Product Development Lead — New York, NY

Company Description:

Mented Cosmetics is a venture-backed, premium beauty brand transforming the industry with products and marketing that celebrate the beauty of diversity. Mented was started in a 1-bedroom Harlem apartment; we’ve got humble beginnings and a global vision, and we need teammates with the humility and big dreams to match. At Mented we bring our whole selves to work, because changing the landscape of beauty - and the world along with it - requires more than intelligence; it takes passion, grit, and character. We’re building a diverse team that loves helping our community feel beautiful - if that sounds like it’s up your alley, read below to learn more about this opportunity.

Position Description:

Mented is looking for an experienced Product Development lead to own end-to-end development of our product roadmap from concept to go-to-market. In this role, you will have the opportunity to grow current categories and own development for Mented’s entry into new categories.

This position is highly cross-functional; you will report directly to the CEO and work closely with our Supply Chain, Operations, and Marketing teams to ensure successful category and product launches that meet business objectives and delight our customers. Further, you will be responsible for finding the best suppliers, vendors, and contract manufacturers to optimize and expand our product portfolio.

You’d be an early hire at a growing startup — so you should thrive in a fast-paced environment, have a can-do attitude, and be willing to pitch in where needed.

Responsibilities:

New Category/Product Development: Manage all phases of product development  to ensure successful launch into new categories at the right time with the right products and the appropriate amount of investment to achieve critical KPIs.

• Work closely with Marketing to complete initial market and consumer analysis;
• Build a data-driven case for Mented’s market entry, working closely with the executive team to align on go-to-market budget, margin, and payback expectations
• Brief and vet global suppliers, vendors, and contract manufacturers to select a winner that adheres to Mented’s partner guidelines for FDA compliance, product quality, ingredient, materials sourcing, labor, and environmental standards
• Develop and validate product claims in partnership with vendor labs, 3rd party testing facilities, Marketing teams, and legal counsel

Existing Category Management: Identify opportunities for investment, optimization, and growth of our existing categories and launch products to meet aggressive growth goals.

Strategy, Analytics, and Process: Bring a strategic lens to all parts of the product development and go-to-market process.

Team: Actively involved in recruiting, building, and developing teams and individuals as the organization scales.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of brand management and/or product development experience, with experience running projects through a full development cycle (insights, sourcing, prototyping, testing, validation, production)
• Highly organized, able to manage timelines across multiple workstreams and create standardized processes to manage project completion
• Strong background in CPG and/or retail strategy
• Passionate about beauty inclusion
• Experience managing and negotiating with a global supplier base for development and testing; willing to travel domestically and internationally
• Experience managing multiple work streams in a fast-paced environment with the ability to shift priorities quickly
• Comfortable with and able to thrive in environment with unknowns
• Strong written and verbal communication/presentation skills
• High comfort level with brand analytics, P&L management, and budget ownership
• Ability to collaborate and drive cross-functional consensus
• Ability to exercise independent judgment and discretion
• An eagerness to learn and tackle any issue that may arise
• High eQ, “get-it” factor; leave your ego at the door

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in related field
• 3+ years of CPG experience
• Strong planning and organizational skills to balance and prioritize workload
• Excellent communication skills
• Excellent project management and analytical skills
• Results ­oriented with an ability to multi­task effectively
• Team player capable of working cross ­functionally
• Willingness to extend yourself and assist other team members  

Must be based full-time in NYC or willing to relocate.

To Apply:

Email info@mentedcosmetics.com with the job title in the subject line and please include your resume.