Director New Product Development Full Time

Our client is seeking a seasoned Director – New Product Development (NPD) to lead innovation for our Beauty & Personal Care (BPC) portfolio across skincare, haircare, and personal care categories.

This role will drive the end-to-end product development agenda – from identifying consumer trends and white spaces to formulation development and successful market launches. The ideal candidate combines deep category understanding, formulation exposure, trend foresight, and strong commercial acumen, with experience in fast-paced FMCG or D2C environments.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Category Innovation Strategy

– Define and own the NPD roadmap across skincare, haircare, and personal care

– Identify emerging trends (clean beauty, derm-led, active ingredients, sustainability, etc.)

– Build a strong pipeline aligned to brand positioning and growth priorities

2. Product Development & Formulation

– Lead end-to-end product lifecycle: concept, brief, formulation, testing, packaging, and launch

– Work closely with R&D/labs, third-party manufacturers, and ingredient suppliers

– Ensure products meet global standards on efficacy, safety, and compliance

3. Consumer & Trend Insights

– Translate consumer insights, dermatological trends, and global innovations into product concepts

– Benchmark against leading global and indie BPC brands

4. Cross-Functional Collaboration

– Partner with Marketing for claims, positioning, and storytelling

– Work with Supply Chain and Procurement on cost optimization and scalability

– Collaborate with Regulatory to ensure compliance across markets

5. Go-To-Market & Commercialization

– Drive launch readiness across channels (e-commerce, marketplaces, offline retail)

– Support pricing strategy, margin management, and product mix decisions

– Track post-launch performance and drive continuous improvement

6. Quality, Compliance & Claims

– Ensure all formulations meet regulatory standards (India + international if applicable)

– Oversee product testing (stability, safety, clinical/efficacy where needed)

– Drive credible, science-backed product claims

7. Team Leadership

– Build and lead a high-performing NPD and innovation team

– Foster a culture of agility, experimentation, and consumer-first thinking

Key Requirements:

– 12-18+ years in NPD/Innovation within Beauty & Personal Care (skincare/haircare preferred)

– Strong understanding of formulations, actives (e.g., AHAs, BHAs, retinol, niacinamide), and ingredient trends

– Proven track record of launching successful BPC products in India or global markets

– Experience working with third-party manufacturers / CDMOs

– Strong project management skills with ability to manage multiple launches simultaneously

– Commercial mindset with understanding of pricing, margins, and channel dynamics