This role is for one of our clients
Seniority level: Mid-Senior level

Min Experience: 15+ years

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

JobType: full time

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

Requirements
Must Haves:

- Ph.D. in Chemistry, Surfactant Chemistry, or Biotechnology from a reputed institute
- 10-15 years of progressive R&D; leadership experience in formulation/biotech/surfactant industries
- Proven expertise in biobased product development across multiple application domains
- Strong people leadership managing 10-20member multidisciplinary scientific teams
- Deep knowledge of surfactants, analytical techniques, and/or biotechnology
- Hands-on experience in lab-to-plant scale-up and commercialization processes
- Strong project planning, execution, documentation, and innovation management skills
- Familiarity with regulatory frameworks (DSIR, DST, PCB)



and compliance protocols

Good to Haves:

- Exposure to premier institutes like IIT, IISc, ICT, or CSIR, coupled with strong research orientation, publications, or patents, demonstrating advanced scientific thinking and innovation-driven problem-solving capabilities
- Experience collaborating with marketing and application teams for troubleshooting, customer-centric product customization, and commercialization strategies, ensuring seamless alignment between R&D; innovations and evolving market demands
- Strong communication, stakeholder management, and talent development skills, with ability to recruit, mentor, and inspire high-performing teams while fostering a culture of continuous learning, experimentation, and scientific excellence

Targeted firms for the vacancy: Archroma, DyStar, BASF, CHT Group, RUDOLF Group, Pulcra Chemicals, Tanatex Chemicals, Bozzetto Group, Croda, Rossari Biotech, Solenis, Kemira, Ecolab (Nalco Water), Buckman, SNF, Nouryon, Omya, Minerals Technologies, Solvay , Unilever , P&G; (You can look at Personal Care or Home care Product companies with Good R&D; program)

Must-have skills

Formulation development, Surfactant, Bioformulation

Good-to-have skills

Textile Industry, B2B, R&D;

📌 R&D Lead (Chennai)
🏢 Weekday (YC W21)
📍 Chennai