At Eakin Healthcare, we put patients at the heart of everything we do. We are a family-owned global medical device company with a proud heritage of innovation and care. We deliver innovative solutions across Ostomy, Respiratory, and Surgical therapies, along with our Respond home delivery service. Founded over 50 years ago, we now have a team of over 700 dedicated people across three UK manufacturing sites, 12 international sales and distribution centres and export to over 60 countries. We’ve been recognised as a Great Place to Work® ! And we’re proud to be named among the Best Workplaces in Healthcare and Best Workplaces for Women. At Eakin Healthcare, we’re united by one mission: working together to improve lives - just like we’ve been doing for over five decades. WHY JOIN US? We’re good at what we do – come and join us and you can benefit from: Blended Working Bonus 25 days holiday plus bank holidays (rising to 28) Option to buy holiday days Wellbeing Programme Health Cash Plan Pension Life Assurance Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Cycle to Work Scheme Referral Scheme Long Service Awards Free Parking ABOUT THE ROLE Eakin R&D is now recruiting for a student placement in the Formulation team. This role will report to the Formulation Chemistry Manager and is an exciting opportunity to join a growing R&D team. Crucially, this role will involve all aspects of formulation research and development leading to the development of new pressure sensitive adhesives and products for Eakin Healthcare. The duration of the placement is for one year. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Contribute to the development of new medical devices from early-stage product concepts, to ready for production, in line with Eakin R&Ds development strategy. Support formulation research and development projects. Contribute as a matrix team member to allocated work-streams within development projects, to meet project targets and ensure the end product meets with customer expectations and operational needs. Provide input to technical reports and design documentation for internal and external users to review, ensuring that the content is accurate and informed. Adopt a continuous improvement approach by proactively seeking out development opportunities. Plan and carry out laboratory manufacture and testing as required, developing new adhesive and product formulations to meet identified market needs. Research new technologies or materials that may be used in the field of medical adhesives. Support technical analysis of the marketplace, creating data to both drive product development marketing activities. Other To adhere to the company’s Equal Opportunities policy and Dignity at work policy in all activities and to actively promote equality of opportunity wherever possible. To be responsible for your own health and safety and that of your colleagues, in accordance with the company’s’ Health and Safety policy. To adhere to the company’s Quality policy and Environmental policy. To undertake other duties as may be reasonably required. WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR Essential Must be working towards a Degree level Scientific Discipline, preferably in a Chemistry, Materials Science or Chemical Engineering or Pharmaceutical Science related subject. Be able to work in a multi-functional, multi-disciplinary team and to build relationships with peers. Will be comfortable with both the practical and theoretical aspects of product development. Will have an ability to manage own time in a fast-paced environment and on multiple projects at one time. Strong communication and interpersonal skills. The successful candidate will have a ‘can do’ attitude and be able to work on their own initiative. Desirable Knowledge in one of the following subject’s: pharmaceutics, chemistry, medicinal chemistry, polymer science, materials science, biochemistry or chemical engineering. Theoretical knowledge which could include the topics of rheology, spectroscopy and surface chemistry. Working knowledge of analytical techniques such as DSC, FTIR, rheology and pressure sensitive adhesive testing. KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS Internal Working within the R&D team to support projects. Working alongside Manufacturing to understand manufacturing implications of technical decisions. Working alongside the Commercial team(s) to understand the commercial implications of technical decisions. Quality - ensuring all documentation is of an appropriate and consistent standard. External Suppliers Test houses Universities ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Full clean UK driving licence required with access to a vehicle. Travel Requirements: Possible UK travel to support projects. Interviews to take place mid Nov – mid Dec 2025 to join the business in July 2026 COMPETENCIES Customer Focus Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions. Manages Complexity Making sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems. Action Oriented Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm. Collaborates Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives. Communicates Effectively Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences. Demonstrates Self-Awareness Using a combination of feedback and reflection to gain productive insight into personal strengths and weaknesses. Nimble Learning Actively learning through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodder. Being Resilient Rebounding from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations.