Brand Manager - Irvine, CA

Military Spouse Corporate Career Network•Irvine, CA

1d•$109,500 - $208,500•Onsite

About The Position

The Brand Manager, NPI & Product Lifecycle Management is a critical cross-functional leader responsible for orchestrating the end-to-end supply chain execution of new product introductions and managing the full lifecycle of the North America professional-grade cosmetics portfolio. This role serves as the primary supply chain liaison across brand management, R&D, Quality, regulatory, PDS&T, Packaging marketing, and Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMOs) to ensure that products are commercialized on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards. Operating across a premium professional skincare portfolio — including brands such as SkinMedica and Diamond Glow — this position demands a highly analytical, detail-oriented, and strategically minded supply chain professional who can balance the complexity of multiple simultaneous product launches while driving continuous improvement across planning, procurement, and operations.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations, Business Administration, Engineering, or a related field.
Minimum 5–7 years of supply chain experience, with at least 3 years in a New Product Introduction, product launch, or contract manufacturing management capacity.
Demonstrated experience managing CMO or third-party manufacturing relationships, including capacity planning, technology transfer, and performance management.
Proven track record of executing end-to-end NPI projects within the consumer products, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, medical aesthetics, or personal care industries.
Strong proficiency in demand planning and supply planning processes, including participation in S&OP cycles.
Experience working with ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, or equivalent) and advanced planning tools.
Exceptional project management skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent launches in a fast-paced environment.
Strong analytical skills with proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and data visualization tools.
Excellent communication and influencing skills with the ability to engage senior stakeholders and cross-functional partners effectively.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the professional-grade skincare, dermatology, or medical aesthetics industry, with familiarity with brands such as SkinMedica, SkinCeuticals, or comparable professional cosmeceutical portfolios.
Knowledge of FDA cosmetic and OTC drug regulations applicable to skincare product development and commercialization in North America.
Experience with Stage-Gate or equivalent product development and commercialization processes.
APICS CPIM, CSCP, or equivalent supply chain certification.
Familiarity with PLM software platforms (e.g., Arena, Agile, Windchill, or equivalent).
MBA or advanced degree in a relevant discipline.
Experience supporting international or cross-border supply chains within a North America-focused organization.
Proficiency with supply chain analytics platforms such as Tableau, Power BI, or Kinaxis.

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end NPI project management for the North America professional cosmetics portfolio, coordinating all supply chain workstreams from concept gate through commercial launch.
Develop and maintain detailed NPI project timelines, critical path milestones, and supply chain readiness checklists in alignment with Stage-Gate or equivalent commercialization frameworks.
Facilitate cross-functional NPI launch meetings, driving accountability across R&D, regulatory, packaging, marketing, finance, and operations teams.
Support operations colleagues with procurement and qualification of components, raw materials, and finished goods required for clinical trials, scale-up batches, and initial production runs.
Ensure launch inventory targets are met by coordinating build plans, safety stock strategies, and phased market rollout plans with commercial stakeholders.
Serve as supply chain point of contact for external CMO partners supporting the North America professional skincare portfolio.
Work with external manufacturing to develop & monitor CMO scorecards, tracking on-time delivery, quality compliance, capacity utilization, and cost performance.
Support NPI onboarding activities at CMO sites, including capacity assessments, technology transfers, validation batch scheduling, and commercial scale-up readiness reviews.
Align with global supply planning on production schedules, minimum order quantities (MOQs), lead times, and change order processes with CMO partners.
Proactively identify and mitigate supply risks arising from CMO capacity constraints, raw material shortages, packaging issues or regulatory changes.
Jointly with commercial develop robust demand forecasts for new product introductions in collaboration with brand managers, sales operations, and finance, incorporating market intelligence, historical analogs, and launch channel strategies.
Wit global supply planning, translate approved demand forecasts into actionable supply plans, ensuring alignment between production capacity, inventory levels, and commercial requirements.
Manage the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) input process for all NPI SKUs, maintaining accuracy and version control of demand signals shared with CMOs and internal stakeholders.
Execute supply rebalancing and phase-in/phase-out strategies to minimize excess and obsolete inventory risk during product transitions.
Partner with brand and regulatory teams to assess the supply chain impact of formula updates, label changes, and regulatory submissions, ensuring continuity of supply throughout.
Maintain accurate and current SKU master data, bill of materials (BOM), and supplier records within ERP and PLM systems.
Contribute to portfolio rationalization initiatives, providing supply chain data and analysis to support brand and business decisions.
Act as the supply chain representative in cross-functional brand and portfolio review meetings, providing insight on launch readiness, supply risk, and capacity constraints.
Champion continuous improvement initiatives targeting NPI lead time reduction, CMO performance improvement, and planning process efficiency.
Support the development and refinement of supply chain standard operating procedures (SOPs) and NPI playbooks.
Collaborate with the quality team to resolve non-conformances, deviations, and CAPA actions involving CMO partners and NPI activities.