Product Development Associate Jobs in Princeton, NJ

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.

  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

• 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

• 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

• 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"