Product Development Manager at PZ Cussons

Function/Business Unit Overview

• Group Research + Development whilst supporting the EU business unit and also scaling innovations where relevant across brands, categories and business units

Reporting Relationships

• Reporting to R&D NPD Leader

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• The role is responsible for driving the development of innovative and renovation-focused products predominantly within the Personal Care & Beauty portfolio
• End to end accountability from concept through to scale-up and commercialization, partering with internal production teams and external CMOs where relevant
• The role partners closely with sub functions within R&D, Marketing, Packaging, Consumer Insights, Supply Chain, and external suppliers to deliver high‑quality, consumer‑centric products on time and within cost targets
• Hand‑on formulation experience, strong understanding of raw materials, and the ability to translate consumer needs and brand strategies into robust product solutions

Job context and scope
Product Development

• Develop and optimize formulas for hygiene, skincare, haircare, body care, ensuring performance, safety, regulatory compliance, and manufacturability
• Conduct bench work, prototype creation, stability testing, and performance evaluations
• Drive both new product innovation and core product renovation, balancing speed, cost, and quality
• Work with insights team to ensure consumer and shopper insight translated into formulation and claim solutions, define develop and report on product insights

Project Leadership

• Own multiple mid-complexity projects simultaneously, managing timelines, risk assessments, technical documentation, and cross-functional alignment
• Collaborate with Marketing and Insights to translate consumer and market trends into technical briefs and viable product solutions
• Work with Packaging Engineering to ensure formula-package compatibility and sustainability considerations

Supplier and Manufacturing Collaboration

• Partner with raw material suppliers to screen new ingredients and technologies
• Support tech transfer to pilot plant and manufacturing sites; troubleshoot issues during scale-up and initial production runs
• Evaluate cost-saving and quality-improvement opportunities across existing formulations

Testing, Compliance and Documentation

• Coordinate internal/external testing: stability, compatibility, microbiology, safety, claims support, and efficacy
• Ensure all formulations meet regulatory, safety, and quality guidelines. Maintain accurate technical documentation (specs, formula records, change controls)
• Partner with fragrance team in creation of fragrance briefs and responsible for managing project timeline end-to-end