Country Beauty & Wellbeing R&D Lead

Job description

The role of the Beauty & Wellbeing (B&W) Vietnam (VN) R&D Leader is to act as business partner on the Country Leadership team for B&W, Vietnam and look after R&D for Hair Care and Skin Care categories.The role is part of Regional SEA R&D, and will act as key R&D contact for the business. The job holder liaise with the relevant Category R&D Design teams to ensure product technologies are identified and developed in line with business strategy and portfolio plans.

Vietnam is a key strategic country for the B&W Category and the R&D Leader will play an important role to drive growth for this market as well as shape the future portfolio for local jewels.

The key job role is to be the R&D lead representative for Vietnam, partnering with the business, and leading the B&W R&D team.

Specifically, key roles will include:

• Country R&D Representative

• First point of call for any country activity that requires R&D input

• Responsible and accountable to deliver agreed total R&D program in the country in close partnership with Region/Global. Resources deployed on innovation agenda through agreed gatekeeping principles, allowing fast tracking of low risk/low complexity projects

• Work with CCBT to identify opportunities for growth of category and business in VN, and drive creation of new local projects for the pipeline

• Develop framework for ‘consumer perceived superiority’ that is locally relevant and develop claims packages for key innovations

• Own and build innovation and claims roadmaps for global & local brands working with CCBT and R&D expertise teams

• Delivery of all R&D elements OTIF and driving efficiency through the R&D organisation

• Build interfaces with R&D organisation at Regional/Global to drive ‘One R&D’ mindset and channel appropriate resources to the Country needs

• Represent R&D on Supply Chain Transformation and 3PM networks, to enable design of appropriate manufacturing systems in line with site master plans

• Drive Digital agenda for country and region

• Build best practice for conditioner and other post-wash market development (MDM along with marketing teams to drive category penetration and depth of consumption

• Be the ‘product expert’ on Hair and Skin care in the VN market, working with influencers and external KOFs to drive messages on Hair fundamentals and UL product portfolio

• Develop mechanisms to capture local insights/trends and use effectively in creation of comms and MTI (Maximising Technology Impact) assets for different audiences and channels

• Lead sustainability agenda for B&W in VN by partnering with internal and external stakeholders to develop robust model PCR implementation, recyclable sachets in a circular system

• Build functional and category expertise along with capabilities in the team in line with Purpose led, Future fit organization principlesThe role is based in HCM and will report to the Regional R&D Head for SEA. Current resources in the team are about 6 FTE.

The main accountabilities of the BW R&D VN Leader will cover the following:

• Be the voice of product in the Country LT. Help identify new trends and technology opportunities and ensure strong links with design teams

• Ensure OTIF delivery of R&D elements of agreed total brand innovation plan and agreed 5S saving and simplification plans; own innovation agenda together with Marketing and SC

• Identify opportunities for outsourcing as appropriate for capacity or capability build

• R&D partner for ensuring regulatory compliance, issue management, competitor challenges, relevant industry engagement and advocacy

• Support to Quality and Consumer complaint management where related to design

• Champion MTI and product activation with consumers and customers. Drive deep channel

understanding and identify relevant growth opportunities using full product portfolio

• Lead and manage the R&D team (internal resources), as well as external partners or resources tapped to support the program

REQUIREMENT

Education

 Graduate or Advanced degree in relevant Science or Technology courses preferred;

 FMCG Background and International exposure are a plus

Relevant experience:

 Proven track record of driving projects and teams, and delivering with speed to a

consistently high standard

 Strong leadership, business acumen and influencing abilities

 Broad range of R&D experiences across the organization (Global, Cluster/Local) is ideal.

Strong exposure and engagement to business teams and cross-functional teams is key.

Additional :

 Beauty product lover, someone who is passionate about Beauty and Wellbeing; care about

sustainability

 Must have very good communication and influencing skills. Must be fluent in English

(reading, writing, speaking)

 Must show ability to work in a multi-functional, multi-cultural environment

 Must be open to occasional travel as needed (e.g. inter-country, international)

 Digital and Data skills

Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual bringing their ‘Whole Self’ to work and this includes you! Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.