Formulation Design Assistant Manager – Leeds
Job Purpose: The Deodorants category is a key part of the Unilever Personal Care Business Group, with a family of Power Brands; Dove, Lynx & Rexona, which are critical growth drivers of the company. This role focuses on the delivery of the Dove Deodorant Innovation programme for Dove International by leading the formulation workstream across a range of innovation projects.
Key Challenges of the role:
* Taking responsibility for planning and delivering the technology development and testing programme for projects and/or the longer‑term technology roadmap, ensuring all testing is completed to meet network timings.
* Addressing formulation or product concerns as they occur, such as issues related to fragrance or formulation stability, and driving investigation to find and implement appropriate solutions.
Responsibilities
* Acts as the primary formulation contact at a global level, handling technical queries from various business areas including Regional R&D Teams, Marketing, Safety, Environmental & Regulatory Science (SERS) and Supply Chain.
* Communicates with multiple functional teams to help meet deadlines and participates in technical team meetings as needed.
* Under guidance, adapts or creates new formulas that meet product benefit and claim requirements within the formulation workstream.
* Formulates in autonomy by planning and executing technical testing, interpreting results, troubleshooting technical issues, generating support for claims, preparing reports, and contributing toward savings initiatives.
* Provides supporting documentation, e.g., safety clearance, for prototype products for both internal and external testing, including consumer/claims testing.
* Carrying out relevant qualitative and quantitative technical testing to ensure products are fit for market/consumer testing, including specialist testing where required.
* Utilises Unilever software to create specifications and recipes for safety and regulatory clearance, and for setting specifications for implementation into factories.
* Stays informed of key competitors in the applicator area and develops formulation expertise to understand implications for Unilever products and brands.
* Applies tools for protecting intellectual property when reporting information.
* Maintains laboratory files/records, SOPs, risk assessments, COSHH, etc., and keeps them up to date.
* Designs and implements new protocols and testing techniques with guidance from senior WL1 staff.
* Actively participates in departmental initiatives, processes and maintains high standards of laboratory housekeeping and safety.
* Supports training and provides technical support for colleagues.
* Prepares relevant documentation for laboratory technicians such as batch sheets, gassing sheets, results templates for capturing data in relevant Unilever software.
Qualifications
* Preferred: Degree level in Chemistry.
* Experience: Some laboratory experience in formulation.
* Desirable skills: Formulation chemistry, understanding of ingredients, ability to modify and manipulate formulations, evaluate interactions, design of experiments, and protocol development.
* Strong communication and stakeholder management skills and ability to work effectively within cross‑functional technical teams.
* Analytical capability – analyse and interpret data.
* Digital skills: data handling, analysis, interpretation and leveraging AI tools, dashboards and digital solutions to connect data, identify insights, and drive efficient decision‑making.
* Information management – knowledge capture, reporting and effective communication.
* Health & Safety regulations and processes.
* Full EU driving licence is desirable.
* Limited travel with overnight stays may be necessary.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Unilever embraces diversity in its workforce and is an equal opportunity employer. We give full and fair consideration to all applicants and continue development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity. Reasonable adjustments are provided during the application and interview process to enable applicants to perform at their best.
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