Director of PD - Skincare & Topical

Director of Product Development Skincare / Topicals

Responsible for leadership and oversight of product development initiatives supporting skincare and topical products within a fast-paced contract manufacturing environment. Provides strategic and technical direction across the full product lifecycle from concept through commercialization while ensuring speed, scalability, customer satisfaction, compliance, and operational execution. Leads product development activities, drives cross-functional alignment, and serves as a key customer-facing technical leader supporting innovation and growth initiatives.

Lead product development strategy and execution for skincare and topical products from concept through commercialization. Direct and prioritize product development pipeline activities and project timelines across multiple customer initiatives. Lead and develop Product Development and formulation team members. Oversee formulation strategy focused on product performance, ingredient compatibility, stability, sensory attributes, manufacturability, scalability, and cost optimization. Drive bench development, pilot trials, scale-up activities, validation efforts, and commercialization execution.

Serve as primary technical lead and customer-facing resource throughout development projects. Translate customer objectives into commercially viable and manufacturable solutions. Partner with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Regulatory, Sales, and Customer Service teams to ensure successful project execution. Lead customer presentations and technical discussions. Troubleshoot formulation and manufacturing challenges involving viscosity, emulsion stability, ingredient interactions, and process variability. Evaluate ingredients, packaging compatibility, technologies, and market trends.

Ensure compliance with FDA requirements and cGMP standards. Maintain formulas, specifications, and technical documentation. Drive process improvement initiatives.

Extensive experience developing skincare and topical products within a CMO/CDMO environment. Strong understanding of emulsions, active ingredients, preservative systems, rheology, ingredient compatibility, and stability principles. Demonstrated ability leading products from concept through commercialization. Experience scaling formulations into manufacturing environments. Strong leadership and project management skills. Strong customer-facing communication and presentation abilities. Working knowledge of FDA regulations and cGMP standards. Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.

Direct supervision of Product Development team.

Work is performed in office, laboratory, and manufacturing environments. Requires frequent interaction with all facility departments, including Warehouse, Shipping, Receiving, Manufacturing, Packaging, and Quality Control. Regular presence on the production floor may be required to support product development, scale-up, and commercial manufacturing activities. Must comply with all safety, FDA, and cGMP requirements.

Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Cosmetic Science, Material Science, or related scientific discipline required; advanced degree preferred. Minimum ten (10) years progressive product development experience supporting skincare and topical products. Prior leadership experience required. Contract manufacturing/CMO/CDMO experience strongly required.

Product development initiatives move efficiently from concept through commercialization. Strong customer satisfaction and cross-functional alignment. Products consistently meet performance, stability, manufacturability, and cost expectations. Ongoing innovation and portfolio expansion support business growth.

Health insurance Vision insurance Dental insurance Life insurance Disability Insurance Paid time off 401K Retirement plan with Pre-tax and Roth deferral options and employer match.