Found Food & Drink
R&D Lead - Gummies
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Starting Salary: £45,000 - £50,000 per annum
Working Pattern: Monday to Friday | Site-based | London | Relocation opportunity
A rapidly growing manufacturing business within the health and wellness sector is looking to appoint an R&D Lead – Gummies to play a key role in the next stage of its growth.
This is a genuinely exciting opportunity for an experienced Scientist with specialist gummy formulation and development experience to take technical ownership of gummy innovation within a business investing significantly in its future R&D and manufacturing capability.
Initially, this will be a highly hands-on role, developing and optimising formulations from initial concept through laboratory and pilot-scale development, factory trials, scale-up and successful commercial manufacture. You will work closely with Operations, Technical, Quality, Commercial, Supply Chain and Engineering to ensure products are technically robust, scalable and commercially viable.
Importantly, we are looking for someone with specific hands-on gummy experience. This could have been gained within supplements, nutraceuticals or confectionery. You will need to understand the science behind gummy formulation as well as the practical challenges involved in taking a formulation from the laboratory into commercial production.
As the operation continues to grow, there is significant scope for the R&D function to develop around this position, giving you the opportunity to build a team of Scientists and development specialists in the future.
What You'll Be Doing
- Lead the development and optimisation of gummy formulations from initial concept through to commercial manufacture
- Translate customer briefs and commercial opportunities into technically robust, scalable and commercially viable products
- Develop new gummy concepts proactively alongside customer-led development projects
- Carry out and oversee laboratory and pilot-scale development, assessing formulation behaviour, setting characteristics, texture, flavour, appearance, stability and manufacturability
- Establish appropriate processing parameters including cooking, depositing, temperature control, setting and other critical process variables
- Lead the transition of products from bench and pilot scale through to full-scale factory production
- Plan and support factory trials, troubleshooting formulation and process challenges during scale-up
- Assess raw materials, functional ingredients and gelling systems, understanding their impact on formulation performance, processing and finished product quality
- Work closely with Operations and Engineering as the business expands its gummy manufacturing capability and introduces new production technology
- Manage multiple development projects simultaneously, maintaining clear priorities and project momentum
- Provide scientific and technical expertise during customer conversations, supporting new enquiries and development opportunities
- Act as a technical problem solver for complex gummy formulation, scale-up and manufacturing challenges
- Help establish R&D processes, development standards and ways of working as the function continues to grow.
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What's In It for You
- Take technical ownership of gummy R&D within a rapidly growing manufacturing business
- Join at an exciting stage of investment in new R&D capability, manufacturing technology and increased production capacity
- The opportunity to work hands-on across formulation, pilot-scale development, trials, scale-up and commercial manufacture
- Significant scope to influence how the future R&D function operates and develops
- Work across both customer-led projects and proactive innovation, helping shape the future gummy product pipeline
- The longer-term opportunity to build, recruit and lead your own team of Scientists and development specialists.
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Your Background
- Significant hands-on experience developing and formulating gummies is essential
- A scientific or technical background within nutraceuticals, food supplements, confectionery or another directly relevant environment
- Strong understanding of gummy formulation, including ingredients, hydrocolloids or gelling systems and their impact on finished product performance
- Experience taking gummy products from concept and formulation through trials, scale-up and commercial manufacture
- Strong understanding of the challenges involved in transferring formulations from laboratory or bench scale into factory production
- Experience carrying out or supporting pilot-scale and commercial production trials
- Experience working cross-functionally with Manufacturing, Technical, Quality, Regulatory, Commercial and Supply Chain teams
- Strong project management skills with the ability to manage several development projects simultaneously
- Commercially minded, understanding that successful R&D needs to deliver products that are scientifically robust, scalable and commercially viable.
Join a Business That Invests in You
This is an opportunity to join a growing business at a point where R&D can genuinely influence how its future gummy capability is built.
Rather than stepping into a completely established function, you'll have the opportunity to help shape formulations, development processes, ways of working and the wider scientific capability around gummy innovation.
If you're a Scientist with genuine hands-on gummy formulation experience and enjoy combining science with scale-up, manufacturing problem solving and commercial product development, we'd love to hear from you.
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