Director, Formulation Sales – East Coast

You will own and drive Debut's East Coast formulation sales strategy, taking full accountability for revenue achievement and expansion of the active customer base across prestige, masstige, and indie beauty segments. You'll leverage your existing network of decision-maker relationships at major beauty brands to open doors, secure formulation briefs, and accelerate commercial cycles, while proactively identifying and pursuing new brand partnerships across skincare and color cosmetics. You'll lead the full formulation sales cycle from initial brand engagement through briefing, proposal, sampling, pricing, and first production purchase order, coordinating closely with R&D, Operations, and formulation teams, and manage a smooth commercial handoff to Debut's contract manufacturing partners. You'll develop a deep understanding of each brand customer's NPD roadmap and translate that intelligence into tailored product proposals. You'll represent Debut at trade shows and brand summits, build and maintain a rigorous sales pipeline in Debut's CRM, and serve as a trusted commercial partner to brand customers throughout the product development lifecycle. You'll operate with a high degree of autonomy and entrepreneurial urgency, building a strong project pipeline while simultaneously closing business, reporting directly to the Chief Commercial Officer.

Responsibilities

• Own and drive Debut's East Coast formulation sales strategy with full accountability for revenue achievement
• Leverage an existing network of decision-maker relationships at major beauty brands to secure formulation briefs and accelerate commercial cycles
• Identify, prioritize, and pursue new brand partnerships across skincare and color cosmetics
• Lead the full formulation sales cycle from initial brand engagement through briefing, proposal, sampling, pricing, and first production purchase order
• Coordinate with R&D, Operations, and formulation teams throughout the sales cycle
• Manage a smooth commercial handoff to contract manufacturing partners for awarded formulations
• Develop deep understanding of each brand customer's NPD roadmap and franchise architecture
• Translate customer intelligence into tailored product and formulation proposals
• Represent Debut at US and international industry trade shows, brand summits, and innovation strategy sessions
• Plan and execute brand-facing activations in coordination with marketing and R&D teams
• Build and maintain a rigorous, accurate sales pipeline in Debut's CRM
• Provide the CCO 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
• Translate market feedback into actionable insights that inform Debut's formulation roadmap
• Collaborate cross-functionally with R&D, operations, and the commercial team to ensure brand commitments are met

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required; background in cosmetic science, chemistry, or product development is a strong plus
• 8+ years of experience in sales or beauty product development within contract manufacturing or ingredient sales, with meaningful 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 ability to act as a true extension of a brand's product development team
• Demonstrated track record of meeting and exceeding revenue targets in a B2B formulation or contract manufacturing sales role
• Strong technical fluency to engage credibly with brand R&D and product development teams on formulation performance and ingredient claims
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and negotiation skills
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally as business needs require
• Proficiency with CRM platforms such as Monday or Salesforce and discipline in pipeline management and forecasting
• Experience working in or alongside an early-stage, high-growth company is a plus