Manager, Product Development, Kristin Ess

ABOUT MAESA

#MaesaMagic  

The next gen beauty company, Maesa is transforming the industry by incubating and growing meaningful, innovative brands and making prestige beauty accessible. Maesa believes beauty ignites inspiration, creativity, imagination, and connection, sparking new ideas and possibilities, and meeting unmet consumer needs. Through best-in-class design, formulation, brand creation and marketing capabilities, Maesa delivers new, better and different products with an unsurpassed speed to market. Maesa works with a variety of retailers to create and launch brands across beauty and wellness categories. The current portfolio includes Kristin Ess, Hairitage by Mindy McKnight, Fine'ry, Being Frenshe, and Niches & Nooks among other brands. For more information, visit www.maesa.com.

About The Role   - Manager, Blue Sky & Innovation, Kristin Ess

We are looking for a passionate Haircare product developer with proven experience in beauty/CPG to join our Blue Sky & Product Development team to support the strategy & development of new products for Kristin Ess. It offers a unique opportunity for someone wanting to leave their mark in the industry through innovation & product development. The ideal candidate is a trend savvy hair product lover that can help steer the innovation pipeline. This candidate is social savvy, obsessed with beauty products, and brings a mix of creativity and love for data. This role will report into the Senior Brand Manager, and work closely with cross-functional teams including R&D, Regulatory,  Operations and the Go to Market brand team. This role is for someone who thrives in an entrepreneurial environment with the ability to work both independently as well as collaboratively with key cross-functional stakeholders and leaders.

The role is based in NYC, and you will be expected in the office 3 days a week, at minimum per Company policy.

Responsibilities  

Innovation Strategy:  

• Support creation, development & execution of innovation strategy + products for haircare and hot tools innovation, ensuring alignment with brand objectives
• Support all aspects of product development lifecycle from concept to counter 
• Utilize data-driven insights to identify opportunities for product innovation and market differentiation
• Identify white space opportunity & translate into meaningful NPD concepts

Product Development:  

• Product expert on formula, ingredients, benefits, usage & relevance to portfolio 
• Present product concepts & development stages to leadership team, retail partners & brand marketing counterparts  
• Support creation of compelling product concepts, applying sharp copywriting skills to articulate unique selling propositions & brand narrative
• Collaborate with cross-functional team and processes, ensuring project stays on-time and hits GM targets
• Lead distribution of formula samples from lab partners and track and consolidate feedback in collaboration with R&D
• Collaborate with regulatory and R&D to land consumer & clinical claims
• Partner with design to ensure aesthetics align with brand identity & resonates with consumers 
• Support team in coordinating product samples for photoshoots, retailers, and marketing needs

Market Research: 

• Track ongoing category trends, competitive intelligence and market analysis; lead internal presentations
• Collect & organize necessary product documentation to support Go To Market needs  
• Ensure internal documents have most updated & accurate product information  
• Leverage data analysis to inform product development decisions, ensuring that each product aligns with market demands and preferences  

Cross-Functional Collaboration: 

• Foster a collaborative environment by working closely with cross-functional teams & key stakeholders, including Go To Market brand team, Project Management, Packaging, R&D, Regulatory, Sales, Operations & Buyers to ensure seamless execution of product launches

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field of study (business, marketing, product development, etc.)
• Min 3 years of experience in product development or similar for haircare
• Data savvy: proficient in data-driven decision-making and utilizing data analytics tools (IRI, Nielsen…)  
• Strong technical skills including Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint
• Flexibility & resilience to work collaboratively in a dynamic, fast-paced environment
• Ability to manage multiple projects with varying launch dates simultaneously, all while meeting project deadlines on-time
• Exceptional project management and organizational skills with acute attention to detail
• Excellent oral & written communication
• Creative thinker with a passion for driving innovation and staying ahead of market trends in the beauty industry
• Curious and comfortable asking questions
• Social media aware  
• Collaborative team player & aspiring team leader  
• Self-starter with can-do positive attitude and a roll-up-your-sleeves approach

The expected compensation range for this position is $95-105k. Maesa also offers a variety of benefits to eligible employees. Employees can choose to enroll in health insurance coverage, wellness programs, life and disability insurance, and retirement savings plans. Through generous paid time off, a hybrid office setup, and paid leave options, Maesa encourages wellness and balance among employees.

Our Commitment to You 

At Maesa, we live by our values of collaboration, curiosity, game-changing, creativity, and discipline.  We believe our people and partners are a creative force that catalyzes the possibilities in beauty to break through traditional limits and discover the “new” without restriction. We prioritize creating and fostering a welcoming environment for employees, partners, ideas, approaches, and endeavors — all through a spirit of warmth and inclusivity. As set forth in Maesa’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.  

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