Product Development Manager (Fragrance & Formulation)

Our client is a well-established, design-driven home living and lifestyle retail brand recognized across the region for its contemporary aesthetics, quality craftsmanship, and rapid market expansion. To support their expanding product categories, they are establishing a dedicated fragrance development arm focused on delivering captivating, consumer-centric scent experiences.

Key Responsibilities

• End-to-End Development: Steer the new product development lifecycle for home and body fragrance categories, ensuring all launches meet aesthetic, quality, cost, and timeline benchmarks.

• Fragrance Evaluation & Concept Briefing: Formulate detailed product briefs, analyze emerging scent trends, evaluate olfactive profiles, and partner with fragrance houses to develop winning scent profiles.

• Commercial & Cost Management: Oversee Bills of Materials (BOM), target margins, sampling costs, and production timelines to ensure full commercial feasibility.

• Partner & Supplier Coordination: Serve as the key liaison with international fragrance houses, contract manufacturers, and testing laboratories to oversee sample evaluation, stability checks, and IFRA regulatory compliance.

• Team Leadership: Lead and mentor a team of 3 development professionals (Assistant Manager, Senior Developer, and Product Developer), driving operational excellence and development rigor.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with internal Design, Sourcing, Brand, and Merchandising teams to ensure seamless go-to-market execution.

Key Requirements & Success Profile

• Experience: Minimum 5+ years of product development, NPD, or fragrance evaluation experience within home fragrance, personal care, beauty, lifestyle retail, or specialized fragrance houses / contract manufacturers (OEM/ODM).

• Technical & Scent Acumen: Strong practical understanding of fragrance structures, scent evaluation, and formulation concepts. (In-depth bench chemistry is not required, but the ability to communicate technical requirements to perfumers and formulators is essential).

• Language Proficiency: Professional fluency in spoken and written Mandarin is required to liaise effectively with manufacturing partners and fragrance houses in Shanghai.

• Leadership Track Record: Demonstrated experience coaching and managing a direct team of 3–5 product developers.

• Commercial Mindset: Proven ability to balance brand aesthetics and scent performance with strict costings, supplier timelines, and production scalability.

• Mobility: Willingness to undertake occasional regional travel for supplier alignment, factory audits, and fragrance evaluations.

Do note that we will only be in touch if your application is shortlisted.

Agensi Pekerjaan Robert Walters Sdn Bhd
Business Registration Number : 729828-T
Licence Number : JTKSM 423C