The Role
Are you a seasoned R&D professional with a passion for driving innovation, optimizing product value, and delivering cost savings?
Do you thrive on leading cross-functional teams and implementing impactful solutions across food, beverage, and nutritional supplement categories? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you!
We’re looking for a Senior R&D Manager to join our team. In this pivotal role, you’ll lead a dedicated team to identify and execute cost-saving initiatives while maintaining product quality, manufacturing efficiency, and consumer satisfaction. Your work will directly support our mission to inspire healthier living and drive operational excellence.
Your Role and Key Responsibilities:
- Lead the identification and execution of cost-saving opportunities across ingredient functionality, product design, and manufacturing.
- Manage the end-to-end development of cost-saving projects, including ideation, prototyping, plant trials, and commercialization.
- Provide technical support to ensure product and packaging compatibility during development and launch.
- Partner with cross-functional teams across R&D, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Commercial to deliver strategic goals.
- Conduct and oversee data analysis, risk assessments, and reporting to ensure successful project implementation.
- Mentor and develop a team of technical professionals, fostering innovation and collaboration.
What You’ll Need:
- A Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Food Science, or a related field.
- 10+ years of experience in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry, preferably in food or consumer goods.
- A proven track record of leading technical teams and delivering cost-saving initiatives.
- Strong project management skills with expertise in stakeholder management, risk assessment, and experimental design.
- Exceptional problem-solving, leadership, and communication skills.
- The ability to manage multiple projects, adapt to changing priorities, and deliver results under tight deadlines.
- A willingness to travel (up to 70%) and work hands-on during plant trials and product testing.
What can we offer you?
- Competitive salary / rate of pay
- 25 days annual leave, plus 8 Bank Holiday
- Option to purchase additional annual leave
- A day off work to support our charity partners
- Flexible working options
- Pension
- Medical benefit
- And access to a HUB that offers many discounts from a range of suppliers and retailers
About The Hain Celestial Group
Hain Celestial Group is a leading health and wellness company whose purpose is to inspire healthier living for people, communities and the planet through better-for-you brands. For more than 30 years, our portfolio of beloved brands has intentionally focused on delivering nutrition and well-being that positively impacts today and tomorrow. Headquartered in Hoboken, N.J., Hain Celestial’s products across snacks, baby/kids, beverages, meal preparation, and personal care, are marketed and sold in over 75 countries around the world. Our leading brands include Garden Veggie™ snacks, Terra® chips, Garden of Eatin’® snacks, Earth’s Best® and Ella’s Kitchen® baby and kids foods, Celestial Seasonings® teas, Joya® and Natumi® plant-based beverages, Greek Gods® yogurt, Cully & Sully®, Imagine® and New Covent Garden® soups, Yves® and Linda McCartney’s® (under license) meat-free, and Alba Botanica® natural sun care, among others.
Hain Celestial UK
In the UK, Hain is one of the UK's leading food companies. We create food and drink products with natural goodness at their core. We're the business behind a host of household brands - Hartley's jams and jellies, Sun-Pat peanut butters, New Covent Garden Soup Co., Linda McCartney's meat free food, and Yorkshire Provender to name a few. Nearly half of our business is private label - we create quality freshly prepared fruit and juices, desserts, soups, sweet spreads and meat free products for our retail partners.
Over our sites up and down the UK, we employ circa 1,200 people in roles within Production, Supply Chain, Product Development, Sales and Marketing, and through to our Finance, HR, IT and beyond. Each of our colleagues is vital to our continued success. That's why we target the best talent, and help to develop them through the ranks.
Our Values
Own It – I am empowered and accountable for improving Hain’s business results and impact
Win Together – I collaborate with others to grow, deliver and celebrate success.
Foster Inclusion – I create an environment where everyone feels welcome, respected and valued for their uniqueness.
Be Curious – I explore ideas & insights with a growth mindset.
Our Purpose
To inspire healthier living for people, communities & the planet through better-for-you brands
Our Mission
To build purpose-driven brands that make healthier living more attainable by empowering our people, engaging our partners, and living our lives.
If you need reasonable adjustments made to the recruitment process, please let us know so we can support you in the right way.
If Hain sounds like the company you'd like to contribute your energy and enthusiasm towards, and come on an exciting journey with us, then we can't wait to hear from you!