Research & Development Manager

Research & Development Managers - Why You Should Apply

Push the science, not just repeat it: This South Wales site is becoming the group's centre of excellence for technical gummies. Simpler products run in their millions at sister sites, so the tougher work lands on your desk: high-activity formulations and delivery formats many manufacturers can't offer. You'll build firsts, not reformulations.

A say in how it's built: R&D is undergoing reshaping, and you'll set the structure rather than inherit it. How the team is organised, how projects run, where the priorities sit.

Global impact: You'll join a global group with 15 manufacturing sites and R&D teams across the UK, US, Poland, Germany, Austria, Italy and China. There is an opportunity to collaborate with the sister sites to swap ideas, and a formulation you create here could be commercialised on the other side of the world.

A package that fits the remit: Up to £65,000 for an established R&D Manager, plus a bonus scheme and flexible start and finish times, so you can do the school run or miss the worst of the traffic without booking a half day.

Your salary, benefits & hours of work

£45,000 to £65,000 depending on experience (top of the range for an established R&D Manager)
Annual bonus scheme (subject to company performance)
24 days holiday plus bank holidays, rising with length of service
Company pension, 4x life assurance and company sick pay after probation
Flexible start and finish between 7:30am and 5:30pm (8-hour day), core hours 9:30am to 3:30pm. Site based in South Wales, with home working for the occasional emergencyWhat you'll do as the R&D Manager

You'll lead formulation development and the R&D team, taking products from first concept through to commercial manufacture.

Lead the development and scale-up of new vitamin, mineral and supplement formulations
Run around five or six major customer projects at a time, alongside process-improvement work with engineering and manufacturing
Act as the technical face to customers, sales and project managers during development
Line manage a team of scientists, technicians and coordinators, including appraisals, 1:1s and resource planning
Keep development compliant with GMP and food supplement regulations
Partner with ingredient suppliers and universities, so you see new ingredients and delivery formats before the market doesWhat you'll need to apply for the R&D Manager

Hands-on experience developing and commercialising supplement products, ideally gummies or softgels. A nutraceutical or pharma NPD background also works if you can move at supplement pace
Full line-management experience, including appraisals, 1:1s and resource planning
A degree, or equivalent, in food science, pharmaceutical science, chemistry, nutrition or a related discipline
Interested in the Research and Development Manager position?

Click Apply to find out more or call the office quoting R&D Manager to discuss.

If you click 'Apply', we may contact you via email, phone & text message regarding this job, other jobs (current and future), and related recruitment services. You can OPT OUT at any time; full details are in our Privacy Policy at (url removed) or find the policy in the Sigma website footer. Location and postcode of the advert are approximate. Don't include special category data or referee contact details in your application or CV. We use AI to triage applications, but a human makes the final decision
Only candidates based in UK and eligible to work in UK are allowed