The Lead Chemist is responsible for all steps of product development from ideation phase to final phase of formulation. Primary responsibilities will be the innovation of new products, managing new development, and reformulation in the hair care category.

The successful candidate should be an experienced practitioner excited by hands-on laboratory work in a dynamic R&D environment in the personal care manufacturing industry, with broad skill set and experience in hair care formulations the work enables development and commercialization of new products, qualification of starting materials, and helps ensure safety, quality, and regulatory compliance of the innovation portfolio and the base business.

Responsibilities:

• You schedule daily activity, including prioritizing projects. You also schedule your direct reports daily activity and assist in those experimental designs.
• You are familiar with skin and hair care technologies (surfactant systems, gels, emulsions, serums) able to advise others on experiments and new technologies.
• Capable at processing new or existing technologies and can devise evaluation methods to compare efficacy.
• Monitor and Interpret stability of experimental formulas for 3 months at 25,40 and 45 C to predict shelf life of product. Also, know how to reformulate in order to fix/improve stability.
• Know how to finish off formulation documentation in the computer database and pass on formulation to QC for production needs.
• Know how to provide customer with all the necessary documentation for international requirements (PIP or Dossier)
• Provide bulk for: QC standard, fill weight, sales samples.
• Communicate with raw material manufacturers to identify new materials, improve formulation understanding, check availability and clarify information for QC and purchasing.
• Provide COA and MSDS to QC for new raw materials and assist in obtaining such information for existing ones as needed for R&D files.
• Set up informative seminars for group to increase breadth and understanding of raw materials and technologies.
• You can find equivalent alternatives in supplier’s materials and identify materials for direct report(s) to enhance efficacy or achieve duplication of formulations.
• Assist lab manager/supervisor in writing up manufacturing procedure, and in high workload times, be able to document and pass on updated procedures to manufacturing.
• Participate in pilot scale-up and first manufacturing to ensure customer satisfaction.
• Communicate process changes, improvements of each scale-up to lab manager to revise, optimize the manufacturing procedures.
• Works with direct reports to design formulas, evaluate stability and performance to achieve customer’s goals.
• Participate in evaluating direct reports progress and encouraging, coaching to improve productivity and success.
• Become a “formulation resource” to other staff.
• Be aware of laboratory workload so that you can provide information, guidance or “coverage” in the manager or director’s absence.
• Able to communicate with customers the status of projects, stability or manufacturing and participate in developing new product concepts with customers.

Maintain a clean desk (put in-progress work away each night) and safe lab bench area.

• Organize, initiate and/or participate in laboratory cleaning of common areas and equipment.
• Identify equipment needs or upgrades for group to improve productivity.

Qualifications:

• A BS or MS in Chemistry, Biology or Cosmetic Science or related field
• 5-7 years’ experience in a cosmetic laboratory; preferably haircare
• Supervisory experience

At this time, we are unable to offer sponsorship to any visa holders.

The position pays up to $100,000 annually.

This position is based on-site in Rantoul, IL.

We will not be using outside agencies to fill this position. Please no solicitation.