Head of Product Planning and Innovation - The Ayurveda Experience

We are seeking a senior strategist to own Product Planning and Innovation for our skin care business. The incumbent will directly manage end-to-end product pipeline with full ownership of white-space concepting, consumer insights, assortment architecture, and new-concept incubation for our fast-growing skincare portfolio. Ideal candidate will convert deep market intelligence into differentiated product pipelines, partnering closely with R&D, Brand and Regulatory to deliver clinically proven, trend-right innovations at pace.

The Product Planning and Innovation Head will be the organization's thought leader on emerging ingredients, technologies and trends and bridge the gap between business goals and consumer needs. This is a senior post that requires 15 + years of demonstrable success in skin-care innovation at a multinational beauty or CPG leader

Key Responsibilities:

1. Define and implement the assortment & portfolio strategy for skincare globally and set up robust systems and processes for opportunity area identification.

2. Monitor and track emerging trends in the skin care ingredient and technology space that will translate to clutter breaking assortment. Outline processes that convert insights in to clear actionable.

3. Conduct market research to identify gaps, emerging trends, new innovation and build them into the product strategy in a cost efficient, time bound manner.

4. Liaise with Brand and RnD to identify winning claims and product positioning across geographies at concept development stage. Translate insights into robust product briefs and follow up through the product development journey.

5. Lead cross-functional stage-gate reviews, ensuring concepts are scalable, compliant and margin-accretive for global roll-out. Review efficacy of products in view of claims, review feedback, clinical reports and benchmarking.

6. Recruit, develop and inspire a high-performing team of insight analysts, competitive intelligence specialists and concept managers; embed a data-driven, experimentation culture with robust AI tools and automation.

7. Build a team for consumer insights, competitive intelligence & concept

development. Build competency for research, analysis and review.

Skills

• Strategic Leadership: 15+ years in global skin care innovation with full cycle ownership.
• Technical depth: Both regulatory and ingredient chemistry level know how to provide expertise on claims development, clinical efficacy and regulatory guidance.
• Analytical acuity: Data driven approach to consumer insights and product go/no go decisions with deep understanding of marketing models and tools.
• Experience: 12-18 years experience in leading CPG company handling product innovation strategy and product planning. Preferably Ph.D in chemistry, pharmacognosy or related field and MBA from a leading institute