Vacant job

The Principal Scientist, Self Care Product Development is responsible for leading the definition, design, development, and execution of complex product initiatives aligned with brand and business strategy. This includes establishing project scope, performance targets, and rigorous problem-solving approaches while leveraging deep organizational and technical expertise. This role will contribute to gross profit (GP) optimization and advance embedded sustainability across product development activities.

This position provides R&D leadership and strong technical expertise throughout project execution, integrating human-centered insights, robust experimentation, and data-driven decision making. The Principal Scientist will collaborate closely across multifunctional teams—ensuring cohesive partnership, strategic alignment, and the successful translation of consumer and business needs into innovative, high-quality selfcare solutions.

Key Responsibilities

Project Leadership & Execution

• Lead and own end-to-end technical execution of product development projects, including formulation, product design, process development, and scale-up activities, ensuring full delivery of self-care R&D projects.
• Define project pathways, ensure milestones remain on track, and independently drive technical problem solving.
• Execute hands-on experimental lab work, scale-up analysis, and pipeline activities as needed.
• Partner with cross-functional teams (Packaging, Commercial Supply Chain, etc.) to align deliverables, resources, and project priorities.
• Communicate project progress updates and ensure all work complies with internal and external standards (EHS, Quality, Medical, Regulatory).
• Create and maintain all required development documentation and author technical reports and peer-reviewed manuscripts.

Technical Expertise & Leadership

• Provide deep expertise in formulation science, chemistry, and process understanding.
• Optimize ingredient systems to meet cost, performance, and supply requirements.
• Oversee daily laboratory operations and equipment management.
• Train and mentor junior scientists, building technical capability and scientific excellence within the team.
• Coordinate with external partners, suppliers, clinical sites, and testing laboratories to support new product development.

Collaboration & Partnership Management

• Manage day-to-day interactions with internal and external development partners to ensure aligned execution and technical rigor.
• Drive consumer-centric product science visualization in collaboration with translational science and consumer science teams.

Business, Process & Innovation Support

• Manage the product development budget for assigned programs.
• Identify opportunities to enhance processes, share knowledge, and strengthen strategic scientific capabilities.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in Science, Engineering, or Pharmacy with 5+ years of professional R&D experience, or a PhD with 3+ years of professional R&D experience.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in a consumer products organization, with a strong focus on product development and commercialization within OTC or pharmaceutical formulated products.
• Strong technical foundation and experience in formulated and engineered products, including tablets, emulsions, surfactants, suspensions, and structured liquids.
• Solid understanding of material chemistry and process equipment.
• Experience collaborating with manufacturing teams and leading or supporting technical project management activities.
• Ability to work effectively in a matrixed organization, building strong cross-functional relationships across Marketing, Technology, Formulation, Operations, Regulatory, Medical, and Legal.
• Fluent English communication skills (written and verbal) are required.
• Agile, proactive, and highly motivated, thriving in fast-moving environments.

Kenvue Helsingborg

The Kenvue site in Helsingborg, Sweden is the home of the strong and growing brand NICORETTE®, a global market leader in smoking cessation. In 2021 our production facility was recognized as a Lighthouse by World Economic Forum, marking us as a beacon in The Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The Helsingborg site is one of the largest employers in the city of Helsingborg, and the business is divided in two separate departments: Operations, where we house our manufacturing activities and R&D, our global development center of excellence working in three therapeutic areas for selfcare treatments: Smoking Cessation, Digestive Health and Cough & Cold. For more information, click here.

Background checks in the recruitment process

As a final candidate in our recruitment process, you may be subject to a background check. This process is important for us to ensure the quality of our recruitment process.

As part of this, it is important that we encourage you to make sure that the information in your CV is correct before submitting your application to us.

To carry out these background checks, we use a background check company. Different checks may be carried out depending on the position that you are applying for. This could be, for example:

• Reference check
• CV-validation
• Financial checks
• Litigation checks, including criminal cases

The background check company is an independent data controller for any personal data that they will process during the check, and if you have any questions about the processing, you may turn to the background check company.

Due to our business activities and daily operations, we may also carry out drug tests as part of our recruitment process.