Job Title: Microbiology Home Care R&D Manager

Location: Port Sunlight, UK

The Home Care microbiology manager position has become available within the Preservation team based at Port Sunlight, Merseyside whose role is to support business innovations by ensuring products of today and the future are microbiologically safe by design. The role is for Microbiology Manager and the successful applicant will be responsible for the overall Home Care preservation programme to ensure current innovations, future formats and new preservative options are safe by design to allow existing and future business continuity.

The purpose of the team is to provide a global technical expertise centre to support the Global Home Care Design and Deploy business in partnership with regional sister laboratories in other parts of the world. Microbiological expertise is provided on formulation and process design, microbiological methods and supply chain hygiene. A further aim is to drive operational efficiencies and global ways of working with our sister laboratories. The team is responsible for a hygiene assessment of all innovations from Home Care (HC) Global Design Centres.

In this role your focus will be on the following key responsibilities–

• Proactively define and lead a strategic microbiology work programme across the entire global Home Care portfolio.
• Work with the Preservation 2.0 team to help deliver the strategic programme – Lead programme work streams from HC portfolio.
• Lead the evaluation of existing and new preservation technologies across Home Care to ensure products are safe by design from a formulation/preservation and processing perspective, working as part of multi-disciplinary project team.
• Bring inhouse new industry insights in product preservation and microbiology field.
• Provide advice, pragmatic troubleshooting guidance and issue management as the Unilever Home Care microbiology expert.
• Work with Global Microbiology team on methods across R&D and manufacturing.
• Maintain a strong business focus, awareness of internal and external developments, establish and build strong networks and influence stakeholders.
• Drive the implementation of digital tools to allow future fit data capture and modelling.
• Advise and work with Home Care format team leaders to identify and implement preservation opportunities.
• Line manage a team of scientists and provide support to regional microbiologists, including coaching and mentoring for delivery and skills development.
• Work with core internal functions such as Quality, Regulatory, Patents, Safety & Environment Centre as required to deliver the programme.

Key skills

• Proven science and technology expertise in Microbiology or related field
• Proven experience in leading technical work programmes in innovation projects
• Knowledge of the innovation process and programmes
• Delivery focus and customer relationship management
• People leadership and communication
• Teamworking in multidisciplinary teams
• Experience of successfully working with external partners
• Flexibility and adaptability, experience of working in different programmes and contexts
• Ability to write scientific papers and reports.

Key competencies

• Experience and aptitude for applied microbiology, industrial microbiology or preservation.
• Self-starting individual with entrepreneurial drive and passion for translating new ideas into new technology opportunities.
• Communication/Networking, including being able to present complex information using appropriate language, both verbal and written.
• Team working - working in multidisciplinary teams including being able to establish and communicate objectives to team members and other stakeholders.
• Professional with a customer and solution–orientated approach.

• Practical creativity - including being able to uses ideas from a range of sources to recommend new approaches to work. Role will need to challenge the status quo by demonstrating a strong change management and entrepreneurial mindset.

• Judgement - Proven problem solver and decision maker capable of using excellent technical judgement when complete information is not available. Being able to present sound and practical judgements to support decisions where there may be significant implications. Use technical judgement to effectively influence contacts.

• Planning and Organisation. Setting priorities to resolve conflicting demands to make the most efficient use of time of self and team.

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 want to push boundaries, and have the flexibility needed to keep adapting in an ever-changing, more dynamic world. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity. 

As part of your hiring journey, we are happy to support requests for reasonable adjustments, to improve your recruitment experience.

To find out more, including more information about our Employee Resource Groups, please click here.

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