Product Development Manager

Product Performance Development Manager – 12 Month FTC Location: UK Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience A leading fragrance business is looking for an experienced Product Performance Development Manager to join its technical team on a 12-month fixed-term contract. This is a specialist opportunity for someone with a strong background in fragrance applications, technical development or product performance, who enjoys combining hands-on technical work with team leadership and customer-facing activity. You will lead a small technical team responsible for understanding and demonstrating how fragrances perform across a range of finished products, working closely with perfumers, development, commercial and technical teams. Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading and developing the Product Performance Development team
• Planning and coordinating reactive and proactive fragrance performance testing
• Carrying out and overseeing testing covering areas such as stability, weight loss, viscosity and sensory performance
• Developing testing approaches and methodologies to support customer and internal requirements
• Producing clear technical reports and recommendations for commercial and customer teams
• Providing technical input and presentations to customers when required
• Working closely with perfumery, applications, development and commercial teams to introduce new technologies and solutions
• Supporting fragrance applications across Fine Fragrance, Personal Care, Home Care, Household and Fabric Care
• Developing the technical capability of the team through coaching, training and mentoring
• Ensuring testing equipment, calibration and associated contracts are maintained appropriately
• Providing technical leadership and support across the wider UK business About you We are looking for someone with a genuine fragrance industry background rather than a general laboratory or formulation profile. You are likely to have experience within fragrance applications, fragrance development, technical development, product performance or a closely related area, ideally with a scientific or chemistry-based qualification. You will ideally have:
• 3–5+ years' relevant fragrance industry experience
• Experience of working with fragrance applications and product performance testing
• Previous experience managing, mentoring or developing technical staff
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Good attention to detail and a methodical approach to technical work
• Confidence communicating technical information to both internal and external stakeholders
• Strong Excel and wider Microsoft Office skills
• Experience with sensory testing would be advantageous
• A good sense of smell — an internal smelling assessment will form part of the process
• This would suit someone who enjoys being hands-on technically, but is also comfortable taking ownership of projects, supporting customers and providing technical direction to others. The opportunity A chance to join an established and highly regarded fragrance organisation for an initial 12-month fixed-term contract, working across a broad range of fragrance applications and playing a key role within the technical function. If you have a background in fragrance applications, product performance or fragrance technical development and are interested in finding out more, please get in touch for a confidential discussion.