Alexander Steele Recruitment
Development Chemist

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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.
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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.


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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.
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