Senior Manager, Formulations & Technical Support - Princeton, NJ
Job Description
Senior Manager, Pemix Formulations & Technical Support
Princeton, NJ
The Senior Manager, Premix Formulations and Technical Support is responsible for leading and developing a high-performing team of formulators. They will provide strategic direction to ensure premix solutions are technically robust, commercially relevant, and aligned with business objectives. This role bridges formulation science and business strategy, optimizing premix designs to support customer needs, differentiation, scalability, cost efficiency, and margin goals. Within this role, you will be expected to implement enhancements in team processes and foster technical excellence within the group. The Formulations and Tech. Support team provides direct support to external and internal customers in the selection of dsm-firmenich products, related application needs, and Premix Formulation Development based on the customer brief. Formulation Experts are aligned with Sales to provide consistent support and develop deeper relationships with our customers.
Key Responsibilities:
- People & Operational Leadership
- Lead, mentor, and develop a team of experienced formulators, fostering technical excellence, innovation, and collaboration.
- Set team priorities, allocate resources, and manage workloads to support both innovation and commercial timelines.
- Build a strong talent pipeline through coaching, performance management, and succession planning.
- Promote cross-functional collaboration and a culture of accountability, curiosity, change management, and continuous improvement.
- Business & Strategic Alignment
- Drive formulation direction based on business priorities, market trends, customer needs, and competitive positioning.
- Ensure premix designs balance performance, cost-in-use, scalability, and speed-to-market.
- Partner with cross functional teams to ensure formulations are practical, scalable, and commercially viable.
- Translate business objectives into clear formulation strategies and development roadmaps.
- Premix Optimization & Portfolio Management
- Establish best practices, formulation standards, and decision frameworks to ensure consistent, high-quality premix development in alignment with global frameworks and established processes.
- Provide guidance on formulation strategies including ingredient interactions, stability, bioavailability, processability, and regulatory considerations.
- Optimize existing premix platforms to improve performance, fit for purpose, cost structure, supply continuity, and lifecycle value.
- Identify opportunities for standardization, modular designs, and platform approaches to accelerate development and improve margins.
- Evaluate and recommend formulation trade-offs aligned with region execution standards to support pricing strategies and profitability targets.
- Customer & Market Engagement
- Act as a formulation resource for key customers and strategic accounts, facilitating technical discussions and solution development as needed.
- Contribute formulation insights to customer-facing materials, technical documentation, and value propositions.
- Promote dsm-firmenich products, blends, and prototypes via exhibitions, trade shows, customer presentations, lectures at conferences, and publications. Promote new and existing ingredients and applications with new and existing clients.
- Keep current with scientific, professional society, and trade association developments. Disseminate learnings to entire team through trainings, emails, reports, or presentations.
We Bring:
- A rich history and a promising future of bold scientific innovation and passionate creation with our customers.
- A space to grow by encouraging and supporting curiosity and an open mindset.
- A culture that prioritizes safety and well-being, both physically and mentally.
- The opportunity to work for a company where sustainability is much more than a claim and is core to our strategy and purpose.
- A flexible work environment that empowers people to take accountability for their work and own the outcome.
- Barrier-free communities within our organization where every employee is equally valued and respected – regardless of their background, beliefs, or identity.
- A firm belief that working together with our customers is the key to achieving great things.
- An eagerness to be one team and learn from each other to bring progress to life and create a better future.
You Bring:
- Degree (B.S., M.S. preferred) in Food Science, Nutrition, Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a related field.
- Advanced knowledge of nutritional ingredients including vitamins, carotenoids, omega-3's (functions, commercially available forms and regulations)
- Significant experience (8+ years) in medical nutrition, dietary supplement, food, including related formulation and premix development environments.
- Proven people-leadership experience managing and developing technical teams.
- Proven ability to drive business impact, shape strategy, and drive change aligned with organizational needs
- Intermediate knowledge of food & beverage and dietary supplement industry market segments including their manufacturing processes and requirements.
- Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is a plus.
- Strong understanding of formulation science, ingredient functionality, and manufacturing.
- Ability to travel up to 30% (domestic).