Director, R&D Qunol
Opella Healthcare Group SAS, Pine Brook, NJ, United States
Director, R&D Qunol
Location: Pinebrook, NJ Opella is the self-care challenger with the purest and third-largest portfolio in the Over-The-Counter (OTC) & Vitamins, Minerals & Supplements (VMS) market globally. Our mission is to bring health in people's hands by making self-care as simple as it should be. For half a billion consumers worldwide and counting. At the core of this mission is our 100 loved brands, our 11,000-strong global team, our 13 best-in-class manufacturing sites and 4 specialized science and innovation development centers. Headquartered in France, Opella is the proud maker of many of the world's most loved brands, including Allegra, Buscopan, Doliprane, Dulcolax, Enterogermina, Essentiale and Mucosolvan. The Director of R&D Qunol serves as the senior scientific and innovation authority for the brand, accountable for shaping and delivering a long-term innovation strategy that fuels sustainable, global growth. This role oversees the full ideation-to-launch lifecycle, in conjunction with marketing, for new products and claims, ensuring technical feasibility, scientific rigor, and competitive differentiation. The position requires a seasoned R&D leader with deep technical expertise, strong commercial acumen, and the ability to translate complex science and technology into compelling consumer value propositions. The Director of R&D is expected to influence at all levels of the organizationsteering go/no-go decisions, accelerating priority opportunities, and guiding the broader Opella community toward the brand's strategic ambition. Main Responsibilities:
Define and lead the technical strategic direction for the Qunol innovation pipeline, including breakthrough and foundational claims. Ensure scientific strength and credibility to deliver meaningful product differentiation and protect brand leadership. Identify, champion, and evaluate emerging ingredient, formulation, and industry trends to inform long range strategy. Foster deep cross functional and cross regional collaboration within Qunol and across Opella to maximize scale, efficiency, and value creation. Serve as the primary scientific representative for the brand, acting as the single point of contact for strategic scientific direction and capability needs. Advise senior leadership on scientific, regulatory, and consumer trends that impact brand strategy and long term growth. Build and maintain a comprehensive, enterprise-level view of all innovation and business protection projects, ensuring transparent prioritization, resource allocation, and portfolio performance. Provide end to end leadership of global, regional, and local innovation programsfrom opportunity identification through commercialization. Ensure delivery of a sustainable, insight driven innovation pipeline, including new product development, claim generation, and business protection initiatives. Evaluate and shape high impact innovations, including clinical substantiated claims, novel ingredients, differentiated formulation technologies, and sustainability driven solutions. Lead the development and optimization of frameworks, tools, and processes that enable rigorous, data driven decision making and clear trade offs across the portfolio. Influence cross functional partners within a matrixed environment to secure alignment, resolve complexity, and accelerate speed to market. Identify opportunities for cross fertilization, technology platforms, and scale building across programs to enhance ROI and brand competitiveness. About You:
Master's degree in a scientific discipline required; Ph.D. or equivalent advanced academic qualifications strongly preferred. 12+ years of progressive R&D leadership experience in pharmaceutical, consumer healthcare, FMCG, and/or cosmetics industries, with a strong record of delivery to brand and business performance. Demonstrated success in developing, launching, and commercializing differentiated products within highly regulated categories. Deep expertise in the U.S. dietary supplement regulatory and legal environment. Strong command of portfolio management, including pipeline financials, milestone planning, risk assessment, and value proposition development. Proven ability to influence, collaborate, and lead across a global matrix environment with exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills. Advanced proficiency in applying analytical, scientific, and consumer insight methodologies to guide strategic decisions. At Opella, you will enjoy doing challenging, purposeful work, empowered to develop consumer brands with passion and creativity. This is your chance to grow new skills and be part of a bold, collaborative, and inclusive culture where people can thrive and be at their best every day. We Are Challengers. We are dedicated to making self-care as simple as it should be. That starts with our culture. We are challengers by nature, and this is how we do things: All In Together:
We keep each other honest and have each other's backs. Courageous:
We break boundaries and take thoughtful risks with creativity. Outcome-Obsessed:
We are personally accountable, driving sustainable impact and results with integrity. Radically Simple:
We strive to make things simple for us and simple for consumers, as it should be. Join us on our mission. Health. In your hands.
