal care (skin care, hair care, oral care).
• Proven track record of managing technical teams and delivering commercially successful formulations.

Responsibilities

• Direct lab activities and supervise a team of chemists and technicians.
• Lead onboarding and formulation briefing of new project wins across skin, hair, and oral care.
• Manage staffing, workload balance, and team productivity across active and upcoming projects.
• Serve as Lab Safety Lead: ensure compliance with internal protocols and regulatory safety standards.
• Act as Waste Management Lead: oversee proper handling, labeling, and disposal of lab-generated waste.
• Guide the development of formulas aligned with innovation strategy and customer requirements.
• Coordinate with Sales, Project Management, and Regulatory to align on timelines and documentation needs.
• Maintain lab notebooks, development reports, and batch records.
• Maintain a dynamic library of trend-forward formulations across categories.

Skills

Formulation science

Team leadership

Project management

Documentation

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s in chemistry

Tools

MS Office

Laboratory systems

Job description

Scientific Search is seeking a Manager, R&D Formulation to lead the day-to-day operations of the formulation lab and manage a team of chemists and technicians responsible for developing personal care products across skincare, haircare, and oral care.

You will oversee project execution, ensure formulation readiness from brief to customer delivery, drive safety and sustainability initiatives, and partner with Sales, Project Management, and Regulatory to align on timelines and documentation.