Product Manager, Agile Innovation & Strategy

Founded in Japan in 1887, Kao is passionate about making a difference in people's lives with our high quality products and services to create a Kirei Life for all - a beautiful life that respects the needs of our consumers and customers as well as the planet. We never compromise on quality and craft our products with care for the consumer and the environment.

As a company driven by purpose and strong corporate values we pride ourselves to be listed among the World's Most Ethical Companies since 16 consecutive years. Our corporate philosophy, the Kao Way, guides us in everything we do - acting with integrity, courageously driving innovation and treating each other with trust and respect.

The role:

The Project Manager, Product Development & Packaging for New Ventures leads and executes new product development projects from concept to launch. You will collaborate with other teams, vendors, and suppliers to ensure timely, cost-effective, and high-quality product launches. In this fast-paced role, you’ll help us challenge industry norms and create unique products that don't compromise efficacy or quality for accessibility.

Reporting to our Associate Director, Agile Innovation & Strategy for our Consumer Care business, you have experience in beauty product development, knowledge of packaging, supply chain coordination, and project management.

Kao is looking for an experienced and strategic project manager to lead projects across 3rd party manufacturers, private formulators, packaging, formulation, finance, testing facilities and QA.  As a leader of the team you will lead the scaling of NPD from concept to launch requiring the ability to develop detailed timelines and work with internal and external teams.

You need to be savvy in technical solutions and deliver innovation and renovation of key products within different portfolios. This includes optimization projects requiring product formulation, claims validation, regulatory compliance, claims validation and Iso Manufacturing compliance. You will offer creative solutions when issues on constraints arise. Implementing risk mitigation solutions is a must have in this role. Partner with Marketing to leverage and translate consumer insights into product design from concept to launch.

You must be willing to travel to Kao USA’s Cincinnati headquarters approximately 4 – 6 times per year to meet important partners. You will travel 20-25% for in-person meetings to visit vendors, labs and team members to manage overall development of projects. 

At Kao, we offer amazing benefits that are available to you on your first day of employment (healthcare, 401(k) plus company match), 36 total days off (vacation + holidays + sick) and a reasonable salary range of $88,000 - $130,000. We also offer a remote work environment.

What you will need:

• 3+ years of experience in project management, product development, and/or packaging within the beauty, haircare, skincare, or personal care industry
• Knowledge of beauty formulations, manufacturing processes, and packaging components
• Proficiency in project management tools (e.g., SAP and WERCS)
• Create solutions to external factors that may impede project success
• Experience managing multiple simultaneous projects and work

How we work: Having been selected among the World´s Most Ethical Companies for 18 consecutive years, we are a company with a purpose and strong corporate values. We never compromise on quality and create our products with care for the consumer and the environment. At Kao, each employee can shape their job and their career. We work collaboratively to achieve our common goals, always aiming to deliver the best for our customers.

What we offer: A friendly and flexible work environment with great compensation packages, benefits package, ongoing development and the opportunity to enhance your skills and deliver tangible results. At Kao your voice will be heard. Your opinion really counts. We believe that change comes from taking opportunities into your own hands, so we value and reward entrepreneurial thinking and new ideas.

Hiring Process: Kao embraces the diversity and the individual personalities of its people because we believe it is diversity that makes us strong. This is why we welcome applications from all areas of the global community.

Want to learn more: If you feel you are as unique as our products and want to find out why 33,000 people across the globe opted for a career with us please visit our Americas website (https://www.kao.com/americas/en/).

Kao is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disabled and veterans

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