Application Manager

PSV is supporting Cellugy with this hire

Cellugy is a Biotech startup dedicated to developing natural high-performing ingredients to, amongst other, reduce the global impact of petro-based polymers, also known as microplastics. Founded in 2018, Cellugy leverages nature's wisdom with cutting-edge science to create innovative ingredients impossible to achieve with conventional chemistry or extraction technologies. Our groundbreaking rheology modifier already leads a strong portfolio targeting the personal care and beauty industry, including top globaldistributors, well-known beauty brands, and specialty ingredient producers.

And this is just the beginning - our unique technology holds the power to transform entire industries for the betterment of humanity and the planet. At Cellugy, you will be part of a talented team, where diverse perspectives fuel our innovation. Our culture promotes diversity, equality, and inclusion in all its practices, especially when it comes to growing our team, without compromising on excellence in everything we do. Backed by strong investors and recognized by more than 20 leading organizations, we are well positioned to propel a new era of sustainable material science.

The Role

Cellugy is looking for a strategic, customer-centric, and results-driven Application Manager from the personal and beauty care industry to join our Technology team. Success in this role requires excellent cross-functional collaboration.

This is a high-impact role where you serve as the technical expert driving the commercial adoption and strategic positioning of our proprietary ingredient portfolio. You will achieve this by leading the design and execution of technical performance evaluations and developing innovative formulation prototypes to guarantee excellent customer experience. You will be responsible for translating critical market/customer feedback into an actionable internal pipeline, fueling our continuous product development and innovation strategy.

Key Responsibilities

Formulation and application development:

• Lead the technical positioning of the ingredient portfolio (both existingand new products) by designing and conducting performanc evaluations to support new claims, innovative formulation concepts, and application in new market segments.
• Identify new product development opportunities based on customer pains, needs, and market research.
• Evaluate and analyze competing ingredients, benchmarking performance against Cellugy's ingredient portfolio.

Technical support:

• Serve as the primary technical expert for customers, diagnosing and solving formulation, stability, and application issues during ingredient evaluation and product development cycles.
• Act as a key liaison to the Marketing and Sales colleagues, providing technical data and performance evidence to support the creation of marketing materials such as formulation handbooks, application guides, training modules, among others.
• Collaborate with R&D, Regulatory, and Quality colleagues, as well as external labs to validate product performance, safety, and global regulatory compliance.
• Establish and maintain a critical feedback loop with Process Development colleagues to translate customer-specific technical issues and critical market feedback into actionable recommendations for continuous process and product improvement.

We are looking

• Msc in Chemistry, Pharmacy, Cosmetic Science, or a related field, with 3–5 years of hands-on formulation and product development experience within the personal care industry (e.g., brands, ingredient manufacturers, contract manufacturers).
• Proven professional experience in skincare, haircare, and/or makeup product development, ideally demonstrated by a track record of successful product launches.
• Deep working knowledge of various ingredient types and comprehensive understanding of their functionality and performanceacross multiple personal care categories and applications.
• Prior professional experience in technical support or customer-facing technical function is an advantage.
• Demonstrated ability to assume full end-to-end ownership of formulation development and customer projects, from ideation through execution, evaluation, and reporting of results.
• Proven capacity to manage projects that effectively balance and align commercial and technical functions.
• Familiarity with intellectual property protection and management is highly desirable.
• Adaptability, proactivity, and drive to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth startup environment.
• A highly analytical, structured, and goal-oriented professional who is also naturally curious and collaborative.

We value transferable skills and a strong add to our company culture. If you think you can bring value to the role, even if your background doesn't match all criteria, we do encourage you to apply