Associate Director, R&D Product Development, Wellbeing Collective

Unilever•Trumbull, CT

6d•Onsite

About The Position

We are the Global Business Unit - Wellbeing Collective (WBC) team at Unilever. We are a start-up (less than 4 years old), focused on one of Unilever’s largest growth opportunities – the €140bn Health & Wellbeing space defined by Vitamins, Minerals, and Supplements (VMS). We work in an agile and entrepreneurial way, collaboratively within the team and with our Unilever colleagues around the world. We work in a project based networked way where everyone needs to be able to take a step back and think strategically as well as rolling up their sleeves and get their hands dirty, to be entrepreneurial and experiment as well as bringing in the best of Unilever and work the structures of a large company, to take charge and lead as well as follow and support others. Unilever’s Health & Wellbeing Group holds the company’s functional nutrition brands and the portfolio of brands that includes Equilibra (Italy) and US acquired brands Olly, LiquidIV, SmartyPants, Welly, Onnit and most recently, Nutrafol. Each brand is completely unique and focused on giving consumers superior experiences within their respective spaces and target segments. For the acquired businesses, we are committed to continue growing this strategic business for Unilever through international expansion of the acquired brands, utilizing Unilever’s scale and network in the markets.

Requirements

Strong R&D TPL experience (senior-level)
Deep expertise in gummy formulation
Based in China with Mandarin fluency to speak to the manufacturers in China
Experience working on TPL projects beyond China, ideally with a regional or global lens
Bachelor’s degree required in science or engineering. Master’s degree/PHD would be preferred.
BS with 12+ years, Masters with 10+ years, or PhD with 7+ years’ experience in formulation development or technology development of which at least 3 years as Technical Project Lead.
Excellent understanding of Product development Principles – formulation development for consumer-friendly ingestible dosage forms such as Powders, Gummies/ capsules, material understanding, product scale up, product costing, ingredient sources and GMP.
Experience working with cross functional teams across geographies
Ability to lead more complex portfolio of innovation/quality & Value Improvement Project (VIP) projects including multiple brands/regions/ technologies
Technical leadership by exhibiting and fostering initiative, motivation, judgment, flexibility, and breadth
Resource planning and budgeting
Problem-solving ability using innovative thought and good scientific judgment
Excellent written and oral communication skills, ability to work well with others, and ability to plan and execute work independently with minimal supervision.
Able to interact effectively with the most senior levels of management both internally and externally
Ability to lead projects with multiple external parties including contractors, research partners, manufacturing facilities, etc.
Project Management skills and proven ability to handle multiple priorities in an ever-changing business environment.

Nice To Haves

Dietary supplement experience would be preferred

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end product development and commercialization, designing cost-effective, sensorially superior, and scalable formulations aligned to business and consumer needs
Own technical delivery on project teams, integrating inputs across disciplines and ensuring execution against timelines, cost targets, and quality standards
Partner cross-functionally (Marketing, Regulatory, Claims, CTI, Packaging, Analytical, Supply Chain, Procurement, Quality) to define and lock project briefs and product designs, establish resource requirements, budgets, and target product/pack costs, and drive flawless execution across all development phases
Build and support digital capability, embedding data-driven tools and digital solutions to enhance product development efficiency and decision-making
Translate Brand Performance Standards (BPS) into clear technical targets (performance and attributes) to enable superior product design and validation
Ensure all product designs meet requirements across safety, regulatory, claims, analytical, and CTI, with a robust and compliant technical pathway
Lead commercialization with contract manufacturers, including technical oversight and scale-up execution
Build and manage external partnerships (development, commercialization, raw material suppliers), ensuring alignment on milestones, deliverables, and technical pathways
Drive clear communication, milestone tracking, and decision-making across internal teams and external partners
Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate technical risks, escalating issues appropriately to ensure delivery continuity
Partner with Supply Chain and Quality to assess and qualify contract manufacturers and testing laboratories
Ensure R&D protocols, reports, specifications, and dossiers are developed in line with established end-to-end technical guidance
Assess gaps in technical processes and support development of SOPs and guidance documents to strengthen ways of working
Build strong, trust-based external relationships, resolving conflicts effectively to maintain project momentum
Coach and mentor team members, strengthening technical capability and execution rigor across the team
Maintain strong awareness of emerging scientific literature and technologies, applying insights to projects and upskilling self and team