Research & Development Manager

Who We Are

John Paul Mitchell Systems ("JPMS") is recognized worldwide for developing and marketing innovative hair and skin care products since 1980. We've been serving the professional beauty industry with salon-quality hair care products, styling tools and professional hair color through our family of brands including Paul Mitchell, MITCH, Awapuhi Wild Ginger, Tea Tree, Paul Mitchell Tools, Neuro, The Demi, Paul Mitchell the Color, Blonde, and Color XG.

We were the first professional hair care company to take a stand against animal testing and continue our strong commitment to giving back, supporting a wide range of philanthropic causes both domestically and internationally. Sustainability has always been a priority, and we are committed to making our company operations climate neutral to preserve the beauty of the world around us.

Who You Are:

You are a skilled and enthusiastic, high-performing professional who is passionate about hair care and wants to positively contribute to the growth of our iconic brand as well as to our people first culture.

About the Role

We are seeking an R&D Manager, Product Lifecycle, to lead the management and optimization of the existing product portfolio. This role is responsible for driving reformulation initiatives, cost optimization, compliance updates, and ensuring consistent product performance across all current line items. The ideal candidate brings deep hands-on reformulation expertise combined with a strong strategic mindset, with the ability to identify opportunities to improve product performance, cost structure, and claims within an existing portfolio.

This role requires strong cross-functional leadership and the ability to translate technical decisions into business impact.

This role is fully on-site at our R&D site in Santa Clarita, CA. It requires up to 10 % travel for Contract Manufacturer visits, validation, or lifecycle support.

What You will Do:

• Lead the execution of reformulation initiatives across the existing product portfolio
• Identify and drive opportunities for cost optimization (COGS), performance improvement, and product upgrades
• Manage lifecycle pipeline prioritization, ensuring alignment with business, regulatory, and operational needs
• Ensure product performance, quality, and consistency across batches, markets, and manufacturing sites
• Ensure all reformulations maintain or improve product claims and consumer-relevant performance
• Proactively identify opportunities for new claims, performance enhancements, and portfolio upgrades
• Lead compliance-driven formula changes and regulatory updates across global markets
• Partner closely with Procurement, Regulatory, Quality, Packaging, and Operations to deliver changes effectively
• Oversee technically packaging updates and compatibility to ensure product integrity
• Support SKU rationalization and portfolio optimization decisions
• Lead and develop chemists and lab techs, building strong reformulation and technical capability within the team
• AI-driven insights and modern innovation approaches to accelerate development and decision-making

Required Qualifications:

Skills:

• Expertise in hands-on formulation of hair care or personal care products with an emphasis on reformulation
• Proven track record of delivering reformulation projects tied to cost savings, compliance, and performance improvement
• Strong understanding of raw material functionality, cost drivers, and substitution strategies
• Deep knowledge of surfactants, conditioning systems, emulsions, polymers, and rheology modifiers
• Experience transferring formulas from lab to manufacturing scale and troubleshooting scale-up challenges
• Strong understanding of global cosmetic regulations (US, EU preferred) and compliance-driven reformulations
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex projects and competing priorities
• Strong business acumen with ability to connect technical decisions to financial and consumer impact
• Excellent communication skills with ability to translate technical data into clear business insights
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management skills

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Cosmetic Science, or related field required

Experience:

• 10+ years of hands-on experience in formulation, developing hair care or personal care products from concept to commercialization with an emphasis on reformulation
• 3+ years of experience leading and developing technical teams

Preferred Qualifications:

Education:

• Master's degree preferred

Experience:

• Experience in professional salon brands
• Experience working with contract manufacturers and external partners
• Experience supporting global product portfolios and launches
• Experience with packaging compatibility and lifecycle management

We are eager to meet people who believe in our mission and can contribute to our team in a variety of ways - not just candidates who check all the boxes. If you think you would be a good fit for the position and our company, we invite you to apply.

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