Development Chemist

Here at Alexander Steele Recruitment we continue to work with an established FMCG manufacturer that develops and produces a wide range of consumer household products.

Due to continued growth within their product development function, they are looking to recruit a Development Chemist to join their NPD team.

This is a hands-on role combining formulation development, laboratory work, innovation and manufacturing support. You will be involved in taking products from initial concept through testing, scale-up and commercialisation, while also improving existing formulations and supporting wider technical projects.

The Role

As Development Chemist, you will be responsible for:

• Developing and improving formulations across a range of household goods.
• Planning and carrying out laboratory trials, stability testing, compatibility assessments and product performance evaluations.
• Supporting the transfer of new formulations from laboratory development through pilot trials and into full-scale manufacturing.
• Investigating formulation, raw material and manufacturing issues, working closely with Production and other technical teams to resolve problems.
• Evaluating new ingredients, raw materials and more sustainable alternatives to support innovation and product improvement.
• Working closely with Quality, Regulatory, Procurement, Marketing and Production to ensure products are commercially viable, compliant and suitable for manufacture.
• Benchmarking competitor products and identifying opportunities to improve product performance, quality and cost.
• Preparing and maintaining technical documentation including formulation records, test results, specifications and manufacturing information.
• Supporting product registrations, regulatory requirements and quality standards where required.
• Managing multiple development projects at different stages, ensuring agreed timelines, budgets and milestones are achieved.
• Presenting technical findings, development progress and recommendations to key stakeholders.
• Providing technical guidance to laboratory colleagues and supporting the development of best practice within the formulation process.

About You

We are looking for someone with a strong technical background in formulation or product development, ideally within household goods, FMCG, chemicals or a closely related manufacturing environment.

You will ideally have:

• Previous experience working within formulation chemistry, product development or NPD.
• Hands-on laboratory experience including formulation trials, stability testing and performance evaluation.
• Knowledge of raw materials, ingredients and functional additives used within formulated products.
• Experience supporting scale-up from laboratory through to manufacturing.
• The ability to troubleshoot formulation and production issues in a practical and methodical way.
• An understanding of product quality, regulatory requirements and technical documentation.
• Strong project management and organisational skills, with the ability to manage several development projects at the same time.
• Good communication skills and the confidence to work cross-functionally with technical and commercial teams.
• A relevant scientific qualification, ideally within Chemistry or a related discipline.

Why Join?

This is a great opportunity to join a growing manufacturer where you will have genuine involvement in product development from concept through to launch.

The role offers a broad mix of hands-on formulation work, innovation, manufacturing support and cross-functional collaboration, making it ideal for someone who enjoys seeing their technical work progress into commercial products.