About Vanatari
Vanatari builds and scales eCommerce-focused preventive health brands across Europe. Our portfolio combines strong scientific foundations, high-quality products and consumer-centric brand building to help individuals and families take better care of their health.
As our portfolio of brands, products and markets grows, Research and Development is becoming an increasingly important capability. We are looking for a Head of Research and Development to lead the team responsible for turning consumer needs, portfolio priorities and scientific opportunities into differentiated, high-quality and commercially viable products.
The role
As Head of the Research and Development department, you will be responsible for the reliable execution of product development, the technical governance of Vanatari’s product portfolio and the scientific expertise that underpins our products and brand communication.
You will lead the development of new products from initial opportunity assessment through to launch readiness, ensuring that each concept is scientifically credible, technically feasible, compliant and financially attractive. This includes evaluating the market opportunity, competitive landscape, formulation options, expected cost of goods and overall business-case viability.
You will also ensure that existing products are continuously reviewed and improved throughout their lifecycle. As Vanatari’s senior internal product and scientific expert, you will work cross-functionally with Brand Management, Marketing, eCommerce and Content teams to develop and verify accurate, compelling and authority-building scientific content.
This is not a purely strategic, scientific or research-focused role. It requires a hands-on leader who can combine scientific depth with commercial judgement, structured execution, process discipline and people leadership.
What you will be responsible for
Identify and assess product opportunities
Translate portfolio priorities, consumer needs and development requests into clear product opportunities and actionable development scopes.
Conduct or oversee market, consumer and competitor analysis to understand category dynamics, relevant trends, positioning opportunities and potential sources of differentiation.
Proactively identify new ingredients, formulations, formats and scientific developments that could create value for Vanatari’s brands.
Assess the attractiveness of product concepts based on consumer relevance, scientific credibility, market potential and fit with the relevant brand.
Contribute product and technical expertise to portfolio discussions while working within the strategic direction defined by Brand Management.
Build robust and financially viable product concepts:
Develop preliminary product concepts covering formulation, dosage format, claims potential, target positioning, packaging implications and manufacturing requirements.
Work with Procurement, Operations and suppliers to establish realistic cost-of-goods estimates.
Assess target retail price, expected gross margin, minimum order quantities, development investment and other relevant commercial considerations.
Ensure financial viability is evaluated early and revisited as formulations, specifications and supplier assumptions evolve.
Clearly communicate trade-offs between product quality, differentiation, consumer experience, cost, margin and speed to market.
Lead development intake and capacity steering:
Translate approved development initiatives into clearly defined projects, deliverables and timelines.
Evaluate technical complexity, dependencies, resource requirements and execution risks.
Establish transparent prioritisation and capacity planning across innovation, reformulation and product-maintenance activities.
Allocate team capacity effectively across brands and development initiatives.
Surface constraints and trade-offs early so that cross-functional teams can make informed decisions.
Deliver new products reliably
Lead the end-to-end product development pipeline, from initial concept and formulation through testing, documentation and launch readiness.
Define clear milestones, responsibilities, decision points and quality gates for each development project.
Coordinate internal teams and external partners, including manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, laboratories and regulatory specialists.
Ensure development initiatives are delivered on time and meet Vanatari’s scientific, technical, quality, compliance and financial requirements.
Identify risks, delays, cost changes and deviations early and drive appropriate corrective action.
Continuously improve the speed, predictability and execution quality of the development process.
Lead and develop the Product Development team:
Lead, coach and develop a four-person Product Development team.
Set clear objectives, priorities, responsibilities and performance expectations.
Create accountability for delivery while supporting individual growth and professional development.
Build a culture of scientific curiosity, commercial awareness, pragmatism, strong documentation and continuous improvement.
Develop the team’s capabilities across scientific assessment, market analysis, business-case development, project management and cross-functional communication.
Ensure work and responsibilities are allocated effectively across brands, products and development stages.
Own scientific and technical product governance
Ensure that product formulations, specifications, ingredients, dosages, claims and technical information are accurate, documented and accessible.
Establish consistent scientific documentation, evidence and approval standards across Vanatari’s portfolio.
Ensure products meet relevant regulatory, safety, quality and technical requirements before commercial handover.
Evaluate the strength and relevance of scientific evidence supporting ingredients, formulations, dosages and product communication.
Act as a senior escalation point for scientific, formulation and technical product questions.
Monitor relevant scientific, regulatory and technological developments and translate them into implications for Vanatari’s products and brands.
Build scientific authority through content
Act as a key scientific expert for Vanatari and its brands, helping translate complex evidence into accurate, understandable and useful consumer communication.
Work with Brand Management, Content, Marketing, Design and eCommerce teams to develop scientifically credible product and educational content.
Provide the scientific foundation for packaging, listings, website content, articles, educational campaigns and other product-related communication.
Review and verify scientific and authority-building content before publication, ensuring accuracy, consistency and appropriate use of evidence.
Help identify scientific insights and educational topics that can strengthen brand authority and differentiate Vanatari’s brands.
Manage the existing product lifecycle
Establish a structured review process for existing products covering quality, compliance, scientific relevance, manufacturability, cost and technical performance.
Monitor whether products continue to deliver an attractive consumer proposition and sustainable financial profile.
Capture post-launch learnings, customer feedback, commercial performance, supplier input and cross-functional insights.
Initiate and lead reformulations, specification changes, cost improvements and product upgrades where required.
Respond proactively to regulatory changes, quality issues, supply constraints, cost increases, new scientific evidence and changes in the competitive environment.
Enable cross-functional teams
Provide Brand Management, Design, Marketing, Content and eCommerce with clear and timely product information for positioning, packaging, listings, campaigns and educational communication.
Work closely with Quality and Regulatoty compliance to ensure regulatory compliance and marketability of products
Support Procurement and Operations with specifications, sourcing requirements, supplier evaluation and manufacturing coordination.
Create clarity around responsibilities, required inputs, decision rights and handovers throughout the development process.
Build trusted and constructive relationships across functions while maintaining high scientific, standards.
What we are looking for
Significant (7+ years) experience in product development within food supplements, nutraceuticals, functional nutrition, consumer health or another relevant regulated category.
A relevant scientific qualification, such as nutritional science, food science, pharmacy, chemistry, biology or a related discipline.
Strong scientific expertise and the ability to critically assess research, ingredient evidence and formulation rationale.
3+ years of experience leading and developing a team of product development professionals.
Demonstrated experience taking products from opportunity assessment and concept development through formulation, testing, documentation, production and commercial launch.
Experience conducting or interpreting market, consumer and competitor analysis as part of the product development process.
Strong understanding of product economics
Strong understanding of supplement ingredients, formulations, dosage forms, manufacturing processes and technical documentation.
Good working knowledge of the European regulatory environment for food supplements
Experience working with contract manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, laboratories and other external development partners.
Ability to prioritise competing initiatives and manage dependencies.
Strong commercial judgement and the confidence to challenge assumptions, communicate trade-offs and stop initiatives that are not sufficiently attractive.
Professional fluency in English; German or other European languages are an advantage.
Experience in a fast-moving, multi-brand or eCommerce-led environment would be particularly valuable.
