Director, Technical Program Management, Augmented Beauty Tech Incubator, L’Oreal Research & Innovation – Clark, New Jersey

Hello, we’re L’Oréal, we're not just building brands; we're shaping how the world experiences beauty (and it takes a lot of cool jobs to do it).

Intrigued? Keep reading, this might be the opportunity you've been searching for.

Who We Are

Join us at L’Oréal, the world's #1 beauty company present in over 150 markets. For over a century, we have been transforming; fueled by data, tech, innovation, and science. Together, we tackle big challenges while making sure we stay committed to making the world a more inclusive and a better place for everyone & our planet.

At L’Oréal Research & Innovation we are pushing the boundaries of Science & Tech. We invest heavily in cutting-edge research, leveraging advanced technologies to understand skin, hair, and microbiome, while discovering new active ingredients and launching outperforming formulas. Our 3,500 L'Oréal R&I experts leverage Science & Technology to invent safe, trustable, sustainable & responsible beauty products and experiences that will change people’s lives.

The L’Oréal Tech Incubator is seeking a highly skilled Technical Program Director with 8 to 10+ years of experience in leading complex consumer product development.

In this role, you will be the primary driver for framing, leading, and delivering innovative technology solutions within a fast-paced, cross-functional environment. You are responsible for the end-to-end orchestration of product roadmaps, partnering with external start-ups, and world-class engineering firms to bring "first-to-market" innovations to life.

As a master of managing and framing projects through collaboration and communication, you will bridge the gap between our technical teams, marketing visionaries, and executive leadership. You are comfortable navigating ambiguity and have the leadership impact to transform our organization through disciplined project management practices, from initial design to global commercial launch and after market surveillance.

You are at the intersection of a strategic go-getter and a humble scientist, we are looking for the next talent who will bring our product performance to the next level.

Our mission is to revolutionize beauty through technology by delivering new consumer products that combine state-of-the-art cosmetic formulas, software, and hardware. For example, our global team has launched Skinceuticals Custom D.O.S.E, YSL Rouge Sur Mesure, Colorsonic and Hapta.

This position requires occasional domestic and international travel (~10%).

Specific job responsibilities include:

Strategic Project Leadership & Execution

• Lead the full lifecycle of complex innovation projects, ensuring they are delivered on time, within scope, and on budget
• Translate high-level business visions into concrete product requirements and actionable technical milestones
• Act as the "connective tissue" between engineering, design, labs, and marketing (local & global) to ensure a seamless consumer experience
• Make data-driven decisions and present clear options/trade-offs to the team and top management
• Establish and track project budgets, ensuring optimal allocation of resources and managing vendor/partner contracts
• Proactively identify project risks (technical, timeline, or financial) and develop robust contingency plans

Communication & Stakeholder Management

• Manage the communication of status, risks, and milestones to all stakeholders, including senior leadership, in a clear and timely manner
• Adapt complex technical content for non-technical audiences to drive alignment and secure buy-in
• Navigate organizational bottlenecks by escalating issues strategically with proposed solutions to keep projects moving
• Source and collaborate with key external partners, serving as the primary point of communication for engineering firms, manufacturers, and research labs
• Master the feedback loop between post-market data and design iterations to ensure continuous product improvement

Transform a vision into a product with project management

• Translate business visions into product definition
• Challenge, propose alternatives and come up with creative solutions to fulfill the marketing vision
• Be driven by passion for consumer experience at the core
• Pay attention to product detail and quality
• Synthesize highly complex problems with multiple variables down to simple solutions and concrete action items
• Collaborate with cross project managers to optimize product costs and margin for compelling business plan
• Source, collaborate with key external partner engineering, manufacturer, labs
• Analyze, define protocols and follow-up clinicals studies of our technologies
• Manage the communication of status, risk disposition to all stakeholders, including senior management, on a timely manner
• Communicate clearly and adapt the content to relevant audience, escalate smartly to get things done
• Ensure timing and quality
• Establish and track budget of your projects
• Apply for patents

Desired Skills and Experience:

• A completed bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree in science, Engineering, Business, or Management preferred
• 8 to 10+ years of experience in successfully launching consumer-facing hardware or technology products
• Proven track record of influencing cross-functional teams and presenting to executive stakeholders
• Strong mastery of PM methodologies (Agile, Waterfall); PMP certification highly preferred
• Ability to balance high-level strategic thinking with process-oriented execution and a meticulous attention to detail
• Experience executing and finding opportunities to innovate in changing environments
• Experience with clinical studies and data preferred
• Obsessed with product and end-to-end consumer experience
• Execute and find opportunities to innovate in ambiguous and changing environments and demonstrates both a flexible and resilient approach
• Sufficient technical depth to influence project decisions across electronics, software, and mechanics
• Experience with regulated consumer products (such as FDA Class 1 or 2) or clinical data is a plus but not the primary focus
• The ability to be onsite, in the office at least 3 days a week as this is an essential function of the position (required)
• Authorization to work in the United States on a full-time, permanent, ongoing basis is required. No immigration support/sponsorship offered for this role.

What’s In It For You

• A place for you to leave your comfort zone and grow beyond your potential (here, you’ll be encouraged to try new things and take risks!)
• Real responsibility from day 1, there’s no sitting on the sidelines at L’Oréal
• An environment where people of every ethnicity, social background, age, religion, gender and sexual orientation as well as people with disabilities are accepted, can speak up, will thrive and are celebrated!
• A place where you can contribute to something bigger! Many of our brands have societal /environmental causes to make concrete difference
• Competitive Benefits Package (Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K, Pension Plan)
• Base Salary Range: $126,900 - $184,000 (The actual compensation will depend on a variety of job-related factors which may include geographic location, work experience, education, and skill level) 
• Flexible Time Off (Paid Company Holidays, Paid Vacation, Vacation Buy Program, Volunteer Time, Summer Fridays & More!)
• Access to Company Perks (VIP Access to L’Oréal’s Internal Shop for Discounted Products, Monthly Mobile Allowance)
• Learning and Development Opportunities (Unlimited Access to E-learnings, Lunch & Learn Sessions, Mentorship Programs, & More!)
• Employee Resource Groups (Think Tanks and Innovation Squads)
• Access to Mental Health & Wellness Programs

Don’t meet every single requirement? At L'Oréal, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and innovative workplace. If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with the qualifications listed in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways! You may just be the right candidate for this or other roles!

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and take pride in a diverse environment. We’re committed to guaranteeing inclusive recruitment processes and advocating for hiring and promoting each candidate in an ethical and equitable way. The Group strictly prohibits discrimination against any applicant for employment because of the individual’s gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, visible and/or invisible disabilities, socio-economic and/or multicultural origins, health conditions, age, religion, or any other characteristics protected by law.