R&D Product Developer (Personal Care)

Role Summary:

- Reporting to the Sr. Research and Development Manager for Adult/Feminine Care products, this position will independently lead projects for new and/or current feminine care products across the IISEA region to achieve consumer preference within a project timeline.

- The incumbent is involved in all the processes of the development from idea generation through to product commercialization. In doing all these, the incumbent provides support to achieve the IISEA Feminine Care business objectives and has the responsibility of sharing product and business knowledge.

Responsibilities:

1. Ideation and Product Improvement

- Work closely with IISEA country marketing teams, and other Global/APAC R&E teams to generate ideas to develop new products and improve existing products, keeping into consideration product cost, engineering feasibility, product safety, legal, process capability, material availability etc

- Ensure a continuous pipeline of products to meet evolving market needs.

- Provide support on marketing communications for new product benefits and features to consumer.

- Work closely with APAC sector and IISEA country marketing teams to understand consumer and market trends and identify future product opportunities in the market

2. Qualification and Implementation

- Lead the qualification and implementation of the product development or improvement projects to be successfully launched in the market

- Ensure product development efforts are moving in tandem with business and market needs.

- Participate in the development of product test plan and action standards to ensure appropriate qualification has been considered.

- Verify any potential issues on material, product design, process feasibility on new product designs

- Lead the team to develop and execute plans to address potential process, equipment and/or product issues during implementation

- Lead and manage projects related to product improvement and upgrades from a technical point of view

3. Innovative approaches to work processes and products

- Actively research into ways of developing innovative product designs utilizing laboratory facilities and other resources.

- Employ innovative approaches to many short-range problems and broad creative concepts leading to new technical approaches.

- Think out of the box without being held captive by traditional ideas to aid problem solving

- Ideas generated are developed into working prototypes via innovative avenues and project objectives are met.

- Strong consumer understanding, and be able to understand how consumer needs translate into technical solutions

4. Documentation, invention disclosures and patents

- File invention disclosures and patent applications to protect creative ideas and protocols developed.

- Good documentation of knowledge and research and development works

- Creative ideas protected in a timely manner to support business growth.

- For IP/invention disclosure filing, record traceability and to facilitate knowledge transfer

5. Technology sharing and provision of technical service

- Communicate with KC global and other R&E teams to share information and gain knowledge of new technology.

- Provide any technical services to the business team such as developing product claims, consulting technical point in advertising and any other related issues

- Incorporation of novel technologies into products.

- Leverage on capabilities of global business teams to reduce time-to-market.

- Effective sharing of good practices employed by various teams

6. Costs Transformation and Design to Value

- Achieve business need for reduced cost at the equivalent quality of products.

- Lead FC cost transformation initiative including DtV and Simplification work for IISEA

- Eliminate non-value added features, materials, product dimensions to deliver winning products at the lowest cost.

- Guide Jr. developer to lead cost optimization programs.

7. Provision of Specifications

- Prepare and issue the final product and raw material specifications and update affiliates regularly.

- Ensure FPS and RMS are replicable through the understanding process, machine feasibility, and supplier capability.

- Ensure effective information transfer to affiliates for successful project execution in subsequent developmental stages

8. Mentorship

- Provide technical training/guidance for other project areas. Provide technical assistance, training, and coaching to less experienced team members, including cross-functional team members

- Enhance the technical skills and expertise of the team.

Required

- Bachelor or above degree in Science or Engineering.

- Strong project management and collaborative mindset to work with various functions.

- Dedication to teamwork and passion to drive progress on work.

- Integrity within a professional environment.

- Strong communication in English.

Preferred

- At least 2 years of FMCG relevant working experience.

- Willing to travel both regionally and globally, estimated to be 5-10% of the time.

- Strength in MS PowerPoint, Excel, Project and Auto CAD.