• JOB TITLE: R&D Lead ANZ
• REPORTS TO: Regional R&D Head AMEA
• GRADE: L3-1 (Permanent Contract)
• Location -Sydney or Brisbane, Australia

You’ve built experience, now use it where bold ideas meet real impact. At Opella, we’re challenging how self-care works for millions of people and need leaders and experts ready to shape what’s next. As an experienced R&D Lead , you’ll bring your skill, your curiosity and your drive to make health simpler, smarter and more human.

JOB PURPOSE.

The Research and Development Lead will be accountable for the end-to-end ideation to launch of innovation projects on the local VMS brands Cenovis, and localization of innovation projects of global brands Telfast/Buscopan/Bisolvon in close collaboration with ANZ Brand & Innovation Heads/Leads. The incumbent will act as the R&D representative of science team within ANZ and support the strategic direction of the brand & innovation team & allocate resources in ANZ to prioritized innovation opportunities.

KEY RESULTS/ACCOUNTABILITIES.

• Accountable to ideate, develop and deliver R&D pipeline for local brands to meet agreed innovation sales targets in line with brand strat plan.
• Accountable to deliver portfolio for brands balancing short-, medium- & long-term R&D. projects that utilize claims, NPD, clinicals and packaging innovation with sustainability.
• Accountable to ensure delivery of fewer, bigger innovation projects partnering with Brand and Innovation team to strengthen our projects through consumer-based insights.
• Design and Deliver pipeline for local brands based on differentiated science.
• Localize the global brand innovation projects to enable the delivery with agility, and connectivity.
• Strong partnership with IPM to ensure execution on time and in budget.
• Strong partnership with science team in ANZ to ensure regulatory and medical strategies and directions be fully aligned and validated.
• Strong partnership with development centers and CDMO to ensure the early engagement and contribution of development teams to the product design and product prototyping, and product development for launch.
• Strong cross functional team work to ensure that innovation pipeline is delivered.
• Accountable to ensure that all base business protection projects for local brands are identified and prioritized based on risk.
• Ensure that a strong external technology network is being used to deliver & accelerate differentiated technology opportunities.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS.

Science Head for AMEA/China Regions; ANZ Brand and Innovation Heads/Leads; New Product Development (NPD) centers; Portfolio & PM, M&S including EM; Packaging Innovation, Science Hub Head ANZ, Medical, Regulatory, legal/IP, Regional R&D Leads

SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE REQUIREMENTS.

Education:

• Degree in Science or Higher degree (Ph.D.) in pharmaceutical science or relevant Academic qualification is desirable.

Required knowledge and/or experience:

• R&D or science innovation experience (at least 10 years) in pharmaceutical, FMCG, consumer healthcare and/or Nutritional industry is required.
• Experience in complimentary medicine and health food innovation and new product development (at least 5 years) for the ANZ market is a significant plus.
• Experience with OTC product development and innovation is a plus.
• Strong science leader who can translate consumer insights into brand led pipelines.
• Experience of R&D with proven track record delivering innovation to brands.
• Experience in risk discussions and risk mitigation plans
• Experience in developing integrated plans & budget for all innovation programs in the region (for all projects in his/her scope)
• Experience in identifying and leveraging external partnerships, suppliers, providers, key opinion leaders, etc., to influence innovation for the ANZ local brands.
• Experience in influencing and advising key stakeholders & the leadership team on industry trends and new opportunities for local brands.
• Experience in E2E innovation, together with Project Managers, from ideation to launch of the innovation pipeline
• Familiar with the scope of innovations: BD opportunities, NPD, claims with significant impact that need clinicals, novel ingredients & formulation technologies, sustainable solutions.
• Knowledge and experience of understanding brand strategy, consumer insights, and translating consumer needs/problems into science solutions to build sustainable pipelines.
• Knowledge of drug, complimentary medicine, health Food regulations
• Ability to partner and influence across a matrix environment with strong communication skills.

Language skills

• Fluent spoken and written English

Cultural traits / Challenger Mindset

• Push to go beyond the level we have operated until now:
  constantly challenge the status quo focusing on the priorities that will deliver the best outcomes and letting go what won’t: be intolerant to mediocracy, believe we can and must do better and aim at higher but never at the expenses of our values and judgment.
• Put the interest of the organization ahead of own of those of his/her team:
  consider both short- and long-term impact of decisions; puts collective and global goals above individual or local goals; share resources and capabilities with those with the greatest need and impact; enable decision making at appropriate level.
• Act in the interest of our patients and customers and consumers:
  actively engage with customers and consumers to know their current and future needs; brings an external perspective into decisions.
• Take action and don’t wait to be told what to do:
  take smart and informed best bets with the information at hand and anticipate the consequences of her/his actions; use personal judgement and others’ advice to make bold and impactful decisions which move us forward.
• Role models our 4 values: All in together, Courageous, Outcome-obsessed, and Radically Simple.

Required Leadership Competencies

• Business Acumen – Ability to effectively use economic, financial, market, stakeholder, and industry-specific indicators to fully understand and improve business results.
• Judgement- The ability to draw logical conclusions based on acquired information and analytical rigor in problem-solving, the ability to make effective decisions even when information is ambiguous or incomplete.
• Interpersonal relationships - treating others with courtesy, sensitivity, and respect.
• Personal Leadership - Personal leadership translates into courage, choice, and commitment through the pursuit of excellence, trust, and accountability. Ability to put patient, stakeholder, and organizational interests above personal interests.
• Drive -Takes the lead and initiates activities with a high degree of passion and commitment as well as the drive, desire and need to achieve challenging goals, to improve performance or to meet personal standards of excellence.
• Learning Agility – Ability to navigate first time/unfamiliar situations effectively by extrapolating from other areas of expertise and knowledge. Ability to continuously improve and develop self.

This is more than the next step in your career, it’s a chance to lead change and help reinvent self-care for the world. If you’re ready to challenge, inspire and deliver impact that matters, we’re ready for you. We are challengers. We are Opella.

About Us:

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 .

As a globally certified B Corp company, we are active players in the journey towards healthier people and planet . Find out more about our mission at www.opella.com .