Head of Product Development (R&D) – Water Treatment

An opportunity to join some of the brightest minds in the water treatment industry.

The Company

Our client is a well-funded, innovative and problem-led start-up; on a mission to address one of the biggest environmental concerns of the day by removing harmful chemicals from wastewater. You will work in a world-class research facility with some of the brightest minds in the water treatment field.

Role Brief

The Head of Product Development will report to the CTO and lead the Product Development team. The core responsibility of this role is to manage the Research and Development of their adsorbent materials in line with the technology strategy and business objectives. Tasks shall include:

• Design and synthesis of innovative adsorbent materials in line with scale up feasibility.
• Managing budgets effectively.
• Managing/developing relationships with suppliers.
• Ensuring a non-compromising approach for quality outputs is maintained across all activities.
• Implementing product safety and relevant industry standards.
• Supporting sales processes and partnership engagements.
• Producing project reports and presentations.

The role is based in London although travel, nationally and internationally, may be required from time to time. An attractive package, including stock options, 10.5%/6% Pension, a training allowance and 25 days annual holidays is on offer.

Candidate Profile

Qualifications and experience will include:

• M.Sc. in Chemistry or related material science field; a Ph.D. is preferred.
• Membership of a relevant professional institution would be considered advantageous but not essential.
• 10+ years' minimum experience as a senior chemist with specialism in organic chemistry, syntheses and ideally production scale up to multi kilogram pilot scale.
• Experience in leading a team, and working with CROs and external parties (consultants, commercial research partners etc); international experience is considered an advantage.
• In-depth understanding of R&D methodologies, from bench scale feasibility studies through to piloting and deployment of full-scale systems in a commercial setting.
• Previous exposure to a start-up climate, particularly in commercialisation stage will be considered an advantage.
• Excellent knowledge of MS Office suite, and chemistry modelling software.

Personal qualities will include:

• Ability to work comfortably in a challenging, fast-paced environment and deliver results on time, within budget and to a high standard.
• Strong organisation and prioritisation skills; able to multi-task efficiently.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills; capable of building strong relationships with diverse colleagues, suppliers, manufacturing partners, advisors and other external entities.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Detail oriented with a non-compromising approach for producing quality outputs, technical reports and presentations.

A Tier 2 Visa is available to sponsor talented individuals, regardless of their location.