Head of Product

Role Overview

Talent Lab Co is working with a fast-scaling business behind some of Australia’s most rapidly expanding beauty labels. They are looking for a commercially sharp and strategically minded Head of Product to oversee new product development, influence category direction, and grow into a deputy-style role supporting the Director of Operations.

This is a senior, high-responsibility opportunity for an experienced product development leader, ideally with international market exposure, who can combine hands-on development work with longer-term portfolio strategy while guiding a team and shaping decisions across the business. The role carries strong commercial influence, direct access to founders, and a meaningful part in the company’s next stage of growth.

What the Role Covers

You will take ownership of the full NPD pipeline across all brands, manage two Senior NPD Specialists, coordinate supplier relationships, and lead category strategy that supports future innovation. As the role develops, you will also support the Director of Operations in a formal second-in-command capacity across procurement and wider cross-brand operational initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct the end-to-end product development pipeline across all brands and distribute work across two Senior NPD Specialists.
• Remain actively involved in development work by reviewing formulations, managing critical suppliers, and stepping in on execution where required.
• Run stage-gate review meetings and make go/no-go recommendations for the senior leadership team.
• Set expectations for quality, cost, and timelines, and keep delivery consistent across the brand portfolio.
• Serve as the main escalation contact for supplier, regulatory, or timing issues.
• Track the NPD pipeline dashboard and present progress updates at S&OP meetings.
• Lead commercial discussions with laboratories, manufacturers, and packaging suppliers.
• Own cost of goods, minimum order quantities, lead times, and quality benchmarks within agreed business limits.
• Oversee supplier performance and identify, assess, and onboard new partners as the pipeline expands.
• Facilitate WIP sessions with manufacturers and formulators to solve technical or supply chain issues.
• Challenge briefs and business cases with Brand Managers before projects move into development.
• Work closely with Regulatory, Finance, Demand Planning, and Production & Logistics teams.
• Share pipeline visibility with Retail and Digital Directors and lead weekly internal WIP meetings.
• Develop and maintain three-year category plans for each brand.
• Carry out ongoing market, trend, and competitor analysis to uncover whitespace and portfolio opportunities.
• Set hero SKU priorities and range structure, and lead rationalisation of the portfolio where needed.
• Present category recommendations and strategic proposals directly to Founders and Directors.
• Support the integration of newly acquired brands through NPD onboarding, supplier audits, and specification reviews.
• Build procurement capability over time and progressively take on more supplier negotiation responsibility.
• Represent the Director of Operations on cross-brand projects when needed and provide trusted operational input.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will bring deep experience in beauty, personal care, or FMCG product development and be comfortable operating across both strategy and execution. You should be confident managing suppliers, shaping category direction, and leading people through a fast-moving environment.

Requirements

• 8–10+ years of experience in new product development or product development, ideally within beauty, personal care, or FMCG.
• Exposure to multiple markets and channels is advantageous.
• Demonstrated ownership of multi-year category strategy and range architecture.
• Strong commercial negotiation skills with manufacturers and suppliers.
• Experience leading and developing NPD team members.
• Ability to interpret trends, forecast demand shifts, analyse competitors, and convert insights into product direction.
• Advanced project management skills and strong cross-functional leadership.
• High accountability, a structured working style, calm decision-making under pressure, and strong commercial judgement.

Additional Information

Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The role is described as hybrid in the body of the listing, while the header also references onsite. This is a full-time position.

No salary, stipend, application deadline, start date, or number of vacancies was provided in the source.

The listing includes a note encouraging interested candidates to apply or contact Georgie Cash directly.

Source branding and platform references have been omitted in this rewrite.

About Talent Lab Co

Talent Lab Co is presented as a specialist talent partner focused on beauty and wellness hiring.