Director - Makeup Formulation

Date: Sep 1, 2026

Location: Melville, NY, US, 11743

Company: ELC Beauty LLC

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is one of the world’s leading manufacturers, marketers, and sellers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products, and is a steward of luxury and prestige brands globally. The company’s products are sold in approximately 150 countries and territories under brand names including: Estée Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Lab Series, Origins, M·A·C, La Mer, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Darphin Paris, TOM FORD, Smashbox, AERIN Beauty, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, GLAMGLOW, KILIAN PARIS, Too Faced, Dr.Jart+, the DECIEM family of brands, including The Ordinary and NIOD, and BALMAIN Beauty.

Description

The Director, R&I Lip Formulation will lead formulation team to develop innovative solutions in the areas of lip makeup formulation and strategic platform establishment, ways of working, strategy, and other business challenges/opportunities with discernable impact on cost and consumer performance.  You will assume a leadership position to build talent and capability, to create new trends and new benefit spaces in lip makeup categories by anticipating market trends and consumer needs. You will lead and guide the team with a scientific approach to formulation and assessment, including new testing and technical characterization methodologies.  As the Makeup Lip Formulation Leader, you will coordinate cross-functional activities, ensuring the appropriate stakeholders are involved and providing Research and Innovation accountability for the formulation team delivery milestones as we scale make and fill activities from lab bench, to pilot plant, and ultimately to the factory.
 
Contributions: 
Leads and delivers large or more complex projects, ensuring alignment with business needs & calendar. 
Identifies short & mid-term lip strategy and develops innovation pipeline for business & organization. 
Builds organizational talent & capability.
Think strategically and strive for excellence. 
Act proactively, work collaboratively with others, and have strong attention to detail along with written, verbal and listening skills, presentation skills, and relationship building skills.  
Take a broad view of the business, industry, and consumer environment to anticipate and plan for the future. 
Leadership: 
Aligns and engages the team in the vision by providing clarity to each team member on their role in achieving the vision, strategy, and goals.
Develops future talent.
Embraces and leads the learning culture.  
Technical: 
Proficient & up to date in technical field related to color makeup especially anhydrous and emulsion system with focus on liquid lip and lipstick categories, translating consumer insights into creative and stable formulation.
Drives creativity and innovation focus on areas of highest potential. Anticipate landscape changes and consumer needs to create new trends and new benefit spaces. 
Leads and drives scientific approach formulation and assessment, including development of new technology platforms, new testing and technical characterization methodologies. 
Organizational: 
Assess the current R&I organizational structure to identify opportunities to improve efficiencies and ways of working, develops future areas of internal organization/capability. 
Coaches, mentors & manages administration of team
Builds collaborative relationship with stakeholders across the group and strong relationships with senior leaders across the company.  
 
 

Qualifications

  • Undergraduate degree required; MBA and/or Advanced scientific degree (ie. Master, PhD) a plus.
  • At minimum, 10 years of R&D formulation development experience; lip category experience strongly preferred.
  • Demonstrated strength in managing multiple projects, multiple team members and delivering programs in a dynamic environment.
  • Extensive experience with aligning stakeholders, facilitating conflict, and communicating information in a way that enables leaders to have transparency on the underlying issues and potential solutions in varying settings including workshops, small group sessions or one-on-one meetings.
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Pay Range:
Anticipated Base Salary Range $140,000.00  to $190,000.00 (Depending on qualifications, skills, experience and/or budget), based on a 40 hour work week (range to be scaled accordingly). In addition, The Estée Lauder Companies offers a variety of benefits to eligible employees, including health insurance coverage (medical, dental, and vision insurance), wellness and family support programs, life and disability insurance, retirement savings plans, education-related programs, paid holidays and vacation time. In addition, the Company maintains highly competitive incentive compensation programs (role eligibility may vary based on terms of the respective plan(s)).

You may be eligible to participate in the applicable Commission/Bonus Plan, under the plan guidelines in effect at the time of hire.  Additional details regarding the commission plan will be provided as part of your onboarding.


Equal Opportunity Employer
We are an equal-opportunity employer. Minorities, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Accommodations for job applicants with disabilities are available on request.

Artificial Intelligence is used to compare and screen an applicant’s resume as against the posted job description.


Nearest Major Market: Long Island
Nearest Secondary Market: New York CIty