About us

We are a global skin & body care house, and for 135+ years we've been sharing the best our island has: our joy, our aloe, our soul. We bring it all together to help people feel healthier, more calm, more balanced — more like Aruba.

Now we're entering our next chapter. From our fields, factory and stores in Aruba, and our commercial hub in the Netherlands, we're reimagining our brand, renewing our portfolio and preparing for international growth. If you'd like to help build the future of Aruba Aloe, we'd love to hear from you.

To help develop the next generation of Aruba Aloe products, we're looking for an

R&D Manager (maternity cover)

Aruba

Mission of the role

As R&D Manager, you lead the development, reformulation and continuous improvement of Aruba Aloe's product portfolio. You drive innovation from concept through commercialization while ensuring the highest standards of quality, safety, regulatory compliance and manufacturability through effective leadership and cross-functional collaboration.

Key accountabilities

Leadership & Project Management

• Lead, coach and develop the R&D team.
• Prioritize and coordinate R&D projects from concept through commercialization.
• Collaborate closely with Quality, Production, Marketing, Purchasing, Sales and external partners.
• Drive continuous improvement of R&D processes, systems and ways of working.

Product Development & Innovation

• Lead the development, reformulation and continuous improvement of cosmetic products.
• Translate approved concepts into commercially successful products.
• Drive formulation development, laboratory testing and product validation.
• Identify opportunities for innovation through new ingredients, technologies and suppliers.

Regulatory & Quality

• Ensure products comply with cosmetic regulations and quality standards across all markets.
• Own technical documentation, product specifications and regulatory submissions.
• Review and approve product artwork and technical documentation.
• Support audits, quality improvements and regulatory inspections.

Manufacturing & Technical Support

• Provide technical leadership to Production on formulations, manufacturing processes and product quality.
• Resolve technical and manufacturing issues.
• Improve manufacturing processes, product consistency and cost efficiency.
• Support process validation and scale-up of new and existing products.

Competencies

This role requires a technically strong and inspiring leader who combines scientific expertise with strong project management and people leadership to deliver innovative, high-quality cosmetic products.

• Scientific and analytical thinking
• Product development expertise
• Leadership & coaching
• Project management
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Planning & prioritization
• Decision making
• Continuous improvement

Culture fit: values & behaviours

Aruban joy

We bring positive energy, genuine human connection and openness into everything we do. We create an environment where people feel welcome, respected and proud to work together.

• Energy & Fun: Creates belonging
• Openness: Encourages open dialogue and feedback

The best even better

We are proud of what we do and never stop looking for ways to improve. We learn, take ownership and continuously raise the bar—for ourselves, our products and each other.

• Growth Mindset: Develops people
• Ownership: Empowers ownership
• Professionalism: Sets clear expectations and addresses issues early

From the heart

We care for each other, our customers, our community and our planet. We act with respect, responsibility and genuine care, knowing that the way we work matters as much as the results we achieve.

• Care: Builds strong teams
• Responsibility: Leads with integrity

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Chemistry, Cosmetic Science, Chemical Technology or a related field

Experience

• Several years of experience in cosmetic, pharmaceutical or personal care product development
• Experience leading product development projects from concept through commercialization
• Experience managing or coaching technical professionals is preferred

Technical skills

• Strong knowledge of cosmetic formulation and product development
• Knowledge of cosmetic regulations, GMP and quality systems
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
• Dutch, Papiamento and/or Spanish are an advantage

Interested? Reach out to Giovanni Boekhoudt at gboekhoudt@arubaaloe.com. We'd love to hear from you!