Principal Scientist

Henkel group • Darien, CT

1d • $110,000 - $120,000 • Onsite

About The Position

At Henkel, you’ll be part of an organization that’s shaping the future through innovation, sustainability and collaboration. With our trusted brands like Persil®, ‘all®, Loctite®, Snuggle®, and Schwarzkopf® and our cutting-edge technologies, you’ll have countless opportunities to explore new paths and grow. This position is with our Consumer Brands business unit – where we empower our employees to bring the best Laundry & Home Care and Hair products to people around the world. Dare to learn new skills, advance in your career and make an impact at Henkel.

Requirements

• B.S/ M.S. in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or related scientific discipline
• 10+ years of formulation development experience in hair care and/or styling products
• Demonstrated success independently developing and commercializing hair care or styling products
• Deep technical knowledge of formulation chemistry and structure-property relationships relevant to hair care systems
• Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and problem-solving skills
• Experience with scale-up, manufacturing transfer, and commercialization processes
• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects and deliver results in a fast-paced environment
• Strong presentation, organizational and interpersonal skills are critical
• Provide technical mentorship and guidance to junior scientists, including helping structure and prioritize daily work, supporting experimental planning and execution, and fostering scientific development
• Ability to travel 15% of time

Responsibilities

• Independently lead the formulation design, development, optimization, and scale-up of hair care and styling products from ideation through commercialization
• Apply advanced technical expertise in surfactants, conditioning systems, polymers, emulsions, silicones, rheology modifiers, and active delivery systems to create innovative formulations
• Identify and solve complex formulation, stability, compatibility, and manufacturing challenges
• Translate consumer insights, market trends, and performance benchmarks into technically viable product solutions
• Design and execute experimental plans, analyze data, and drive formulation decisions based on sound scientific principles
• Lead technical assessment of competitive products and identify opportunities for innovation and differentiation
• Partner closely with pilot plant and manufacturing teams to ensure smooth scale-up, process optimization, and robust commercialization
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Marketing, Regulatory, Quality, Packaging, and Procurement to ensure products meet all performance, compliance, and cost requirements
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior scientists and support the development of team capabilities
• Develop products and work processes in accordance with Henkel SHE-Q Standards ensuring consumer safety and compliance with applicable regulations.
• Follow established or create occupational workplace assessments, HAZOPs, and SOPs as needed to maintain a safe

Benefits

• Health Insurance: affordable plans for medical, dental, vision and wellbeing starting on day 1
• Work-Life Balance: Paid time off including sick, vacation, holiday and volunteer time, flexible & hybrid work policies (depending on role), and vacation buy / sell program
• Financial: 401k matching, employee share plan with voluntary investment and Henkel matching shares, annual performance bonus, service awards and student loan reimbursement
• Family Support: 12-week gender neutral parental leave (up to 20 weeks for parents giving birth), fertility support, adoption & surrogacy reimbursement, discounted child and elderly care, and scholarships
• Career Growth: diverse national and international growth opportunities, access to thousands of skills development courses, and tuition reimbursement

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal