Director, R&D - Formulation & Tech Transfer

Reporting to the Vice President, Research & Development, this onsite role in Johnson City, TN combines strong technical leadership with people-management responsibility in cosmetic and OTC skincare formulation development, technical transfer, and scale-up.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute formulation strategies aligned with business goals.
• Identify innovation opportunities, emerging technologies, and market trends.
• Prioritize R&D projects and manage resources to enable the product development pipeline.
• Lead formulation design, development, optimization, and scale-up activities.
• Oversee prototype development, stability testing, and product performance evaluation.
• Ensure products meet quality, regulatory, and customer requirements.
• Provide technical leadership for formulation and manufacturing challenges.
• Manage multiple development projects, ensuring timely and successful execution.
• Monitor project risks, budgets, and resource allocation.
• Drive continuous improvement in product development processes.
• Partner with Quality, Manufacturing, Marketing, and commercial teams to support product launches and commercialization.
• Coordinate with suppliers and external partners as needed.
• Ensure compliance with applicable quality, regulatory, and industrial standards.
• Maintain development documentation and support audits and regulatory submissions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and 10+ years of directly related experience.
• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. in Chemistry or a related scientific field (preferred).
• 10+ years of formulation and product development experience.
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing R&D teams.
• Proven track record of successful product development and commercialization.
• Strong knowledge of formulation science, process development, scale-up, and commercialization.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a high-pressure, fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot and analyze complex formulation problems.
• Effective multi-tasking and project planning skills to meet aggressive deadlines.
• Experience in a regulated environment.
• Familiarity with DOE, stability studies, risk assessment, and project management.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation including base salary and annual performance bonus.
• Flexible PTO, holidays, and parental leave.
• Generous healthcare benefits, HSA match, 401k match.
• Employer-paid life and disability insurance.
• Pet insurance, wellness discounts, and more.