Location: Pinebrook, NJ Opella is the self-care challenger with the purest and third-largest portfolio in the Over-The-Counter (OTC) & Vitamins, Minerals & Supplements (VMS) market globally. Our mission is to bring health in people's hands by making self-care as simple as it should be. For half a billion consumers worldwide and counting. At the core of this mission is our 100 loved brands, our 11,000-strong global team, our 13 best-in-class manufacturing sites and 4 specialized science and innovation development centers. Headquartered in France, Opella is the proud maker of many of the world's most loved brands, including Allegra, Buscopan, Doliprane, Dulcolax, Enterogermina, Essentiale and Mucosolvan. The Director of R&D Qunol serves as the senior scientific and innovation authority for the brand, accountable for shaping and delivering a long-term innovation strategy that fuels sustainable, global growth. This role oversees the full ideation-to-launch lifecycle, in conjunction with marketing, for new products and claims, ensuring technical feasibility, scientific rigor, and competitive differentiation. The position requires a seasoned R&D leader with deep technical expertise, strong commercial acumen, and the ability to translate complex science and technology into compelling consumer value propositions. The Director of R&D is expected to influence at all levels of the organizationsteering go/no-go decisions, accelerating priority opportunities, and guiding the broader Opella community toward the brand's strategic ambition. Main Responsibilities:
Define and lead the technical strategic direction for the Qunol innovation pipeline, including breakthrough and foundational claims. Ensure scientific strength and credibility to deliver meaningful product differentiation and protect brand leadership. Identify, champion, and evaluate emerging ingredient, formulation, and industry trends to inform long range strategy. Foster deep cross functional and cross regional collaboration within Qunol and across Opella to maximize scale, efficiency, and value creation. Serve as the primary scientific representative for the brand, acting as the single point of contact for strategic scientific direction and capability needs. Advise senior leadership on scientific, regulatory, and consumer trends that impact brand strategy and long term growth. Build and maintain a comprehensive, enterprise-level view of all innovation and business protection projects, ensuring transparent prioritization, resource allocation, and portfolio performance. Provide end to end leadership of global, regional, and local innovation programsfrom opportunity identification through commercialization. Ensure delivery of a sustainable, insight driven innovation pipeline, including new product development, claim generation, and business protection initiatives. Evaluate and shape high impact innovations, including clinical substantiated claims, novel ingredients, differentiated formulation technologies, and sustainability driven solutions. Lead the development and optimization of frameworks, tools, and processes that enable rigorous, data driven decision making and clear trade offs across the portfolio. Influence cross functional partners within a matrixed environment to secure alignment, resolve complexity, and accelerate speed to market. Identify opportunities for cross fertilization, technology platforms, and scale building across programs to enhance ROI and brand competitiveness. About You:
Master's degree in a scientific discipline required; Ph.D. or equivalent advanced academic qualifications strongly preferred. 12+ years of progressive R&D leadership experience in pharmaceutical, consumer healthcare, FMCG, and/or cosmetics industries, with a strong record of delivery to brand and business performance. Demonstrated success in developing, launching, and commercializing differentiated products within highly regulated categories. Deep expertise in the U.S. dietary supplement regulatory and legal environment. Strong command of portfolio management, including pipeline financials, milestone planning, risk assessment, and value proposition development. Proven ability to influence, collaborate, and lead across a global matrix environment with exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills. Advanced proficiency in applying analytical, scientific, and consumer insight methodologies to guide strategic decisions. At Opella, you will enjoy doing challenging, purposeful work, empowered to develop consumer brands with passion and creativity. This is your chance to grow new skills and be part of a bold, collaborative, and inclusive culture where people can thrive and be at their best every day. We Are Challengers. We are dedicated to making self-care as simple as it should be. That starts with our culture. We are challengers by nature, and this is how we do things: All In Together:
We keep each other honest and have each other's backs. Courageous:
We break boundaries and take thoughtful risks with creativity. Outcome-Obsessed:
We are personally accountable, driving sustainable impact and results with integrity. Radically Simple:
We strive to make things simple for us and simple for consumers, as it should be. Join us on our mission. Health. In your hands.