Associate, Product Development, Formula and Fragrance

Athena Club is building the next-generation personal care company, and we’re just getting started. Over the past 12 months, we’ve doubled our business, accelerated our retail momentum, and expanded our reach as more customers turn to Athena for beautifully designed, high-performance essentials. We’re redefining everyday personal care through innovation, transparency, and design-led thinking, transforming daily routines into rituals. With strengths in world-class product development, compelling storytelling, and a brand built to stand out on shelf and in culture, we’re entering an exciting new phase of category expansion and national growth. We’re looking for experienced, entrepreneurial leaders who thrive in fast-moving environments, take full ownership, and know how to scale teams, systems, and outcomes. This role is a rare opportunity to help shape Athena Club’s next chapter, driving strategy, execution, and long-term impact as we build an iconic modern personal care brand. ### **The Role** Athena Club is looking for a Associate, Product Development, Formula and Fragrance to join our Product Development team. Reporting to the Senior Manager, Product Development, this Team Member will own the day-to-day coordination of formula and fragrance development - managing vendor relationships, driving feedback cycles, and ensuring every detail is tracked from brief through launch. This is a hands-on role ideal for someone early in their product development career who thrives in a fast-moving environment, takes strong ownership of their programs, and brings exceptional organizational discipline to everything they touch. ### **Responsibilities** **Formula Development** - Own day-to-day coordination with external labs, ensuring consistent follow-up and accountability on formula submissions, sample requests, and re-submission cycles - Support creation of formulation briefs across multiple product categories, translating brand and consumer needs into clear technical direction - Prepare formula comparison tables including ingredient lists, EWG/Yuka scores, Target Clean compliance flags, COGS inputs, and competitive benchmarking data - Flag ingredients outside of Athena Club's restriction list and maintain that list current across categories - Track formula COGS across all active projects; ensure costs are inputted into trackers and flag formulas trending outside margin targets - Manage all formula testing including stability, compatibility, PET, and HRIPT; escalate issues quickly **Fragrance Development** - Write and manage fragrance briefs documenting olfactive direction, inspiration, competitive references, and required restrictions (IFRA compliance, allergen thresholds, retail clean standards) - Physically handle and track all fragrance samples; organize and synthesize team smelling notes across submissions from multiple perfumers and fragrance houses into clear evaluation summaries - Track fragrance notes and pricing across vendors to ensure alignment with cost targets - Build and maintain a fragrance library organized by olfactive category with status tracking (in development, selected, discontinued) by SKU and category - Support allergen disclosure workflows including CSCP/SB 258 California labeling requirements and FDA fragrance transparency standards - Track and manage fragrance requests submitted to contract manufacturers, ensuring timely follow-up and clear communication across all parties **Sample Tracking & Feedback Cycles** - Own the full sample tracking process -- both physically (receipt, storage, dispatch to evaluators) and electronically (logging submissions, status, and feedback in master trackers) - Drive feedback cycle rhythm: send samples, collect and compile structured evaluator feedback, and transmit clear consolidated direction back to labs - Track iteration rounds by formula and fragrance; flag projects falling behind cycle targets or consuming excessive rounds - Prepare agendas, background materials, and summary documents for internal review sessions **Trackers & Project Organization** - Build and maintain master development trackers across all active formulation and fragrance projects covering milestones, sample ETAs, approval status, launch readiness, and COGS - Keep all project documentation organized and version-controlled: briefs, evaluation grids, lab submissions, regulatory checklists, and approval sign-offs - Update board and all relevant trackers in advance of weekly meetings; proactively surface risks to timeline before they become launch issues **Regulatory & Clean Standards** - Review all ingredient lists for compliance with applicable standards including Target Clean, FDA, Health Canada, and other relevant guidelines - Support and lead product registration for MOCRA, Health Canada, WERCs, and all applicable compliance platforms - Maintain an organized regulatory reference library including ingredient safety assessments, IFRA certificates, allergen disclosures, and SDS sheets **Cross-Functional & Vendor Coordination** - Own and communicate project timelines across internal teams (Marketing, Operations, Finance, Supply Chain) and external partners; help labs prioritize workload to meet launch deadlines - Coordinate on quote requests, lead times, MOQs, and formula cost targets; escalate cost variances and flag discrepancies against targets ### **Requirements** - 1-2 years of experience in product development, formulation support, or a closely related role within beauty, personal care, or CPG - Strong working knowledge of the end-to-end product development process from brief through launch - Exceptional organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail -- you build trackers others rely on and nothing falls through the cracks - Proactive and fast-moving; comfortable escalating quickly when needed and operating with autonomy - Familiarity with cosmetic formulation concepts, ingredient categories, clean beauty standards, and basic regulatory frameworks (FDA, EU, California) - Experience working with external labs or development partners and managing iterative feedback cycles - Excel/Google Sheets power user; experience with or similar project management tools is a plus - Strong written and verbal communication skills -- clear, concise briefs and professional external correspondence are a requirement - Collaborative by nature; makes it easy for cross-functional partners to work with you ### Nice to Have - Experience with EWG, Yuka, or retailer clean standards (Target Clean, Sephora Clean, ULTA Conscious Beauty) - Familiarity with OTC drug product development or antiperspirant/deodorant formulation - Exposure to EU/UK cosmetic regulatory requirements or experience working with a Responsible Person - Experience supporting fragrance development from brief to selection, including IFRA compliance and allergen reporting - Background in a DTC or omnichannel consumer brand environment ### The (+) Extras - Medical, Dental, Vision insurance - Life + Disability - HSA or FSA - Commuter benefits - 401K - Weekly team lunches - Optional Bi-Weekly Team Workouts - Annual Offsite “Camp Athena Club” Salary Range $75,000—$95,000 USD **Equal Opportunity & Inclusion** Athena Club is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building an inclusive workplace. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, citizenship status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We believe diverse perspectives strengthen our team and our products, and we encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.