Formulation Development Chemist, FMCG

Development Chemist – Household Cleaning Products

South Birmingham area Full-time, office based £35-40k plus benefits

Experienced Development / Formulation Chemist required to lead the research, development, optimization, and commercialization of innovative cleaning and household care products. The successful candidate will be responsible for developing high-performance formulations, improving existing products, ensuring regulatory compliance, supporting manufacturing scale-up, and driving innovation across our FMCG cleaning product portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

Product Development & Formulation

• Design, develop, and optimize formulations for consumer household cleaning products, including surface cleaners, dishwashing liquids, laundry detergents, fabric care products, toilet and bathroom cleaners, floor cleaners and other specialty cleaning products.

Innovation & Research

• Identify emerging technologies, market trends, and consumer needs within the cleaning products sector.

Technical Leadership

• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to laboratory personnel.

Scale-Up & Manufacturing Support

• Support pilot plant and production scale-up activities, ensure smooth transfer of formulations from laboratory to manufacturing.

Quality & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure products comply with applicable regulations and industry standards.

Project Management

• Manage multiple development projects simultaneously.

Experience

• Formulation and product development experience within FMCG, household care, cleaning products, detergents, or related industries.
• Proven experience taking products from concept through commercialization.
• Experience with surfactant systems, emulsions, rheology modifiers, preservatives, fragrances, and specialty additives.
• Experience supporting manufacturing scale-up and production troubleshooting.

Technical Skills

• Surfactant chemistry.
• Detergent formulation.
• Emulsion systems.
• Product stability testing.
• Raw material functionality.
• Cleaning performance evaluation.
• Regulatory requirements for household cleaning products.
• Proficiency in laboratory testing methods and analytical techniques.