Wellbeing Collective Product Safety Lead

JOB PURPOSE

As Wellbeing Collective Product Safety Lead, you will be the senior product safety scientist for the Wellbeing Collective and its Operating Companies. Working with the global Beauty & Wellbeing Head of Product Safety, you will turn business, R&D and longer-term science priorities into a focused SERS programme that enables safe, compliant, responsible innovation and confident decision-making.

You will combine business-facing product stewardship with strong scientific leadership: directing SERS and third-party capability to the highest-value priorities, ensuring risks are properly assessed and documented, and bringing in specialist expertise for complex issues. Working across R&D, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Brands, Communications, Legal and external partners, you will embed safety and compliant design into innovation at an early stage.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

· Shape priorities: Work with the global Beauty & Wellbeing Head of Product Safety to turn Wellbeing Collective business, R&D and longer-term Wellbeing Collective Horizon 3 science priorities into the wider Beauty & Wellbeing SERS programme.

· Deliver innovation plans: Lead SERS input to Wellbeing Collective and Operating Company innovation plans, engaging early to scope projects and set the right level of risk assessment.

· Deploy resources well: Plan and coordinate SERS and third-party capability so effort is focused on the highest-value priorities and delivered on time and in full.

· Assess and record risk: Ensure safety risks for technologies, products, clinicals, processes and projects are identified, assessed, documented and recorded in SERS digital systems e.g. Pharos for all product safety assessments, to support sound safety decisions.

· Provide scientific leadership: Apply deep scientific expertise and judgement to complex consumer safety assessments, innovation programmes and product stewardship decisions.

· Use specialist support: Commission assessments through SERS-approved third parties and draw on specialist SERS experts for complex assessments, technical guidance and issue management.

· Ensure governance: Make sure all internal and external work meets SERS, Wellbeing Collective IPG and Unilever governance requirements, contribute to safety and policy positions through governance forums, and support the substantiation of safety and sustainability claims.

· Support acquisitions and marketed products: Support pre-acquisition due diligence, post-acquisition risk assessment and mitigation, and management of risks linked to products already on the market.

· Anticipate change: Track regulatory developments and wider scientific and reputational issues, and work with stakeholders to identify emerging issues, capability gaps and future needs.

· Build culture and advance science: Promote a strong product safety culture and agile collaboration across functions and help develop and apply new safety and sustainability science, including with external partners.

ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

· Qualification: Degree in toxicology, safety science, pharmacology, biochemistry or a related life science.

· Safety expertise: Substantial experience in consumer safety, toxicology or scientific risk assessment.

· Scientific judgement: Proven ability to make sound, defensible safety decisions on complex ingredients, products and technologies, including where data are limited.

· Programme delivery: Proven track record of leading multi-disciplinary scientific programmes to time and quality.

· Innovation know-how: Understanding how products move from concept to launch, and where safety adds most value.

· Communication: Ability to explain complex science clearly and persuasively to technical and business audiences.

• Influence: Ability to build trust and shape decisions across R&D, the business, Regulatory, Quality, Legal and external partners.
• People development: Experience coaching and mentoring scientists to build team capability.

· Digital skills: Confident user of digital systems and data tools, including ability to quickly learn to use SERS platforms, with an openness to applying AI-enabled approaches to improve the speed, quality and consistency of safety assessments.

· Third-party management: Proven ability to direct external risk assessment organisations and consultancies, setting clear scope and priorities, challenging their scientific outputs and holding them to time, quality and governance standards.

DESIRABLE EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

· A postgraduate qualification, such as an MSc or PhD, in a relevant scientific discipline.

· Deep knowledge of toxicology, next-generation risk assessment (NGRA), and the application of innovative non-animal approaches within projects.

· Experience in vitamins, minerals and supplements, wellbeing products, healthcare, pharmaceuticals or adjacent consumer-product sectors.

· Experience of due diligence, acquisition integration, post-acquisition risk mitigation or assessment of products already on the market.

· Experience commissioning, governing or quality-assuring work delivered by third-party risk assessors or scientific partners.

· Knowledge of product safety regulations and the evolving regulatory landscape relevant to wellbeing of our consumer products.

NOTES

What We Offer

Not only do we offer a competitive salary and pension scheme, we also offer an annual bonus, subsidised gym membership, a discounted staff shop and shares. You’ll have the opportunity to work directly with our renowned and exciting brands in a flexible and hybrid working environment.

Whilst the role is advertised on a full-time basis, we would be happy to discuss possible flexible working options and what this may look like for you. We are a key advocate of wellbeing and offer a variety of support for our people including hubs, programmes and development opportunities. We strive to achieve a family-friendly and inclusive workplace and to, above all, create possibilities for all.

Diversity at Unilever is about inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities and growing together for better business performance. We embrace diversity in our workforce. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity. We are also more than happy to provide reasonable adjustments during our application and interview process to enable you to be present your best self. To find out more, including about our Employee Resource Groups, please click here Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at Unilever | Unilever.

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About Us

We are one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies with amazing brands, dynamic people and a sustainable vision. We meet everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life. If you are ambitious, keen to learn and want lo lead, you have come to the right place. Explore our website and apply to be part of a company with more than 400 brands used by over two billion people everyday. ​