Head of R&D - Skincare & Beauty

About the role

The Head of R&D will lead the research and development function for new product development, scientific innovation and regulatory compliance across Izil Beauty’s skincare and beauty portfolio. The role defines strategy, governs the pipeline and ensures products are safe, effective, compliant and commercially viable.

Key responsibilities

• Set product‑development priorities, manage the NPD pipeline from brief to launch, and approve formulation, reformulation and value‑engineering decisions.
• Oversee regulatory affairs, product registration, Halal and COSMOS compliance for UAE, KSA and other target markets.
• Define stability, packaging‑compatibility, microbiological challenge and safety testing plans and approve shelf‑life and specification recommendations.
• Lead raw‑material and packaging qualification, scale‑up, process design and hand‑over to production.
• Maintain technical documentation, protect IP and manage external labs or contract partners.
• Provide technical support for complaints, post‑market investigations and potential recalls.
• Direct the R&D laboratory, project portfolio and cross‑functional collaboration with Marketing, QA/QC, Production and Supply Chain.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Cosmetic Science, Chemistry, Pharmacy or related field; postgraduate qualification is a plus.
• 8–12 years of cosmetics or personal‑care R&D experience, including hands‑on formulation, scale‑up and regulatory exposure.
• Proven experience leading multidisciplinary R&D and compliance teams.
• Demonstrated knowledge of stability, compatibility, microbiological testing and product registration in the UAE/KSA.
• Experience with Halal and COSMOS certification is strongly preferred.

Required skills

• Microbiological challenge testing
• Project management
• Product formulation innovation
• Regulatory affairs
• Product registration
• Data interpretation
• COSMOS compliance
• Technical documentation