Division Manager - Personal Care & Cosmetic Ingredients in Manchester

Our Client is a fast growing distributor of speciality ingredients and innovation services to the UK Personal Care and Cosmetic Ingredients markets. They have made significant investment into sales, innovation and marketing resources, with an ambitious vision and growth strategies for the future. Our Client believes that delivering value starts with their people. By placing Employee Development at the heart of everything they do, they empower their teams to grow, innovate, and excel in their roles. This commitment not only enhances individual potential but also drives the exceptional service and solutions their customers deserve, ensuring they consistently exceed expectations and set new standards of excellence.

They are now seeking a Division Manager for their Personal Care Division. This position will be home based. The geographical territory is the UK and Ireland with regular visits to customers and to the HQ office and laboratories. This position is a full-time permanent role.

Key Responsibilities

• Ownership of the strategic and operational performance of the Division, ensuring alignment with the overarching strategic intent of our Client.
• Accountable for creating, developing, and implementing the strategic direction of the Division, setting and achieving divisional plans, objectives, sales, and margin targets.
• Leadership to ensure the creation and maintenance of a sustainable business, with a clear focus on developing a resilient product portfolio, managing stock and delivering commercial value.
• Leading with clarity and energy, actively developing and mentoring direct reports through regular one-to-ones, enabling high performance and capability growth.
• Identifying, retaining, and developing suppliers, and promoting the technical expertise and reputation of the Division.
• Engage directly with customers, obtaining and acting on feedback, and represent our Client as a visible and credible industry figure at exhibitions, events, and through targeted marketing activity.
• Work cross-functionally to embed a culture of continuous improvement and freedom within a framework, ensuring that your team understands the expectations and has the space to innovate and deliver.
• Manage and drive project work through the laboratory, ensuring technical capabilities support long-term growth.
• Create a culture where curiosity, commercial focus, and collaboration underpin every success, ensuring Personal Care remains a trusted, high-performing division.

Qualifications and Experience

• Educated to BSc level or equivalent in a relevant scientific discipline.
• Substantial experience in Business Development and Sales Development processes within Personal Care / Cosmetic Ingredients with the additional ability to sustain and maintain current business.
• Background in manufacturing / formulation / NPD for the above industry and the ability to develop a customer's product formulation.
• Line Manager skills to actively fulfil responsibilities required to successfully manage direct reports.
• Member of SCS (Society of Cosmetic Chemists).
• Proven ability to create, articulate and implement strategic intent.
• Ability to grow a sustainable Business.
• Ability to identify and open up new growth markets.
• Ability to create sustainable organic growth.
• Have gained handover sales and have the ability to grow those sales.
• Created and maintained a sustainable supplier base and the ability to find and develop new suppliers.
• Ability to create, launch and maintain a sustainable product portfolio.
• Proactive and adaptable.
• Have been a product manager of one or more product groups.
• Be a recognised leader within the Personal Care / Cosmetic Ingredients Industry.

In return, our Client is offering a package including a competitive basic salary of c£70,000 per annum, plus benefits which include an expensed company car, five weeks holiday, pension, healthcare and a generous bonus scheme.

To apply for the above position, please send your C.V to Lorraine Roger, Director at Atom Recruitment Ltd.