Associate Designer Jobs in Salem, MA (NOW HIRING)

Beauty school teaches you how to do hair. Lola teaches you how to build a career behind the chair.

If you’re in cosmetology school, newly licensed, or at the beginning of your career and wondering, “How am I supposed to go from beauty school to actually becoming a successful stylist?”—this is exactly what our Associate Designer program is designed to do.

At Lola Hair Studio, you won’t spend your entire day watching from the sidelines.

You’ll work alongside experienced designers, learn through hands-on experience, receive structured education and mentorship, practice your craft, develop your consultation and guest-service skills, and work toward becoming a confident designer with your own clientele.

We’re not looking for someone who already knows everything.

We’re looking for someone who’s hungry to learn.

A Clear Path From Student to Designer
Your Associate experience is designed to prepare you for a successful career behind the chair—not keep you in an assistant position indefinitely.

Hands-On Education
Learn cutting, color, styling, consultations, product knowledge, guest experience, timing, salon systems, and the professional habits successful stylists need.

Real Mentorship
Work alongside experienced professionals who can help you understand not only how to do something, but why.

Learn What Beauty School Can’t Teach You
How to manage your time. How to confidently consult. How to recommend services and products. How to build relationships. How to handle mistakes. How to build a clientele. And how to show up like a professional.

Discover the Stylist You Want to Become
Interested in color? Cutting? Extensions? Education? Leadership? Building a six-figure career?

Your first job shouldn’t determine your ceiling. It should help you discover what’s possible.

As an Associate Designer, you’ll learn by working alongside our Designers while completing your own development and education.

You’ll:

• Assist Designers during guest services.

• Shampoo, condition and perform treatments.

• Assist with color applications and salon services as appropriate to your training.

• Learn professional blow-drying, styling, cutting, color, and finishing techniques.

• Observe and participate in guest consultations.

• Learn how to recommend services and professional home care.

• Prepare yourself and your Designer before each guest.

• Help maintain service timing and an organized guest flow.

• Keep stations, tools, shampoo areas, color areas, and shared salon spaces clean and prepared.

• Support laundry, stocking, sanitation, and salon presentation.

• Participate actively in education, practice, models, assessments, and skill test-outs.

• Work toward meeting Lola technical and service standards so you can transition onto the floor as a Designer.

This isn’t just about learning how to perform a haircut or apply color.

We’re teaching you how to become a professional.

You don’t need years of experience.

You do need the right mindset.

We’re looking for someone who:

• Is currently in cosmetology school, recently graduated, or newly licensed.

• Is passionate about hair, beauty, fashion, and the guest experience.

• Is excited to learn and willing to practice.

• Takes feedback without becoming defensive.

• Shows up prepared, professional, reliable, and on time.

• Notices what needs to be done and helps without always being asked.

• Is comfortable working hard while developing their skills.

• Wants to be part of a team.

• Understands that becoming successful takes consistency—not instant gratification.

• Is excited to build a long-term career in the beauty industry.

HAPPINESS | Bring great energy.
You greet people, contribute positively to the salon, celebrate your teammates, and understand that even as an Associate, you influence the guest and team experience.

GROWTH MINDSET | Be hungry to learn.
You ask questions. You take notes. You practice. You accept feedback. You make mistakes, learn from them, and try again. We don’t expect perfection—we expect progress.

LIFE BALANCE | Learn professional habits early.
Being prepared, organized, punctual, and communicative creates a healthier career. We want to teach you how to become successful without believing chaos and burnout are requirements of the beauty industry.

BRAVE LEADERSHIP | Take ownership.
Leadership starts before you have a title. Speak up when you need help. Own mistakes. Have difficult conversations. Follow through on commitments. If you see something that needs to be done, step in.

GENEROSITY | Be someone who contributes.
Help your Designer. Help another Associate. Help the guest. Sweep the floor even when it isn’t your hair. Share what you’ve learned. Celebrate someone else’s success. At Lola, no one is “above” contributing to the team.

The goal isn’t simply to become a great Associate.

The goal is to develop you into a successful Lola Designer.

Through hands-on salon experience, structured education, mentorship, practice, models, assessments, and coaching, you’ll work toward becoming confident in:

Technical Skills → Guest Experience → Consultations → Timing → Professionalism → Client Building → Designer

And your development doesn’t stop once you’re behind the chair.

From there, your career can continue into advanced specialties, higher earning levels, education, mentorship, and leadership.

• Starting pay: $16–$18+/hour

• Quarterly wellness bonuses

• Ongoing professional education

• Structured mentorship & hands-on training

• Career development

• Flexible scheduling, approximately 25–40 hours per week

• Complimentary hair services

• Options for short-term & long-term insurance

• Employee benefits and incentives

• Work-life balance

• A clear pathway toward becoming a Lola Designer

Location: Cambridge, MA
Position: In-person

You’re excited—but maybe a little nervous—to start your career.

You know you have talent, but you also know you have a lot left to learn.

You want someone to teach you instead of expecting you to figure everything out yourself.

You want feedback.

You want a team.

You want a career—not just your first salon job.

And most importantly, you’re willing to put in the work to become the stylist you know you can be.

Your career is just getting started. Let’s build it.

Lola Hair Studio is an award-winning boutique destination salon in Cambridge, MA — a seven-time Salon Today 200 honoree known for exceptional color, cuts, balayage, extensions, and specialty services. But what makes Lola different isn't just what we do — it's how we do it. We're a team of educators, collaborators, and career-minded professionals who believe in growing together. Our culture is warm, ambitious, and real. This is a professional home, not just a job.