Job Description

The Senior Executive / Assistant Manager, Product Development (Skincare) is the key liaison between the Brand Owner/Business Unit Head and product development partners, responsible for translating product vision into safe, effective and commercially viable skincare products. The role manages end-to-end NPD from brief and formulation through testing, compliance, production, launch and post-launch monitoring, balancing innovation, technical stewardship and commercial readiness while ensuring safety, quality and regulatory compliance.

Key Responsibilities:

• NPD Project Management & Brand Liaison
• Translate product concepts and brand skincare philosophy into development briefs for OEMs, R&D laboratories and suppliers.
• Manage end-to-end NPD pipeline from brief, formulation and sampling through testing, approval, production and launch.
• Coordinate with Marketing, Sales, Supply Chain, Operations and external partners to meet project milestones and launch timelines.
• Maintain structured NPD trackers for development progress, testing, regulatory readiness, artwork, production timelines and dependencies.
• Proactively identify development risks, technical limitations and potential delays and recommend solutions.
• Track cashflow expenses following the NPD timeline.

• Product Development, Evaluation & Innovation
• Lead formulation development with OEM/R&D partners to meet positioning, efficacy, sensorial experience, quality and target cost.
• Lead internal sample evaluations and consolidate feedback for OEM partners.
• Evaluate active ingredients and formulation technologies against claims and consumer needs.
• Manage relationships with OEM/ODM manufacturers, laboratories and suppliers for technical capability, quality, innovation, cost and lead time.
• Benchmark competitors and explore emerging ingredients, technologies and trends for innovation opportunities.

• Product Safety, Quality & Regulatory Compliance
• Coordinate required testing including stability, packaging compatibility, irritation/patch, microbiological and efficacy assessments.
• Ensure compliance with Malaysia and ASEAN cosmetic regulatory requirements, working with Regulatory, QA, OEMs and laboratories.
• Maintain technical and compliance documentation (specifications, test reports, CoAs, PIF, batch records).
• Ensure product specifications and quality standards from samples through mass production, including batch tracking and retain-sample management.
• Investigate quality, safety or batch-related issues and coordinate corrective actions.

• Pre- & Post-Launch Commercialisation & Product Management
• Act as technical-to-commercial bridge, translating formulation, ingredient and testing information for Marketing, Sales, E-commerce and Retail teams.
• Support development of marketing communications, sales materials and product training.
• Coordinate pilot runs, first production batches and scale-up activities to ensure consistency between approved samples and production.
• Identify and bridge information or execution gaps across stakeholders to enable successful launches.
• Monitor post-launch performance through feedback, sales observations, complaints and quality metrics and recommend improvements.

Job Requirements

Qualifications & Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree in Cosmetic Science, Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Science, Biotechnology, Biomedical Science or relevant scientific discipline.
• Senior Executive: preferably 3–5 years' relevant experience in skincare/cosmetics product development, R&D, QA, regulatory or related functions.
• Assistant Manager: preferably 5–7 years' relevant skincare/cosmetics product development experience with demonstrated ownership of end-to-end NPD projects.
• Strong understanding of skincare formulations, active ingredients, product testing, stability, packaging compatibility and cosmetic safety.
• Working knowledge of ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD), Malaysia NPRA requirements, GMP and applicable cosmetic regulations and documentation.
• Experience working with skincare OEM/ODM manufacturers, laboratories and suppliers is highly preferred.
• Strong project management skills and ability to manage multiple NPD projects and stakeholders concurrently.
• Strong communication skills to translate technical product information into commercially relevant insights for non-technical stakeholders.
• Detail-oriented, analytical and highly accountable for product quality, compliance and timelines.
• Strong interest in skincare science, ingredients, formulation innovation and consumer trends.

Skills