Research & Development

What we do

Without R&D our business has no future. We’re the team that turns great marketing concepts into bestselling products - over 40% of all Reckitt Benckiser revenue comes from products introduced in the last three years. We have five global R&D centres of excellence: Hull, Montvale, Mira, Ludwigshafen and Sydney, as well as smaller R&D centres worldwide. Each is driven by teams of dedicated scientists, chemists, engineers and fragrance specialists, all of which have an unwavering focus on the consumer.

We’re divided into three key groups. First, New Technologies - a forward-looking global team that aims to anticipate the future needs of our consumers and seek out new technology to deliver solutions. Second is Category Development, which works with marketing to get new products to launch within three years. And thirdly Scientific Services, formed of local and regional teams who focus on products that are already launched and on the market. These teams use their technical expertise for a range of projects, from developing a local-need flavour change to delivering a ‘Squeeze’ cost-saving initiative.

How we do it

Consumers are at the heart of our innovation so the goal for us is to create an effective solution that millions want to buy. We test every idea with consumers: they are locked into the process from one end of the innovation pipeline to the other. R&D supports our global marketing groups and together they work as a team to make innovation a success.

Once we’re sure that an innovation will deliver performance, we need to roll it out quickly, to capture advantages in as many markets as possible. Our structure also helps us to move faster: each product category is centralising its R&D expertise in a single global centre of excellence. Each of these centres works closely with local marketing teams to make the most of their market-specific knowledge.

Challenges we face

Technical challenges include the obvious: identifying brand new technologies and adapting technology from other industries. But we also need to deliver a wide range of less obvious challenges. We might substantiate on-pack and TV claims, source reliable sources of raw materials, deal with a variety of regulatory environments and ensure products hold up under a wide range of climatic and transport conditions.

We also need to consider ways to reduce environmental impact, as well as ways to make our products more cost effective. And we need to make sure that everything we develop has consumer relevance — that we create products that people love. To help us keep this goal in mind, our R&D people have targets tied to what sells, and not just to more traditional R&D deliverables.

What you’ll need

A proven scientific or engineering background is a must. If your experience is in FMCG or healthcare, then so much the better. The focus here is more on development than pure research and you have to want to apply your technical skills to developing new products that bring real consumer benefits.

Flexibility is a key quality, as is a willingness to step away from the lab or workshop and enjoy exposure to the whole product lifecycle. In fact you should expect considerable business exposure - both cross-category and cross-country. To ensure you thrive in this environment, commercial acumen is also vital along with the confidence to champion your ideas to achieve success.

Want to know more? Take a look at a typical career path.

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