Senior Innovation Scientist - Ashland Inc

Senior Innovation Scientist, Totowa, NJ

Are you the kind of person that is always thinking, sketching, seeking, and adjusting? Who needs to understand how things work and then figure out how they can work better? Are you a passionate, tenacious, solver who loves to work with others who share your drive? Are you positive, constructive, and ingenious?

Are you always solving?

Then we’d like to meet you and bet you’d like to meet us.

Ashland has an exciting opportunity for a Nutraceutical Innovation Scientist to join our Nutraceutical business at our Totowa, New Jersey location. This is a very visible, significant role within the Company in the R&D function. This is a fulltime onsite position and will report to the Head of Nutraceutical R&D.

The responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Work closely with cross-functional management team to develop new and novel dietary supplement products with greater emphasis on innovation, quality, manufacturability, cost and organoleptic attributes.
• Develop new products using latest technologies to boost the innovation pipeline inclusive of obtaining new patents to build sustainable a competitive advantage across the business.
• Research and launch new bioactive(s) aligned with business strategy substantiated by clinical studies and science to further boost the innovation pipeline.
• Work as a dietary supplement expert with hands-on experience with tablet, capsule, gummy and powder products; conducting lab work and plant trials to support line extension of existing innovative products.
• Maintain deep understanding of the industry including trends, new product launches by competitors and customers, technical understanding of relevant new science, and connection with academia.
• Leverage academia as both a source of new technology and as a resource to develop existing products.
• Responsible for managing the stage gate process and optimize innovation cycles, ensuring timely and efficient project delivery within budget that meets regulatory and quality standards.
• Work on new product development and optimize existing products and processes by solving technical and formulation complexities with higher efficiency and speed. Work with plant operations to improve and scale-up new products.
• Develop and maintain extensive database including new and existing products related records including formulations, lab batch records, test results, raw materials files and equipment logbooks.
• Help creating product specs and other relevant documents which supports developmental footprint.
• Operational understanding of wet and dry granulations processes and equipment, direct to hopper (DTH) powders, encapsulation technology, fermentation technologies, stick packs etc.
• Responsible for all relevant analytical testing completions by coordinating with Quality dept and helps interpret analytical testing results, and able to address formulation issues as needed.
• Analyze production and quality data to determine the root cause of chronic operating problems and implement solutions.
• Functioning as a technical solver incorporation with cross-functional team environment such as sales, marketing, quality, operation, regulatory, and procurement dept for multiple projects with effective communication skills.
• Comply with company SOP, procedural guidelines, laboratory procedures, and safety programs at all times.

In order to be qualified for this role, you must possess the following:

• B.S. or M. S. in Pharmaceutical sciences, Nutrition, Food Science, Food Technology, Chemical engineering, personal care/cosmetic science or similar with history of successful new dietary supplement product launces.
• 5+ years prior experience in dietary supplements with M. S. degree or 8+ years prior experience in dietary supplements with B. S. degree with greater emphasis on innovation.
• Extensive experience or knowledge in the stage gate process to lead the innovation projects.
• Proficient computer skills including nutritional database, spreadsheet, word and analysis of data, formulas, supplement facts, and specifications.
• Good interpersonal and presentation skills to share development work within the organization and with customers.
• Able to handle multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to work in physically challenging environment: lift 10 pounds and move up to 25 pounds when working with bulk ingredients, operate pilot scale equipment
• Ability to travel to occasionally (about 15%) for customer or plant trials.
• Be authorized to work in the United States

The following skill sets are preferred by the business unit:

• Knowledge of dietary supplement, functional food and nutritional ingredient functionality, a must with proven success in formulation, scaling and commercializing solid oral dose products.
• Proven self-starter with urgency for delivering results
• Team player with excellent communication skills
• Knowledge of cGMP manufacturing is preferred.

In more than 100 countries, the people of Ashland LLC. (NYSE: ASH) provide the specialty chemicals, technologies and insights to help customers create new and improved products for today and sustainable solutions for tomorrow. Our chemistry is at work every day in a wide variety of markets and applications, including architectural coatings, automotive, construction, energy, personal care and pharmaceutical. Visit www.ashland.com to see the innovations we offer.
 
At Ashland our vision is to be a leading, global specialty chemicals company whose inspired and engaged employees add value to all we touch. In fact our people, employees, customers and vendors define who we are. They are the driving force behind everything we do.
 
Not only do we value our customers but we value our employees, and we work to offer them a dynamic and challenging environment. We hold ourselves to high standards at Ashland, and we value integrity and honesty.
 
Ashland has a history of attracting the best people and keeping them. The reasons are simple: industry competitive salary and benefits, pay-for-performance incentive plans and a diverse work environment where employees feel challenged and valued. People come to Ashland and stay. As a growing Fortune 500 specialty chemicals company, we offer opportunities for development and advancement throughout our global organization. Our values define who we are and what we care about as a company. If you are looking for a relationship with a company instead of simply a job, this may be a great fit.

Ashland is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled/Gender Identity/Sexual Orientation. 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. NOTE:  We do not accept resumes from external staffing agencies or independent recruiters for any of our openings unless we have a signed recruiting agreement in place to fill a specific position.