Director, Personal Care Formulation (Hair Care)

Location: Hybrid in Trumbull, CT, with three days onsite and two days remote per week. Candidates must be within commuting distance of the Unilever facilities in Trumbull and New Haven, CT. Periodic travel to manufacturing sites, supplier facilities, trade shows, and in-person team meetings is expected at approximately 15–20%.

Annual base salary: $160,000–$180,000 USD, excluding bonuses, benefits, and other compensation.

Company

hirify.global develops clinically tested hair wellness products using vitamins, minerals, and natural ingredients to address the root causes of hair thinning.

What you will do

• Set the formulation strategy and roadmap for scalp and strand products across leave-on and rinse-off categories.
• Build and lead in-house formulation capabilities, including lab infrastructure, formulation databases, raw material libraries, testing protocols, and standard operating procedures.
• Own formulation projects from concept through scale-up, commercialization, launch, and lifecycle management.
• Lead internal scientists and external formulation labs, raw material suppliers, and contract manufacturers.
• Define preclinical testing strategies and partner with Clinical, Regulatory, Legal, and Marketing on product claims.
• Manage formula cost, manufacturability, sustainability, reformulation, raw material substitutions, and supply disruption response.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s and/or Master’s degree in cosmetic science, chemistry, chemical engineering, or a related field.
• 5–10+ years of cosmetic or personal care formulation experience with progression into technical leadership.
• Hands-on laboratory and pilot-scale formulation experience across surfactant systems, emulsions, suspensions, aqueous, and hydroalcoholic systems.
• Experience leading or mentoring formulation scientists and taking formulas from concept through scale-up and commercial launch with contract manufacturers.
• Strong knowledge of leave-on and rinse-off hair and scalp products, functional and active ingredients, preclinical testing, scalp microbiome health, formula costing, and manufacturability.
• Working knowledge of U.S. cosmetic regulations, including MoCRA, safety substantiation, ingredient restrictions, and applicable OTC monograph considerations.

Nice to have

• Knowledge of dermatology, hair and scalp biology, or over-the-counter dermatological products.
• Experience building a formulation function or lab capability from an early stage.
• Experience with sustainability-driven formulation programs.
• Publications, patents, or scientific presentations in personal care or cosmetic science.

Culture & Benefits

• Hybrid work arrangement with remote work two days per week depending on business needs.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage, including an FSA program, plus 401(k) with employer match.
• Quarterly bonus program, flexible PTO, wellness breaks, wellness stipend, and learning and development stipend.
• Internet and cell phone stipends, free lunch twice weekly, meditation app membership, and free hirify.global subscription.
• Periodic hands-on laboratory work is performed under applicable safety protocols.