Product Development Manager in Manchester

We are PZ Cussons. Our purpose is For everyone, for life, for good. Sustainability and the wellbeing of people, families and communities everywhere are at the heart of everything that we do. Since our founding in 1884, we have been creating products to delight, care for and nourish consumers. Across our core categories of Hygiene, Baby and Beauty, our trusted and well-loved brands include Carex, Cussons Baby, Sanctuary Spa and St. Tropez.

WHO ARE WE

PZ Cussons is an international consumer goods business, headquartered in Manchester, UK. We employ just under 2500 people across our operations in Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific and Africa. Sustainability and the wellbeing of our employees and communities everywhere are at the heart of our business model and strategy and captured by our purpose: For Everyone, For Life, For Good. If you want to join a business in transformation with exciting growth plans and the opportunity to work flexibly and early finish every Friday, apply to work for us today.

The Role:

The Product Development Manager will work with packaging and fragrance teams to deliver consumer-loved, high-performing products that meet brand strategy. The role seeks to balance innovation and renovation to strengthen the overall category mix. Demonstrates technical mastery while collaborating seamlessly across teams from concept to launch. Ensures products launch on time, on cost, and with high quality.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• The role is responsible for driving the development of innovative and renovation-focused products predominantly within the Personal Care & Beauty portfolio.
• End to end accountability from concept through to scale-up and commercialization, partnering with internal production teams and external CMOs where relevant.
• The role partners closely with sub functions within R&D, Marketing, Packaging, Consumer Insights, Supply Chain, and external suppliers to deliver high-quality, consumer-centric products on time and within cost targets.
• Hands-on formulation experience, strong understanding of raw materials, and the ability to translate consumer needs and brand strategies into robust product solutions.

Job context and scope

Product Development

• Develop and optimize formulas for hygiene, skincare, haircare, body care, ensuring performance, safety, regulatory compliance, and manufacturability.
• Conduct bench work, prototype creation, stability testing, and performance evaluations.
• Drive both new product innovation and core product renovation, balancing speed, cost, and quality.
• Work with insights team to ensure consumer and shopper insight translated into formulation and claim solutions, define develop and report on product insights.

Project Leadership

• Own multiple mid-complexity projects simultaneously, managing timelines, risk assessments, technical documentation, and cross-functional alignment.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Insights to translate consumer and market trends into technical briefs and viable product solutions.
• Work with Packaging Engineering to ensure formula-package compatibility and sustainability considerations.

Supplier and Manufacturing Collaboration

• Partner with raw material suppliers to screen new ingredients and technologies.
• Support tech transfer to pilot plant and manufacturing sites; troubleshoot issues during scale-up and initial production runs.
• Evaluate cost-saving and quality-improvement opportunities across existing formulations.

Testing, Compliance and Documentation

• Coordinate internal/external testing: stability, compatibility, microbiology, safety, claims support, and efficacy.
• Ensure all formulations meet regulatory, safety, and quality guidelines. Maintain accurate technical documentation (specs, formula records, change controls).
• Partner with fragrance team in creation of fragrance briefs and responsible for managing project timeline end-to-end.

Equal Opportunities:

At PZ Cussons, we value diversity and make sure everyone feels included. We want our team to reflect society and our global customers. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and your unique perspective helps us develop brands and create new products for our consumers. If you need extra support during this process, please inform us so that we can accommodate your needs appropriately. It is important to us that all candidates feel recognised and have a good experience with PZ Cussons as part of our commitment to inclusivity.