Senior Director of Product Development

The Honest Company • Los Angeles, CA

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Honest Company is expanding its Research and Development leadership team and is seeking a strategic, visionary, and highly experienced Senior Director of Product Development. As a Senior Director in the Research and Development department, you will serve as the principal strategic leader and primary executive liaison between Research and Development and the cross-functional leadership of the operating units—including Brand, Operations, Sales, and Marketing Communications. You will be fully accountable for steering the multi-year long-term innovation pipeline, driving macro-level category strategy in partnership with Brand, and guiding a dedicated team of in-house chemists to concept, develop, and optimize award-winning products. The Senior Director will ensure all initiatives seamlessly deliver on the company's shared category strategic vision, uncompromising quality standards, and aggressive business growth objectives.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 12+ years of progressive product development experience within a CPG Personal Care environment, paired with an authoritative, deep understanding of R&D operations.
• Minimum of 6–8+ years of direct people management experience, with a proven track record of leading, mentoring, and influencing scale cross-functional teams and executive stakeholders across a matrixed organization.
• Proven, expert-level mastery of product development, advanced sensory evaluation, clean beauty standards, and complex stage-gate operational processes.
• Demonstrated mastery in managing substantial departmental budgets, complex financial metrics, and high-volume, high-stakes project portfolios successfully.
• A powerful combination of creative problem-solving skills, sophisticated consumer-insight comprehension, and an agile aptitude for high-level strategic thinking in a fluid, fast-paced environment.
• Executive-level interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills.
• A highly collaborative leader possessing an unshakeable sense of ownership, accountability, urgency, and corporate integrity.

Nice To Haves

• An advanced degree or Bachelor's in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Cosmetics Science, or a related technical field is highly preferred but not required.
• Direct formulation or laboratory experience is a distinct plus.

Responsibilities

• Partner directly with Brand and Executive leadership to architect, cultivate, and champion the long-term innovation pipeline and overarching strategic vision for Honest Baby Personal Care, Adult Personal Care, and future adjacent categories.
• Direct, optimize, and champion high-impact projects through the Honest NPD stage-gate process from initial concept to commercialized launch, ensuring flawless execution, superior quality, and strict adherence to corporate timelines.
• Direct in-depth global reviews of key categories, emerging macro trends, and the competitive landscape to define forward-looking product strategy.
• Lead and orchestrate cross-functional collaboration among key stakeholders—including formulation, packaging, Claims & Clinicals, brand marketing, and sales—to develop robust, highly differentiated product concepts with undeniable Points of Difference (PODs).
• Strategically weigh development trade-offs with an executive focus on organizational effort vs. long-term ROI.
• Serve as the authoritative internal expert on the product portfolio, providing critical technical insights to marketing communications, sales, and investor relations.
• Cultivate deep, collaborative relationships with R&D technical experts to translate complex ingredient science and clinical claims into powerful, consumer-facing narratives.
• Champion comprehensive product and brand education across all global consumer touchpoints.
• Establish, scale, and continually elevate front-end innovation processes, advanced tracking tools, and methodologies to streamline departmental functions, mitigate project complexity, and accelerate rapid prototyping.
• Analyze global macro-category dynamics and clean ingredient trends, collaborating closely with consumer insights to draw high-level, actionable conclusions that future-proof product roadmaps.
• Represent The Honest Company as a thought leader at key trade shows and global conferences to spearhead strategic manufacturer and raw material supplier relationships, evaluate competitive landscapes, and maintain cutting-edge industry education.

Benefits

• Comprehensive Health & Wellness: top-tier health, dental, and vision plans
• 401k with Company Match
• Wellness & Fitness: monthly fitness reimbursement and onsite gym (Playa Vista office)
• Work-Life Balance: generous and flexible vacation policy
• Family-Friendly Leave: generous maternity and paternity leave
• Ownership & Equity: every full time employee is granted equity
• Education Reimbursement

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director