Product Development Manager

About cocokind
cocokind is a community-first beauty company on a mission to challenge industry norms. We create clean, effective, and affordable skincare and beauty products with a deep commitment to sustainability, transparency, and inclusivity. Our products are formulated with sensitive skin in mind, and we always invest in what matters most: formulas that work, not flashy packaging.
We're a fast-moving, collaborative, and passionate team that values authenticity, creativity, and community. If you're energized by disrupting outdated standards and want to help define the future of inclusive, skincare-forward beauty, we want to meet you.
Sample press:

• The Bold Glamour Filter Inspired cocokind's New Campaign (Glossy)
• cocokind's Priscilla Tsai is Challenging the Beauty Industry's Messaging (PureWow)
• I Was Shocked by How Buttery Soft My Skin Felt After Using This Serum (InStyle)
• Secrets of Scaling: How the Founder of cocokind Doubled Down on Vulnerability (Forbes)

The Role
cocokind is seeking a Product Development Manager to play a critical role in managing and executing the product development process for innovative skincare and beauty projects, ensuring seamless execution from concept to market. This role will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including marketing, operations, regulatory, and external manufacturing partners. The Product Development Manager will oversee all phases of product development, drive creative and technical innovations, and manage timelines and deliverables to ensure the highest product standards and market success.
This is a critical and hands-on role for someone who brings deep skincare formulation and color expertise and thrives in a nimble, startup environment. Our ideal candidate is obsessed with ingredient performance, passionate about inclusive product development, and fluent in both skincare and color formulation.
This role will report to cocokind's VP of Product Development, Mimi Lu. This is a hybrid role based in San Francisco, with in-office presence required two days a week.
What You'll Do

• Lead end-to-end product development for skincare and color products, including line extensions, tech transfers, and first-to-brand innovations.
• Manage external labs and contract manufacturers, coordinating submissions, timelines, and technical feedback. Serve as the main point of contact to ensure progress, maintain quality standards, and keep development efforts on time and aligned with brand strategy.
• Manage multiple concurrent product development projects, ensuring critical deadlines, regulatory standards, and cost parameters are met. Drive clarity across cross-functional teams and external partners, proactively identifying risks and tradeoffs while maintaining momentum toward launch. Track and enforce key development milestones with precision, and problem-solve in real time to uphold our high bar for quality and performance.
• Stay ahead of the curve by tracking ingredient innovations, competitor launches, and beauty trends. Conduct in-depth market research and synthesize findings to guide product ideas and shape differentiation.
• Develop thoughtful, inclusive beauty stories and product lineups that align with cocokind's business objectives and brand vision. Collaborate cross-functionally to craft category strategies rooted in performance, accessibility, and innovation. Lead the creation and presentation of compelling product and shade proposals to executive leadership and key stakeholders to inform product decisions and go-to-market planning.
• Oversee formula submissions, track performance and ingredient evaluations, and relay critical feedback between internal teams and external partners, ensuring all feedback and redirects stay on track with development timelines.
• Oversee and manage all phases of product testing, including stability, compatibility, safety, efficacy, and claims testing. Ensure every product meets regulatory requirements and substantiates marketing claims.
• Design and lead internal customer test panels to generate qualitative and quantitative feedback on new and reformulated products. Coordinate sample distribution, survey creation, data analysis, and cross-functional sharing of insights to create a holistic product experience that engages new and repeat consumers.
• Partner with Marketing to help shape the voice and positioning of new launches. Ensure the product story is authentic, benefit-driven, and aligned with cocokind's tone and values.
• Support operational and marketing needs related to product samples, including coordinating lab submissions for photoshoots, retailer seeding, and campaign development.
• Maintain organized, accurate documentation throughout the development process, including formula submissions, testing results, shade callouts, and technical specs.
• Represent cocokind at industry trade shows, vendor presentations, and innovation forums as needed to deepen relationships and stay informed on the evolving product landscape.

Who You Are

• You bring 5-6 years of product development experience within the skincare and color cosmetics category, with a proven track record of launching successful products.
• You have deep knowledge of beauty formulations including skincare, color, ingredient functionality, and the end-to-end development cycle.
• You're skilled in shade development and color direction, with lengthy experience in color matching and giving shade re-directs, especially within complexion. Color theory knowledge is a plus.
• You have excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a keen eye for detail and grammar, and the ability to adapt to different brand tones.
• You're hyper-organized, detail-oriented, and calm under pressure, which allows you to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• You're open to wearing many hats, which allows you to learn and grow within the organization. You have a 'no task is too small' spirit!
• You resonate with cocokind's values of inclusivity, sustainability, transparency, and community.
• You're energized by purpose, driven by impact, and motivated by the opportunity to build something meaningful in a close-knit, values-led team.

Core Competencies

• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple complex projects and timelines with precision.
• Proactive self-starter who takes initiative, prioritizes effectively, and thrives in both independent and collaborative work.
• Creative problem-solver with a strong ability to develop thoughtful, consumer-first solutions to product development challenges.
• Clear and confident communicator with strong influencing skills and the ability to collaborate seamlessly across cross-functional and hybrid teams.
• Agile and adaptable in a fast-paced environment, maintaining a calm, solution-oriented approach under pressure.
• Experienced in building and managing productive relationships with both domestic and international vendors and manufacturers.
• Results-oriented with a growth mindset and uncompromising standards for quality, performance, and execution.
• Passionate about building brands and delivering impactful consumer products that reflect cocokind's values of inclusivity, transparency, and care.

What's in it for you:

• Competitive Salary (DOE)
• Performance-based bonus
• Unlimited flexible time-off policy
• $500 remote office set-up stipend
• Full healthcare, vision, and dental plan
• Healthcare and dependent care FSA
• Employee life insurance
• 401K plan
• $10,000 Lifetime Fertility & Family Building Program
• $50/month wellness budget
• $75/month remote work budget
• Employee + Family and friends discount

Why cocokind
At cocokind, we do things differently, and we do them with heart. From challenging outdated beauty standards to creating formulas people can trust, we're here to raise the bar. We value transparency over perfection, care over clout, and purpose over ego. If you're looking to do meaningful work in a fast-paced, mission-led environment, you'll fit right in.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.