From our iconic Advent giftsets and luxurious Beauty giftsets to our beautifully designed home accessories and innovative Genie device: every Rituals product is created with love and care. Within our Innovation R&D team, you will play a key role in ensuring that our non-formulated products and Gifting packaging are not only high-performing and aesthetic but also lead the way in sustainability and technical excellence. 

As a R&D Product Manager, you take ownership of the technical journey from initial concept to a tangible, sustainable product ready for validation. You bridge the gap between creative design and manufacturing reality, ensuring every innovation lives up to Rituals' promise of meaningful, high-quality experiences while driving our NetZero and circularity ambitions. In this new role you will be the technical expert for our non-formulated categories (covering textiles, electronics and ceramics) and a partner for our packaging solutions in the Gifting category (mainly paper-based and plastic-oriented). 

What you will do: 

• Lead Technical Innovation: Drive early-stage technical feasibility studies and risk assessments to ensure packaging and product performance across complex categories. 
• Drive Sustainability: Lead initiatives such as Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) and recyclability studies to ensure compliance with evolving regulations (e.g. PPWR, ESPR, EUDR) and Rituals’ environmental commitments (e.g. BCI, FSC, SBTI). 
• Bridge Design & Production: Translate creative concepts into actionable technical briefs, optimizing material use (glass, porcelain, textiles, electronics) and manufacturing processes together with our partners and Innovation Product Managers. 
• Strategic R&D: Collaborate with external partners and suppliers to research new sustainable materials and technologies, building a future-ready innovation pipeline. 
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Act as a knowledge hub for Innovation, Sourcing, and Quality teams, providing expert advice on structural improvements and material integrity. 
• Role development: The Innovation team has established R&D for non-formulated product items. You'll work with the Head of R&D Packaging and Innovation team, to shape this role and grow the technical portfolio. 
• Project Management: Manage complex New Product Development (NPD) projects and production transitions, ensuring technical feasibility, required documentation and information  

What you bring: 

• Education: A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Packaging, Industrial Design Engineering, or a related technical R&D field. 
• Experience: 6–8 years of relevant experience in R&D or FMCG, with a strong focus on packaging and products like textiles or electronics (Rituals internally called; non-formulated).
• Technical Expertise: Deep knowledge of packaging/product production, printing technologies, and a variety of substrates (glass, wood, paper, textiles, etc.). 
• Sustainability Mindset: Proficiency in LCA tools and a solid understanding of circular economy principles and (packaging) sustainability regulations. 
• Project Leadership: Proven ability to manage complex problem-solving and tight deadlines in a fast-paced, international environment. 
• Communication: A proactive, solution-oriented mindset with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and mentor others. Fluency in English is essential. 

Next steps 

1. Apply via our career site 
2. Our recruiter, Nadette Pluis, will contact you within 10 working days 
3. First interview with the hiring manager and a team member 
4. Online assessment and business case for the second interview 
5. Second interview 
6. If positive, you will receive an offer including the terms of employment