Director, Formulation Sales – East Coast

About the role

The Director of Formulation Sales – East Coast is responsible for owning and driving Debut's East Coast formulation sales strategy. This role focuses on selling custom-developed finished formulations to beauty brands, not ingredient sales. The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of the East Coast beauty market, including prestige, masstige, and indie brands.

Responsibilities

• Leverage an existing network of decision-maker relationships at major beauty brands to open doors, secure formulation briefs, and accelerate commercial cycles.
• Lead the full formulation sales cycle from initial brand engagement through briefing, proposal, sampling, pricing, and first production purchase order, coordinating closely with Debut’s R&D, Operations, and formulation teams.
• Develop deep understanding of each brand customer’s NPD roadmap and translate that intelligence into tailored product/formulation proposals that integrate Debut’s active ingredient platform.
• Represent Debut at US and international industry trade shows, brand summits, and brand innovation strategy sessions, and plan and execute brand-facing activations.
• Build and maintain a rigorous, accurate sales pipeline detailed in Debut’s CRM, providing the Chief Commercial Officer with clear visibility into project status, revenue forecasts, and market intelligence.
• Serve as a trusted commercial partner to brand customers throughout the product development lifecycle, managing the relationship from initial briefing through launch and beyond with the goal of securing repeat ongoing business.
• Operate with a high degree of autonomy and entrepreneurial urgency in a fast-moving, early-stage commercial environment, building a strong project pipeline while simultaneously closing business.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in sales or in beauty product development within the contract manufacturing field or ingredient sales, with a meaningful portion of that time spent selling formulation or custom development services directly to beauty brands.
• Established, active network of decision-maker relationships at major beauty brands, with meaningful concentration in East Coast-headquartered companies across skincare and/or color cosmetics.
• Customer-centric mindset with the ability to act as a true extension of a brand’s product development team. Strong interpersonal skills and a natural ability to build trust at every level of an organization.
• Demonstrated track record of meeting and exceeding revenue targets in a B2B formulation or contract manufacturing sales role, with experience managing complex sales cycles from prospecting through to contract execution.
• Strong technical fluency sufficient to engage credibly with brand R&D and product development teams on formulation performance, ingredient claims, and product development timelines without needing to be a chemist.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and negotiation skills, with the ability to craft and deliver compelling product narratives tailored to brand-specific business priorities. Assertive and confident in closing.
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally as business needs require, including attendance at Debut’s innovation shows or key industry trade shows.
• Proficiency with CRM platforms (Monday, Salesforce or equivalent) and demonstrated discipline in pipeline management and forecasting. Accountable, KPI-focused, and goal-oriented.
• Experience working in or alongside an early-stage, high-growth company is a plus. Comfort operating in an environment where structure is still being built is essential. Self-motivated, proactive, and able to manage multiple priorities against tight timelines.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree is required; a background in cosmetic science, chemistry, or product development is a strong plus.

Skills

• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects simultaneously.

Benefits

Debut offers a competitive salary range of USD $140,000–$175,000 per annum (base) + performance-based incentives, commensurate with experience.

Pay

USD $140,000–$175,000 per annum (base) + performance-based incentives, commensurate with experience

Schedule

Full-time