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 Monday.com 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 Monday.com 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.