Location: Toronto Canada

Function: Research & Development (R&D)

Reports To: Head of SCL R&D North America

At the Forefront of Personal Care Innovation for People & Planet

At Unilever we believe access to personal care is a fundamental human right. We are committed to reducing our environmental footprint through sustainable innovation and delivering exceptional consumer experiences. Guided by our purpose-led future-fit strategybuilt on the beliefs that brands with purpose grow companies with purpose last and people with purpose thrivewe are shaping the future of beauty and personal care.

Background & Purpose of the Job

This role will be responsible leading R&D for the Personal Care (PC) R&D team & agenda in Canada as well as support the Beauty & Wellbeing (B&W) category R&D. The role will be Business Partner the Head of PC Canada as key member of the PC Leadership Team for the Business Unit driving clarity for the business through aligned OKR ownership and to coordinate the R&D program that align with committed business delivery. As the senior-most R&D representative in Canada you will serve as the key head of technology accountable for delivering the Total Innovation & Renovation Plan aligned with PC NA/CA growth ambitions. You will also lead regulatory engagement technical activation and retailer collaboration to ensure successful product launches and sustained category this role you will also be accountable for ensuring that all technical legal and regulatory inputs are thoroughly integrated into every aspect of Innovation & Renovation activities.

What the Position Will Require:

Strategic & Technical Leadership

• Own and drive aligned Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) to ensure clarity and delivery of business objectives.
• Lead the coordination and execution of R&D programs that support committed business outcomes.
• Drive the Innovation & Renovation Funnel Sufficiency and Fuel for Growth Savings targets.
• Translate technical performance into compelling consumer experiences and claims.

Retailer & Market Activation

• Partner with Canadian retailers to co-design and activate innovation that meets local consumer needs.
• Lead technical activation strategies to ensure successful product launches and in-market performance.

Regulatory & Compliance

• Lead Canadian regulatory strategy and engagement ensuring compliance with Health Canada and other relevant authorities.
• Navigate the Canadian legal and regulatory environment to enable innovation and mitigate risk.

People & Team Development

• Inspire and develop a high-performing R&D team fostering a culture of agility innovation and purpose.
• Build strong cross-functional relationships across Marketing Customer Development Supply Chain Regulatory and Global R&D.
• Demonstrate a proven ability to coach and inspire teams fostering a high-performance culture that drives collective success and continuous growth.

Stakeholder Engagement & Communication

• Demonstrate strong communication and team skills with the ability to influence and drive technical work & business decision towards key decision points.
• Demonstrate a strong ability to translate complex input and innovative ideas into clear execution plans and actionable steps ensuring progress from concept through to delivery.
• Effectively synthesize and summarize key activities and strategic ideas tailoring communications for senior stakeholders to facilitate informed decision-making and organizational alignment.
• Develop and drive productive working relationships with a range of partners within R&D (Packaging CTI Fragrance Microbiology Analytical) and cross-functionally (Marketing CMI Supply Chain Finance).
• Key stakeholder & R&D partners that will interface directly: Head of Skin Cleansing NA (Line Manager) Head of Deos NA Head of Beauty & Wellbeing R&D NA and SVP of R&D Personal Care North America.
• Communicate technical information effectively to both scientific and non-scientific audiences including executive and customer-facing teams.
• Distill superior technology and product benefits into clear compelling claims and demos that help land innovations with customers and excite consumers.

Innovation Mindset & Scientific Rigor

• Apply a lean innovation mindset to lead consumer product testing programs using agile methods to develop and execute minimum viable products (MVPs).
• Partner with clinical and claims experts to develop new clinical methods performance measurements and evidence-based research that deliver meaningful beauty health and wellness outcomes.

Who You Are and What Youll Do:

• Youre a born leader: You guide teams with clarity and purpose delivering innovation pipelines on time in full and with agility.
• Youre a dot connector: You build strong relationships across functions and geographies enabling efficient and creative problem-solving.
• Youre a scientific pioneer: You bring deep technical expertise in personal care product developmentespecially surfactant science clinical mildness and moisturization efficacyand lead partnerships that accelerate innovation for people and planet.
• Youre a strategic thinker: You identify future technology spaces and execute programs that generate incremental value for brands and business.
• Youre a communicator: You translate complex science into compelling stories that resonate with consumers customers and stakeholders.

Required Experience & Skills:

• Proven leadership in R&D within Personal Care and/or Beauty & Wellbeing categories.
• Deep knowledge of personal care cosmetic product development and surfactant science.
• Strong experience navigating the Canadian legal and regulatory environment.
• Demonstrated success in technical activation and co-designing with retailers.
• Strong communication and influencing skills across internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and developing high-performing talent.
• Ability to manage complex programs and deliver results in a fast-paced matrixed environment.
• Track record of partnering across R&D disciplines to deliver clinical and claims excellence.

Unilever Canada is an organization committed to diversity and inclusion 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. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race colour religion sex sexual orientation gender identity or expression age national or ethnic origin marital status family status disability genetic characteristics and a conviction for which a pardon has been granted.

If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process please contact us at. Please note: These lines are reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and are not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses.

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