Manager, Product Development, Sebastian

$110,000 - $125,000/Yr

Wella - Morris Township, NJ

Full-time - Mid Level

Morris Township, NJ

5,001-10,000 employees

Personal and Laundry Services

About the position

The R&D Manager for Product Development at Wella Company will lead global initiatives for the Sebastian brand, ensuring products meet consumer needs and are delivered on time with technical readiness. This role involves collaboration with marketing and cross-functional partners to support hair care innovation plans and drive growth in the North America Hair Care business.

Responsibilities

• Lead Product Development for global Sebastian initiatives.
• Collaborate with Marketing and cross-functional partners to define, develop, and execute priority hair care projects.
• Ensure projects are delivered on time with complete technical readiness.
• Support commercial sales teams with strong claims, science stories, demos, and go-to-market materials.
• Engage in customer sell-in meetings as the technical expert supporting the sales team for top customer meetings.
• Assess the North America Hair Care & Styling landscape and define strategic innovation opportunities for Wella Co.
• Understand key unmet consumer and stylist desires and assess the competitive landscape.
• Develop strong customer/channel understanding and identify strategic opportunities for sustainable growth in hair care.
• Support the growth of existing Hair Care & Styling business in North America by co-developing regional initiatives with Brand Marketing.

Requirements

• Minimum 5 years of experience in Hair or Skin Care R&D.
• Significant record of achievement in the development and commercialization of new products.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively influence and collaborate with Brand Marketing and Supply Chain functions.
• Experience in coaching and developing a small team.
• Experience scouting and qualifying third-party partners preferred.
• Minimum BS in chemistry, materials science, biology, or related science; Master's degree preferred.
• Ability to handle multiple priorities effectively.
• Agile problem solver.
• Effective oral and written communicator, with ability to manage global relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Open to travel globally when needed (expected: ~5-10%).

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Disability insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Paid holidays
• Paid time off (PTO)