Director of R&D/NPD

Celmark International•Orlando, FL

5d•$120,000 - $140,000•Onsite

About The Position

Responsible for leadership and oversight of product development initiatives supporting skincare and topical products within a fast-paced contract manufacturing environment. Provides strategic and technical direction across the full product lifecycle from concept through commercialization while ensuring speed, scalability, customer satisfaction, compliance, and operational execution. Leads product development activities, drives cross-functional alignment, and serves as a key customer-facing technical leader supporting innovation and growth initiatives.

Requirements

Extensive experience developing skincare and topical products within a CMO/CDMO environment.
Demonstrated ability to lead products from concept through commercialization.
Experience scaling products into manufacturing environments.
Strong leadership, project management, and organizational skills.
Strong customer-facing communication and presentation abilities.
Working knowledge of FDA and cGMP requirements.
Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Nutrition Science, or related scientific discipline required.
Minimum ten (10) years of progressive product development experience supporting Skincare and topical products.
Prior leadership experience required.
Contract manufacturing/CMO/CDMO experience strongly required.

Nice To Haves

advanced degree preferred

Responsibilities

Lead product development strategy and execution for skincare and topical products from concept through commercialization.
Direct and prioritize product development pipeline activities and project timelines across multiple customer initiatives.
Lead and develop Product Development and formulation team members.
Oversee formulation strategy focused on product performance, ingredient compatibility, stability, manufacturability, scalability, and cost optimization.
Drive bench development, pilot trials, scale-up activities, validation efforts, and commercialization execution.
Serve as primary technical lead and customer-facing resource throughout development projects.
Translate customer objectives into commercially viable and manufacturable solutions.
Partner with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Regulatory, Sales, and Customer Service teams to ensure successful project execution.
Lead customer presentations and technical discussions.
Troubleshoot formulation and manufacturing challenges involving viscosity, emulsion stability, ingredient interactions, and process variability.
Evaluate ingredients, packaging compatibility, technologies, and market trends.
Ensure compliance with FDA requirements and cGMP standards.
Maintain formulas, specifications, and technical documentation.
Drive process improvement initiatives.