Head of R&D, Beauty + Personal Care

Job Details

Job Title: Head of R&D, Beauty + Personal Care

Location: Mumbai, India

Work Arrangement: Onsite

About the Role

Caldic is looking for a dynamic and commercially minded Head of R&D – Beauty & Personal Care to lead innovation, formulation development, and technical excellence for our growing Beauty & Personal Care business in India.

This is a strategic leadership role for an experienced R&D professional who thrives at the intersection of innovation, customer engagement, market trends, and business growth. You will play a key role in shaping differentiated product concepts, driving customer-centric solutions, and building a high-performing technical team that supports Caldic’s expansion in the Beauty & Personal Care industry.

The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise with strong market understanding, leadership capability, and a passion for creating innovative formulations aligned with emerging consumer trends.

Key Responsibilities

Innovation & Product Development

• Lead the R&D and application development strategy for the Beauty & Personal Care business in India.
• Drive formulation innovation and concept development aligned with market trends, customer needs, and emerging industry opportunities.
• Identify and translate consumer, ingredient, and industry insights into commercially viable product solutions.
• Lead the development of differentiated formulations across skincare, haircare, personal care, and cosmetic applications.
• Guide product benchmarking, prototype development, and technical validation activities.

Business Partnership & Customer Engagement

• Partner closely with Sales, Marketing, and Business teams to support business growth and customer acquisition strategies.
• Act as a technical advisor during customer engagements, presentations, innovation workshops, and solution discussions.
• Support key customer projects by ensuring timely delivery, technical excellence, and seamless project execution.
• Build strong relationships with principals, suppliers, and strategic customers to strengthen Caldic’s market position.

Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Lead, mentor, and develop the R&D and application team to foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Allocate resources effectively across projects and prioritize initiatives based on business impact and timelines.
• Drive knowledge-sharing initiatives, technical coaching, and cross-functional collaboration across teams.
• Create and deliver technical training programs for internal stakeholders including Sales and Marketing teams.

Operational & Strategic Excellence

• Ensure optimized utilization of laboratory infrastructure, technical capabilities, and R&D resources.
• Monitor project pipelines and collaborate with commercial teams to accelerate project conversion and commercialization success.
• Develop internal sales tools, technical documentation, formulation libraries, and benchmarking data.
• Represent Caldic India in regional technical discussions, innovation projects, and strategic initiatives.

Skills

• Strong technical and formulation expertise within Beauty & Personal Care applications.
• Commercial acumen with the ability to align innovation with business objectives.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Collaborative leadership style with the ability to inspire and develop teams.
• Proactive, agile, and solution-oriented mindset in a fast-evolving business environment.
• Strong project management and prioritization capabilities.
• High level of professionalism, integrity, and confidentiality.
• Passion for innovation, creativity, and continuous learning.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Cosmetic Technology, Cosmetic Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related discipline.
• Minimum 8–12 years of relevant experience in R&D, Application Development, Technical Services, or Innovation within the Beauty & Personal Care industry.
• Proven experience in formulation development across personal care and cosmetic applications.
• Prior experience leading technical teams and managing cross-functional collaboration is highly preferred.
• Exposure to customer-facing technical support and commercialization activities will be an added advantage.
• Strong understanding of market trends, ingredients, formulation technologies, and regulatory considerations within the Beauty & Personal Care industry.

About Caldic

At Caldic, we’re a global leader in distribution solutions, serving diverse markets across the world. Joining us means becoming part of an entrepreneurial, collaborative, and innovation-driven team.

We offer:

• Global opportunities with rapid career growth and development
• An inclusive, diverse, and dynamic work environment
• The chance to shape the future of specialty ingredient solutions across industries like food, pharma, personal care, and more

We operate in 43 countries around the world. Our innovative solutions are tailored to meet the needs of industries such as food, pharma, personal care, and industrial markets, ensuring sustainable success for all stakeholders. To learn more, visit: www.caldic.com

Ready to Join Us?

If you're ready to take your career to the next level and join a global leader, apply now at Caldic!

Equal Opportunity Employer

Caldic celebrates diversity and is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, or any other characteristic.