NPD Innovation Associate

Indewild; Mumbai; On-site; INR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Culture-First Brand

Mentorship and growth

Global exposure

Team perks and discounts

Job summary

Indewild in Mumbai seeks an NPD Innovation Associate to shape the future of our consumer-led beauty portfolio. You will identify emerging needs, forecast trends, and translate insights into differentiated products with strong brand relevance.

Collaborating with Brand, Packaging, Regulatory, and external partners, you will own timelines, support claims strategy, and help launches from concept to market readiness, while championing sustainability and packaging innovation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's in Pharmaceuticals, Chemistry, Cosmetic Science, or related field.
• 2–5 years in Innovation, Product Management, or NPD within Beauty, Personal Care, or FMCG.
• Proven success in building innovation pipelines and launching consumer-centric products.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the NPD innovation roadmap aligned with brand vision, consumer insights, and business priorities.
• Identify whitespace opportunities through consumer research, trend forecasting, benchmarking, and global scouting.
• Assist in product ideation, concept creation, positioning, claims strategy, and innovation storytelling.
• Translate insights into commercially viable product opportunities with strong consumer relevance.
• Drive cross-functional execution from concept to market launch, ensuring timelines and launch readiness.
• Collaborate with Formulation, Packaging, Supply Chain, Regulatory, Finance, and external partners to deliver products at scale.
• Champion packaging innovation, new formats, sustainable solutions, and differentiated consumer experiences.
• Build business cases, portfolio recommendations, and innovation strategies based on market potential.
• Track industry trends, disruptive technologies, and ingredients to strengthen the pipeline.

Skills

Ingredients & formulations

Formulation briefs & R&D collaboration

Clinical/efficacy claims awareness

Regulatory requirements knowledge (IND

Product claims & labeling

Cross-functional coordination

NPD timelines & launches management

Beauty/personal-care exposure

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Pharmaceuticals/Chemistry/Cosmetic Science

Job description

About the Role:

We are looking for a strategic and consumer-first NPD Innovation Associate to shape the future innovation pipeline by identifying emerging consumer needs, market trends, and whitespace opportunities. The role will drive innovation strategy, product conceptualization, and commercialization by partnering closely with Brand, Packaging, Supply Chain, Regulatory, and external partners (Contract Manufacturers & R&D) to deliver differentiated, consumer-led products.

Preferred Skills & Know-how:

• Understanding of cosmetic ingredients, actives & formulations
• Ability to understand formulation briefs and work with R&D/formulator team of contract manufacturers
• Basic understanding of clinical/efficacy claims and supporting evidence
• Working knowledge of India, US & UK cosmetic regulatory requirements
• Understanding of product claims, ingredient restrictions, labelling and documentation
• Experience coordinating with R&D, contract manufacturers, packaging and regulatory teams
• Ability to manage NPD timelines, samples, iterations and launches
• Beauty/personal-care category exposure

Key Responsibilities:

• Assist in defining and driving the NPD innovation roadmap aligned with brand vision, consumer insights, and business priorities.
• Assist to identify whitespace opportunities through consumer research, trend forecasting, competitive benchmarking, and global innovation scouting.
• Help in product ideation, concept creation, positioning, claims strategy, and innovation storytelling
• Translate insights into commercially viable product opportunities with strong consumer and brand relevance.
• Drive cross-functional execution from concept approval to market launch, ensuring timelines, quality, and launch readiness.
• Collaborate with Formulation, Packaging, Supply Chain, Regulatory, Finance, and external partners to deliver innovative products at scale.
• Champion packaging innovation, new formats, sustainable solutions, and differentiated consumer experiences.
• Build business cases, portfolio recommendations, and innovation strategies based on commercial potential and market attractiveness.
• Track industry trends, disruptive technologies, and emerging ingredients to strengthen the long-term innovation pipeline.

Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Pharmaceuticals, Chemistry, Cosmetic Science or a related field.
• 2 to 5 years of experience in Innovation, Product Management, or NPD within Beauty, Personal Care, or FMCG.
• Demonstrated success in building innovation pipelines and launching consumer-centric products.

What You Get

• A Culture-First Brand: Be part of a vibrant, inclusive environment that places a massive emphasis on innovative, industry-leading marketing efforts. Marketing isn't just a department here; it's the heartbeat of the brand.
• Ownership & Mentorship: Enjoy true autonomy and ownership over your campaigns and community initiatives, paired with dedicated mentorship from senior leadership to accelerate your career growth.
• Global Exposure: Opportunities for rapid career progression in a fast-paced, global startup environment.
• Team Perks: Generous employee discounts, indē wild goodies, and first access to all new product launches.

Other details:

• Office location: Lower Parel, Mumbai
• Working days: Monday to Friday
• Working from office: 4 days in office (3 days set, 1 flexible, 1 WFH)