Senior Product Manager (Skincare)
Department: New Product Development
Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time
Location: Head Office, London
Reporting To: Natalie Taylor
Description
As Senior Product Development Manager based in our London office your primary responsibility will be leading NPD and EPD projects for the skincare category. You will ensure the successful and timely delivery of development projects and support with the strategic planning for the category, whilst working collaboratively with the wider global 360 team to support the long-range commercial growth plans.
You’ll be responsible for ensuring brilliant and concise execution of the skincare strategy and managing the delivery of products to our global markets from ideation stage through to launch. Working closely with the Head of Innovation and Head of Product Development, you’ll continuously be looking to bring a global lens and support in finding efficient processes to gain consumer and market insight from other areas of the business and push through into the product. You will be responsible for completing regular in-depth commercial reviews and proposing recommendations for NPD as well as new opportunities on existing product value re-engineering, formula reworks, and packaging upgrades.
Reporting to the Head of Product Development, you’ll be a key point of contact for the brand and key stakeholders. You will be a confident communicator, building strong relationships both within the NPD team and across the business, ensuring proactive support and clear communication. You will hold yourself and others to high execution standards and your ability to manage multiple priorities at any given time will be key.
Key Responsibilities
Strategy
• Support with defining, developing, and implementing the 3-5 year innovation vision, strategy, and roadmap.
• Support in ensuring an OMNI channel and global approach to product development is executed with consideration to our key global partners.
Product Development
• Deliver NPD and change management projects on time, taking them through internal processes such as Gate whilst evaluating stakeholder and market feedback to ensure the strongest, global product is created in line with the NPD and Brand Teams vision.
• With exceptional CPA management skills, work with manufacturing partners and other key suppliers to continuously redefine the CPA to meet business needs whilst ensuring adaptability, efficiency, and collaboration.
• Ensure products always deliver against the commercial objectives of the launch, supporting with COG negotiation, scrutinizing margin and ensuring commercial goals are met for each channel whilst reviewing global forecasts volume to ensure financial viability of the project.
• Work collaboratively with senior stakeholders such as the Head of Product Development, Head of Innovation, Regulatory and Brand Teams to support with solidifying product positioning, language and claims early in the product development process.
• Champion the Elemis brand and what we stand for and how this translates into product, constantly challenging and improving product mix and portfolio.
• Ensure strong collaboration and alignment with relevant teams in claim building and testing protocol creation, leading the clinical and user trial testing proposals to ensure disruptive, market-leading claims are created that are in line with the product position.
Product Lifecycle Management
• Lead the product development of skincare projects (NPD and EPD), managing them through all stages of the lifecycle.
• This includes supporting the ideation and concept creation, all the way through to the discontinuation strategy- and everything in between.
• Ensure all projects in the skincare category are running on time and are in line with agreed SIW and launch timings- escalating risks to the Head of Product Development where necessary.
• Ensure all EPD projects mitigate supply and stock risks whilst also ensuring any changes to existing products are in line with the Brands expectations, without compromising experience or efficacy.
• Find strategic and commercially viable solutions to navigating raw material discounts on existing products and other challenges that threaten the continuity of supply.
• Ensure product quality and performance is always paramount and find solutions to ensure this is never compromised.
Leadership, Team & Stakeholder Management
• Ensure a dynamic, collaborative, high-performing Skincare Team- providing guidance, mentoring, and professional development opportunities whilst fostering a culture of growth mindset, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• To drive, inspire, communicate, and educate in the development of new, innovative products.
• Effectively manage the expectations of the Head of Product Development and ensure efficient communication throughout the NPD lifecycle.
• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders- always approaching challenges with a positive, proactive, solution-focused mindset.
Competitive Intelligence
• Have a strong view of the market and competitor activity, keeping up to date with the latest market trends, showing consideration and appreciation for global and localized trends.
• Critically review new launches considering key elements such as overall positioning, claims, packaging, RRP.
• Take learnings from the Head of Innovation on trends, working collaboratively to support defining the biggest opportunities and gaps in the market.
Budget
• Be responsible for the Skincare project budgeting and review monthly spending to date vs spend to go with the Head of PD and finance, flagging risk and reallocating funds where needed.
Skills, Knowledge & Expertise
· A relevant university degree
· Qualifications in biology and/or chemistry are highly desirable
· Solid experience within the beauty industry is essential
· Relevant and demonstrable product development experience is essential
· Proven track record of developing NPD
· A positive, proactive, initiative driven mindset- always remaining solutions focused
· Excellent communicator
· Knowledge of basic biology and chemistry in the skincare context
· Excellent computer literacy in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
Job Benefits
- Generous Staff Discount on all your favourite ELEMIS products and spa treatments, as well as discounts on L'OCCITANE Group products (including L'Occitane, Erborian and more)
- Excellent well-being policies including enhanced Maternity & Paternity policies, Income Protection, Life Assurance and more
- Generous Holiday Allowance, increasing with length of service
- Company Pension Scheme
- Bonus/Commission Scheme
- Healthcare Cash Plan (with Dental)
- Private Medical Insurance
- Employee Assistance Programme for all Associates and their families
- Cycle to Work Scheme, Season Ticket Loan, Length of Service Awards
- Much, much more!
*Some benefit eligibility is based on length of service or contract type
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