Formulation & Measurement Scientist

Key Skills

Data Engineering, Data science techniques, Design, Effective communication skills, Planning and organization

Job Description

Are you a formulation scientist looking to help make a difference to billions of people worldwide? Are you a chemist who loves a technical challenge or applying scientific theory to provide understanding and insight? If so, Unilever wants to speak to you. We currently have an opportunity for a Product Formulation Scientist in our Product Engineering Group within the Personal Care business at our sites Unilever R&D Port Sunlight and MIF, Liverpool. This group plays a vital role in the research and development of products, providing underpinning formulation and processing expertise to Unilever’s rapidly growing FMCG businesses.

Core activities include:

• Working as part of a project team, to build formulation understanding and deliver new technology innovations in three core categories (Oral Care, Deodorants and Hair Care).
• Design, manufacture and commercially protect new products.
• Proactively support the measurement and characterisation of new product innovations that meet consumer needs, to grow Unilever’s Oral Care business.
• Work with global R&D teams to transfer product innovations from laboratory to pilot plants.

Research and Development is vital to the growth of Unilever brands and the successful applicant will have access to a range of world class laboratory and pilot plant facilities including the Product Innovation Laboratory and the Advanced Manufacturing Centre at Port Sunlight, and the Materials Innovation Factory at the University of Liverpool.

We want to hear about how your scientific passions, expertise, and knowledge align with Unilever’s vision. At Unilever we value commercially astute, digitally savvy people who can connect and apply science and technology solutions to satisfy the diverse needs of consumers all over the world.

The role is ideally suited to an energetic, resourceful formulation scientist with excellent people-skills. Evidence of practical formulation skills, digital research methods and continued personal development is a prerequisite for the role.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The role reports to a Research Formulation Manager and includes the following responsibilities:

• Creates ideas and develops solutions to solve technical challenges.
• Designs and manufactures prototype products at lab scale for technical understanding and performance evaluation.
• Provides robust experimental evidence through advanced measurement and characterisation methods.
• Collates, analyses data, and communicates insights for project deliverables and IP needs.
• Co-ordinates own project work, proposes next steps and organises experimental work for themselves and others, including third parties.
• Delivers high quality written reports and oral communications to the team and stakeholders.

ALL ABOUT YOU

• MSc or PhD in Chemistry, Formulation Science or relevant Personal Care Materials Science area. Or equivalent formulation research experience in Personal Care product innovation.
• Strong practical skills and expertise in the handling and characterisation of colloids, complex product microstructures (including polymers, particles, and surfactants) are required. For example, expertise in the measurement and interpretation of product microstructures using complex rheology, SAXS, SEM, GPC and Zeta potential methods.
• Experience in data science, data handling and statistical DoE methods is required.
• Experience of delivering practical work to deadlines, independently and as part of an agile, flexible team.
• Excellent communication (written and verbal), interpersonal and team working skills are a prerequisite.
• Experience in the delivery of work through wider/global teams and independent third-party organisations would be preferred.

NOTES

About Unilever

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Food, Home and Personal Care products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2 billion consumers a day. Unilever has more than 400 brands found in homes around the world, including Dove, Tresemme, Lynx, Lifebuoy, Shea Moisture, Persil, Domestos, Ben & Jerry’s, Magnum, Marmite, The Vegetarian Butcher, Graze and Pot Noodle.

Faced with the challenge of climate change and the need for human development, we want to move towards a world where everyone can live well and within the natural limits of the planet. That’s why our purpose is ‘to make sustainable living commonplace’