Head of Laboratory

HEAD OF APPLICATION LABORATORY 100% Cosmetics Division

Founded in 1940, RAHN is an independent, family-owned business that thrives on innovation, responsibility, and passion. With a global presence in specialty chemicals and high-quality ingredients for the Energy Curing and Cosmetics industry, we are committed to shaping the future through entrepreneurial vision and agile solutions. Our success is driven by a passionate and committed team that thrives on advancing our brand and sharing our knowledge globally.

As we continue to grow, we are seeking a new team member who is excited to join us on this journey and contribute to our mission of helping customers create superior cosmetic products.

In this pivotal role, you will combine deep formulation expertise with leadership excellence to drive innovation, ensure technical quality, and deliver best‑in‑class support to customers, suppliers, and internal stakeholders. Working closely with Sales, Marketing, Supplier Management, and Quality teams, you will help translate cutting‑edge technologies into impactful, market‑ready solutions that support sustainable and profitable growth. This position is based at our headquarter in Zurich and can be partly performed from home.

• Lead and strategically develop the Application Laboratory in Zurich, while overseeing laboratories in Germany and the UK.
• Provide expert‑level technical and application support to Sales, customers, and suppliers.
• Develop innovative concepts and formulations aligned with supplier technologies, portfolio developments, and global market trends.
• Drive structured knowledge transfer within Application teams and across Sales, ensuring continuous learning and capability development.
• Act as the technical interface between RAHN, suppliers, and customers, strengthening technical credibility and market positioning.
• Contribute to the strategic direction of RAHN Distribution Cosmetics by defining and implementing laboratory strategies and initiatives.
• Support the evaluation, onboarding, and integration of new suppliers, ensuring alignment with country‑specific requirements and portfolio synergies.
• Oversee budgeting and resource management for Application Laboratories, ensuring adherence to financial guidelines.
• Support trade shows, marketing activities, and cross‑functional projects with technical expertise and formulation insights.
• Ensure compliance with Quality Management standards while continuously optimizing processes and workflows within the laboratories.

• Degree in chemistry or a related technical field, combined with strong expertise in cosmetics formulation.
• Proven leadership experience in managing laboratories, technical teams, or cross‑functional work streams.
• Extensive hands‑on experience in application development, ideally including surfactants, skincare, suncare, haircare, or body care technologies.
• Deep understanding of cosmetics markets, formulations, technologies, and supplier landscapes.
• Strong technical‑to‑business mindset, able to translate complex formulations into commercially relevant solutions.
• Excellent communication Skills, capable of aligning diverse stakeholders across countries and functions.
• High customer orientation, with experience providing technical advice, training, workshops, and customer visits.
• Strong organizational and strategic planning skills, including budgeting, prioritization, and resource allocation.
• Ability to drive change and continuous improvement, challenging the status quo using data, trends, and industry insights.
• Willingness to travel internationally (approx. 20%).
• Fluent in English and German, written and spoken.

We offer an exciting and impactful leadership role in which you will shape the technical direction of our Application Laboratories and contribute directly to RAHN’s strategic growth. We provide a comprehensive employment package, modern work spaces, state‑of‑the‑art laboratory equipment and strong support for your continued professional and personal development.

If you bring initiative, technical excellence, strong communication skills, and a structured yet flexible working style, combined with a collaborative and inspiring leadership mindset, we would be delighted to receive your application.