Overview
* A global leader in ingredient solutions, supporting innovation across food, beverage, and sports nutrition markets.
* Driving growth through strategic partnerships with retailers, manufacturers, and health-focused brands.
* Renowned for high-quality, functional ingredients that help brands meet evolving consumer needs.
Role Summary
* The R&D Lead (Product Formulation) is responsible for leading and growing the R&D department that builds nutritional premixes and sports nutrition products across powders, RTM and RTD-support formats.
* Owns the full product value chain end to end, from concept to commercialisation, ensuring compliance with regulatory, quality, safety and commercial requirements.
* Manages and develops the R&D Product Formulation team, building capability, driving performance and strengthening succession pipelines.
* Defines and executes the departmental strategy aligned to NPD, margin, customer satisfaction and category growth goals.
* Oversees science‑based formulation of premixes, functional blends and sports nutrition products, ensuring efficacy, stability, sensory quality and commercial viability.
* Approves product specifications and ensures team expertise in functional ingredients, regulatory changes, raw‑material optimisation and dual sourcing.
* Provides technical leadership for customer briefs, presentations, scoping, costing and on‑time launch delivery, ensuring right‑first‑time development.
* Supports commercial, quality and production teams with technical service, compliance projects and raw‑material qualification.
Qualifications
* Degree‑qualified: BSc/MSc in Food Science, Nutrition, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, or Chemical/Process Engineering (or relevant).
* Experience in food or nutrition manufacturing, including people leadership and cross‑functional stakeholder management.
* Direct experience in an R&D leadership role in premix formulation, including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, botanicals and probiotics.
* Strong background in sports nutrition, covering whey and plant proteins, BCAA/EAA, creatine, electrolytes and pre‑workout products preferred.
* Technical expertise in powder technologies such as blending, segregation/flowability management, hygroscopic ingredients, encapsulation, granulation, milling and sieving.
* Proven ability to design science‑based formulations, applying data‑driven principles to create high‑performing products.
* Sound sensory understanding, including flavour and sweetener systems, masking strategies and texture optimisation for both RTM and RTD formats.
Benefits
* £Competitive Salary
* Pension
* Hybrid Working: 3 days on site, 2 days work from home
* Subsidised Gym membership
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