Senior Formulation Specialist – Global NPD

Senior Formulation Specialist – Global NPD (Nutrition & Cosmetics)

Athenry (onsite with hybrid work flexibility provided after probationary period) | Permanent

We’re partnering with a fast‑growing global wellness and life‑sciences company to hire a Senior Formulation Specialist – Global NPD (Nutrition & Cosmetics). This role leads formulation strategy and technical development for ingestible and topical products across global markets, from concept through commercial scale.

You will own formulation architecture, product specifications, ingredient feasibility, stability strategy and technical execution, acting as the organisation’s technical authority with CDMOs, formulation consultants and testing labs.

The opportunity

• Lead end‑to‑end formulation development for nutrition, supplement and cosmetic products in multiple regions.
• Operate at the centre of a newly built NPD organisation, partnering closely with Regulatory, Supply Chain and external CDMOs.
• Work across both ingestible and topical categories, with flexibility to bring deep expertise in one and build capability in the other.

What you’ll be doing

Formulation architecture & specifications

• Lead formulation development from concept through pilot and commercial scale in collaboration with executive stakeholders.
• Author and maintain detailed product specifications: ingredient composition, tolerances, critical quality attributes and packaging parameters.
• Define stability strategy and shelf‑life validation requirements for global markets.
• Ensure full traceability between formulation specs, testing protocols and regulatory documentation.
• Approve final formulations prior to design freeze and production scale‑up.

Regulatory‑integrated development

• Partner with Regulatory to assess ingredient and claims feasibility across US, EMEA, APAC and other regions.
• Align formulation decisions with applicable supplement, nutrition and cosmetic regulatory frameworks.
• Support preparation of technical documentation for global product registrations and submissions.

CDMO & consultant leadership

• Act as the company’s technical authority in interactions with CDMOs and formulation consultants.
• Define scopes of work, formulation requirements and performance expectations for external partners.
• Review and approve pilot batches, scale‑up documentation and validation data.
• Ensure external partners meet internal formulation standards and compliance requirements.

Development, scale‑up & innovation

• Oversee pilot production and first commercial batches, identifying and mitigating formulation and scale‑up risks.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain on raw material selection, manufacturability and robustness at scale.
• Evaluate new ingredients, technologies and delivery formats for future products.
• Contribute technical input to pipeline feasibility and roadmap planning, ensuring documentation is audit‑ and inspection‑ready at all stages.

What we’re looking for

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Science, Food Science, Cosmetic Science or related discipline.
• 8+ years’ experience in formulation development for nutrition, supplements and/or cosmetics.
• Strong understanding of ingredient functionality and stability principles, and experience working with CDMOs and pilot‑to‑commercial scale‑up.
• Comfortable operating in regulated environments, familiar with ISO 9001, ISO 22716 and GMP CFR 111.
• Proven ability to juggle multiple projects, shifting priorities and a rapid work environment.
• Able to work independently and as part of a global team across time zones; willingness to travel up to c.10% per year.
• Ideally experienced across both ingestible and topical formulations; strong expertise in one area with clear willingness and capability to build the other is also welcome.

Should you or someone you know be interested in learning more, please apply directly or send your CV to Emily.Blinkhorn@cpl.ie for a confidential discussion.