Product Development Manager

The Company

Our client is a proudly Australian, family-owned manufacturer with a rich history. The organisation combines scientific expertise, Australian innovation and a strong commitment to quality, safety and natural products. The business develops and manufactures a recognised portfolio of household, laundry, personal care and natural health products.

Benefits

• Lead the development of recognised household, laundry and natural health products
• Own projects from initial formulation through scale-up and commercial production
• Join an established Australian business offering genuine technical influence and autonomy

The Role

The Product Development Manager will lead the formulation, development and commercialisation of new and existing products, with a particular focus on laundry and household cleaning. This is a senior, hands-on technical role responsible for managing projects from concept and laboratory development through pilot trials, scale-up, technical transfer and first production. You will also drive product renovation, productivity initiatives and technical problem-solving while partnering closely with Commercial, Manufacturing, Quality and Procurement teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end formulation and development projects across laundry, household cleaning, personal care and natural health products
• Manage product scale-up from laboratory and pilot trials through to full production, including technical transfer and first-batch support
• Drive product renovation, process improvement, cost optimisation and packaging-development initiatives
• Apply structured root-cause analysis and experimental design to resolve stability, manufacturing and in-market quality issues
• Collaborate with internal teams, suppliers, contract manufacturers, testing laboratories and regulatory stakeholders

About You

• Degree qualified in Chemistry, Formulation Science, Pharmacy, Chemical Engineering, Biology, Biochemistry or a related discipline
• A number of years experience in product development and formulation within FMCG, household, laundry or cleaning products
• Strong technical knowledge of surfactants, builders, chelates, enzymes, preservatives, viscosity, rheology and concentrated formulations
• Proven experience scaling products from laboratory development through pilot trials and full-scale manufacturing
• Strong project-management, communication and stakeholder-engagement skills with the ability to manage competing priorities

For a brief, confidential discussion about this role or your next career move, please contact Khalid Belhaj via khalid@millerleith.com.au or on 0411 840 525.

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Consultant

khalid@millerleith.com.au

Reference number: 7800
Profession:Quality & TechnicalResearch & Development

Company: Miller Leith
Date posted: 21st Sep, 2026