Raw Material Specialist (m/w/d)

Function: R & D

Location: Huenfeld, HE, DE

Work Arrangement: On-site

ABOUT WELLA

Wella Company is one of The World’s leading Beauty companies, comprised of a family of iconic brands such as Wella Professionals, Clairol, OPI, Nioxin and ghd. With 6,000 employees globally, presence in over 100 countries, Wella Company and its brands enable consumers to look, feel, and be their true selves. As innovators in the hair and nail industry, Wella Company empowers its people to delight consumers, inspire beauty professionals, engage communities, and deliver sustainable growth to its stakeholders. For more information about the Wella Company, visit our website www.wellacompany.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

ABOUT R&D

Research & Development in Wella is a highly collaborative, competent and innovative group. You join diverse teams of highly passionate Scientists, Engineers and Hair & Nail Artists who innovate at the forefront of technology and beauty trends. 

The Raw Materials Development team supports globally Wella projects across all subcategories like Color, Care or Styling. The role is highly interactive with other R&D functions like Formulation, Process or PS&RA (Product Safety and Regulatory Affairs) and Supply Chain functions like Procurement or Materials Planning but also externally focused, collaborating with suppliers and Third-Party Manufacturers (TPMs) on the qualification of new Raw Materials.

The Raw Materials Development team focuses on three key pillars, i.e. Scouting of new Raw Materials, Qualification of alternate suppliers for Business Continuity and Cost Optimization and Compliance with Raw Material regulations and certifications, e.g. RSPO, vegan, natural index, etc.

Responsibility: Responsible for the Raw Material Qualification work incl. sample testing, pilot batch making, stability placements and creation of the Raw Material Specification.

TASKS

• Jointly with the Formulation team identify new raw materials meeting the key development vectors for Wella’s diverse product portfolio.
• Jointly with Procurement identify alternate suppliers for existing Raw Materials to improve the supply assurance or to enable cost savings.
• Collaborate with suppliers to get suitable samples meeting a pre-aligned specification.
• Analyse supplier lab samples with support of Analytical if needed.
• Plan and conduct pilot batch making for the qualification of new Raw Materials followed by stability testing and it’s evaluation.
• Coding of a new Raw Material in our SAP-RD system enabling the PS&RA assessment of the respective ingredient.
• Communicate learnings and align specifications with our suppliers.
• Support root cause analysis and potential derogations for out-of-spec. RM lots.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:    

Education: Scientific/chemical engineering background. Academic degree (Master or Bachelor) or laboratory technician apprenticeship and multi-year experience in laboratory- or pilot scaling work.

Experience:

• Technical Mastery: in depth understanding of chemical reactions and chemical processes
• Operates with discipline. Proven record of planning and executing technical work with rigor and discipline
• Communication skills: clear verbal and written communication with external parties to get commitment to aligned plans.

Languages: Very good English skills.  Can present technical work and insights confidently in English to R&D- and SC leadership and contribute to group discussions. Communicative German is beneficial

IT skills:

• MS Office, plus ideally experience with SAP
• Experience in use of computer systems to run data bases or lab QA programs
• Basic programming skills, understanding of AI principles, and the ability to use AI tools for specific tasks

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

• Leadership and personal ownership for the work to be able to proactively influence the direction of projects and propose alternative approaches.
• Building and maintaining diverse, collaborative working relationships is a critical requirement since the position requires high quality and trust-based interaction with different sites as well as different internal and external partners and is spanning people with different backgrounds, expertise and working cultures.
• Able to work in a fast-paced environment with a strong sense of urgency to create and innovate in a very complex category. Requires creative thinking skill and a keen interest in the Beauty business.
• Attention to detail and ability to work independently while responding to changing priorities and feedback.
• Embraces AI tools to optimize and improve efficiency in work processes.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT AT WELLA 

• A diverse and dynamic team; passionate about Haircare 
• Attractive salary package with a wide range of benefits 
• Free company parking as well as central location and good public transport connections 
• Promotion of personal potential and individual career paths 
• Support during the induction period and the opportunity to take on responsibility at an early stage 
• Flexible working hours and the opportunity to work from home 
• A collegial working atmosphere at an employer with an appreciative corporate culture 
• Open communication and an international as well as diverse environment in which the "WE" is in the foreground! 

Become a part of the "WELLA- family" - we live our values! #wellafamily #WellaCareers

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

We offer equal employment opportunity to qualified individuals without regard to ethnical origin, religion, color, national origin, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Wella Company with disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities.