Formula Development Specialist – WET H/F/X

Job Title: Formula Development Specialist – WET. Spécialiste de la formulation des produits humides H/F/X

Job function: R&D

Segment: Royal Canin

Location: Aimargues, France (near Montpellier)

Contract type: Permanent. Full time. Hybrid.

To support Royal Canin's ambition of becoming a Health Through Nutrition company, the R&D team is committed to transforming the longevity and quality of life of cats and dogs by delivering personalized, proactive, predictive, and participatory health-through-nutrition solutions.

R&D operates a global formulation model that ensures a consistent nutritional profile across our global wet and dry product portfolio.

Each recipe reflects Royal Canin's expertise in nutritional science, ingredient selection, and manufacturing processes.

The Formula Development Specialist – Wet is responsible for developing and deploying global wet food formulas across all markets while ensuring nutritional consistency.

The role is accountable for recipe development and for defining the raw material strategy in collaboration with Global Commercial, Procurement, and Supplier Quality Assurance (SQA) teams, including sustainability and Do It Best initiatives.

What are we looking for?

• You hold a degree in Science/ Food/ Feed/ Nutrition/ Chemistry or veterinarian specialized in nutrition.
• You have experience minimum 7 years in an R&D role within the feed, pet food company, or related industry, including significant experience in wet product formulation.
• Deep Technical Knowledge of Wet Processes & Ingredients: Demonstrable expertise in wet food manufacturing processes, including canning and retorting. A thorough understanding of the functionality of specific raw materials in wet applications is required, including meats, hydrocolloids, processing aids, and their impact on final product texture and stability.
• Strong Foundation in Animal Nutrition: A solid background in nutrition is essential to develop formulas that are not only palatable and stable but also meet the precise health needs of cats and dogs.
• Strategic and Collaborative Mindset: Ability to work with remote and cross-functional teams (Commercial, Supply, Manufacturing, R&D, Marketing) and influence stakeholders effectively. Experience in project management or matrix organizations is a plus.
• You are fluent in English.

What will be your key responsibilities?

• Ensure consistency of the global formula portfolio and adherence to Royal Canin’s nutritional philosophy across all manufacturing locations worldwide.
• Lead the development and optimization of wet formulas (pouch and can) from concept to execution, applying deep expertise in wet processing technologies (e.g., canning, pouch sterilization), ingredient interactions, and nutritional science to deliver innovative and high-quality products.
• Anticipate future commercial sourcing constraints and changes within the supply network to define the best formulation strategy throughout the product life cycle (PLC)
• Act as a key technical expert and consultant on wet formulation for internal R&D teams (Research, Design, Prototyping) and external partners, translating scientific knowledge into practical, scalable solutions.
• Master the impact of processing on texture, palatability, and nutrient delivery in wet formats, leveraging knowledge of hydrocolloids, gelling agents, and other texturizing ingredients.
• Actively contribute to global R&D teams, maximizing the value of the innovation pipeline and influencing projects to create value for Royal Canin globally.
• Facilitate knowledge transfer and serve as the key link between Research, Design and Raw Materials prospection teams.
• Conduct studies and ensure Formula Portfolio evolves in line with sustainability and Do It Best objectives while maintaining cost competitiveness.
• Collaborate with Pet Nutrition WET GIC team to share knowledge and address together cross -functional formulation challenges.
• Participate in the formulation community and calibration exercises to ensure consistent decision-making and formulation recommendations across the organization.
• Own and maintain Wet formulation criteria within DareWin tool and Database.
• Ensure the consistency and integrity of the Wet formula logic within DareWin tool.

What can you expect from Mars?

• Global Impact: Work at the heart of Royal Canin's international HQ, a unique campus housing 800+ associates, two laboratories, and our flagship factory.
• Innovation Culture: Join a team that is actively moving toward "Second Brain" AI integration and cutting-edge longitudinal research.
• Career Growth: Access world-class development through Mars University and opportunities for cross-functional moves within the global Mars Petcare ecosystem.
• Purpose-Driven Work: Every day, you will contribute to our mission: A Better World for Pets.
• Competitive Package: Industry-leading salary, benefits, and company bonus.

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