Associate, Product Development, Formula and Fragrance

Associate, Product Development, Formula and Fragrance

New York, New York

Athena Club is building the next‑generation personal care company, and we’re just getting started. Over the past 12 months, we’ve doubled our business, accelerated our retail momentum, and expanded our reach as more customers turn to Athena for beautifully designed, high‑performance essentials.

We’re redefining everyday personal care through innovation, transparency, and design‑led thinking, transforming daily routines into rituals. With strengths in world‑class product development, compelling storytelling, and a brand built to stand out on shelf and in culture, we’re entering an exciting new phase of category expansion and national growth.

We’re looking for experienced, entrepreneurial leaders who thrive in fast‑moving environments, take full ownership, and know how to scale teams, systems, and outcomes. This role is a rare opportunity to help shape Athena Club’s next chapter, driving strategy, execution, and long‑term impact as we build an iconic modern personal care brand.

Athena Club is looking for a Associate, Product Development, Formula and Fragrance to join our Product Development team. Reporting to the Senior Manager, Product Development, this Team Member will own the day‑to‑day coordination of formula and fragrance development – managing vendor relationships, driving feedback cycles, and ensuring every detail is tracked from brief through launch.

This is a hands‑on role ideal for someone early in their product development career who thrives in a fast‑moving environment, takes strong ownership of their programs, and brings exceptional organizational discipline to everything they touch.

Formula Development

• Own day‑to‑day coordination with external labs, ensuring consistent follow‑up and accountability on formula submissions, sample requests, and re‑submission cycles
• Support creation of formulation briefs across multiple product categories, translating brand and consumer needs into clear technical direction
• Prepare formula comparison tables including ingredient lists, EWG/Yuka scores, Target Clean compliance flags, COGS inputs, and competitive benchmarking data
• Flag ingredients outside of Athena Club’s restriction list and maintain that list current across categories
• Track formula COGS across all active projects; ensure costs are inputted into trackers and flag formulas trending outside margin targets
• Manage all formula testing including stability, compatibility, PET, and HRIPT; elevate issues quickly

Fragrance Development

• Write and manage fragrance briefs documenting olfactive direction, inspiration, competitive references, and required restrictions (IFRA compliance, allergen thresholds, retail clean standards)
• Physically handle and track all fragrance samples; organize and synthesize team smelling notes across submissions from multiple perfumers and fragrance houses into clear evaluation summaries
• Track fragrance notes and pricing across vendors to ensure alignment with cost targets
• Build and maintain a fragrance library organized by olfactive category with status tracking (in development, selected, discontinued) by SKU and category
• Support allergen disclosure workflows including CSCP/SB 258 California labeling requirements and FDA fragrance transparency standards
• Track and manage fragrance requests submitted to contract manufacturers, ensuring timely follow‑up and clear communication across all parties

Sample Tracking & Feedback Cycles

• Own the full sample tracking process – both physically (receipt, storage, dispatch to evaluators) and electronically (logging submissions, status, and feedback in master trackers)
• Drive feedback cycle rhythm: send samples, collect and compile structured evaluator feedback, and transmit clear consolidated direction back to labs
• Track iteration rounds by formula and fragrance; flag projects falling behind cycle targets or consuming excessive rounds
• Prepare agendas, background materials, and summary documents for internal review sessions

Trackers & Project Organization

• Build and maintain master development trackers across all active formulation and fragrance projects covering…