Product Development Lead

Title : Senior Designer/Product Development Lead

Location : New York, NY / hybrid

About the Company:

Our client, a company that a leading designer & manufacturer of trend-right, scent-driven bath & body products is looking for a Senior Designer/Product Development Lead to join their team. This role is a new addition to the firm. The ideal candidate has 8–12+ years in product development, design, or merchandising for beauty, personal care. Experience in licensed consumer products is also a requirement.

Comp: $95k -$150k DOE

Role Summary:

We’re looking for a dynamic, strategic, and design-savvy Senior Design and Product Development Lead to drive end-to-end creation of bath, body, skincare, beauty, and gifting products. This role will own the vision, execution, and licensor alignment for high-profile launches across both our house brands and licensed collaborations.

Key Responsibilities

Product Development Strategy

• Lead the end-to-end conceptualization of innovative, brand-right bath, body, beauty, skincare, and gifting products—from initial idea to final spec.
• Define and execute seasonal and long-term product development roadmaps that align with brand strategy and licensing guidelines.
• Identify and develop white space opportunities, leveraging deep insight into global beauty trends, consumer behavior, ingredients, packaging formats, and sensorial experiences.
• Conduct trend research and competitive analysis to inform compelling, on-trend product concepts to differentiate from existing in store product offerings.
• Collaborate closely with overseas suppliers, manufacturers and fragrances houses to source innovative components, packaging solutions, and formulations that meet cost, quality, and timing targets.
• Work closely with Senior Director of Sales and key buyers to support retailer specific needs, requirements, target pricing and margin requirements are met.

Concept & Design Direction

• Lead the creation of mood boards, concept decks, and design briefs for licensed collections.
• Ensure cohesive storytelling across product, packaging, and marketing assets.
• Oversee packaging design development to align with license requirements and brand positioning.
• Skilled in creating clear, production-ready artwork and design files that suppliers can accurately execute.
• Expert-level proficiency in developing detailed CAD drawings, dielines, and packaging specifications for complex, multi-component beauty and gifting products.
• Track record of managing CAD workflows for multiple licensed programs simultaneously while meeting licensor approval requirements and tight timelines.

Licensor & Brand Management

• Serve as the primary product development liaison with licensors, ensuring all designs meet approval guidelines.
• Interpret and uphold licensor brand guidelines, translating them into clear, actionable products and packaging briefs that maintain authenticity and brand integrity.
• Work closely with the Sales Lead to customize licensed assortments and presentations for key retail partners, aligning product plans with both licensor and retailer expectations.
• Manage submission timelines and revisions for all licensed properties.
• Ensure all licensed products meet legal and contractual requirements, including any mandated quality standards, safety testing, or packaging disclosures.
• Maintain meticulous records of all communications, submissions, approvals, and licensor assets to support transparency and operational excellence.

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Partner with sourcing, production, and QA teams to ensure feasibility of formulas, packaging, and manufacturing.
• Work closely with sales teams to customize product concepts for retailer pitches and exclusive programs.
• Collaborate with owned brand and private label PD team members and designers to
• Supplier Management
• Collaborate with formulation labs and packaging vendors to deliver innovative, cost-effective, and compliant products.
• Review and approve pre-production samples, 3D molds, formulation samples, and production samples.
• Project Management
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously, meeting all critical milestones and timelines.
• Maintain clear documentation of all stages from concept through production.
• Team Leadership
• Mentor junior product developers/designers.
• Foster a culture of creativity, accountability, and operational excellence.

Qualifications

• 8–12+ years in product development, design, or merchandising for beauty, personal care, or licensed consumer products.
• Proven experience developing bath, body, skincare and beauty gift products from concept to shelf.
• Deep understanding of beauty packaging, formulation briefs, and manufacturing processes.
• Strong design sensibility with the ability to translate brand/licensor guidelines into compelling, on-trend products.
• Excellent project management and organizational skills.
• Confident communicator, skilled at presenting concepts to internal teams, licensors, and retail partners.
• Experience working with licensed brands and navigating approvals.
• Proficient in design and project management software (e.g., Adobe Creative Suite, Monday, Asana, Airtable).

Preferred Traits

• Passion for beauty and consumer trends.
• Creative thinker with strong commercial awareness.
• Collaborative team player who thrives in a fast-paced environment.
• Detail-oriented without losing sight of the big picture.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to work on high-profile licensed brands and collaborations
• A creative, entrepreneurial environment with room for your ideas to shine.
• Collaborative culture with a shared passion for design, innovation, and quality.
• Competitive compensation and benefits.