Director, Makeup Foresight

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.; New York (NY); On-site; USD 124,000 - 214,000; Full time

Job summary

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. seeks a Director of Makeup Consumer Intelligence to translate consumer, market, and competitive insights into growth strategies for our global makeup portfolio. You will work with senior leaders across Marketing, Product Development, Regions, and Finance to shape category strategy and activation.

You will independently lead complex analytics, develop clear business implications, and present executive-ready recommendations to drive brand performance and innovation.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of experience in consumer insights, market intelligence, analytics, strategy, or related field. Beauty, consumer products, or retail experience preferred.
• Analytical proficiency in market share, category performance, competitive analysis, and business data.
• Experience designing and managing qualitative and quantitative research.
• Experience using social listening and digital signals to identify trends.
• Ability to translate data into clear business implications and executive framing.
• Ability to scope and lead workstreams with limited direction.
• Curiosity and willingness to adapt across questions, data sources, methods.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication; ability to align stakeholders.
• Advanced Excel and PowerPoint skills; familiarity with data visualization and analytics platforms.

Responsibilities

• Spearhead category and market intelligence across global prestige makeup.
• Translate data into strategic direction with hypotheses and actions.
• Shape global makeup category strategy with leadership.
• Lead consumer research across innovation and positioning.
• Integrate consumer and cultural intelligence from multiple sources.
• Develop executive-ready storytelling for senior stakeholders.
• Partner with global brands to translate insights into strategy.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Brands, Regions, Marketing, Finance, etc.
• Operate independently to manage complex workstreams.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Strategic storytelling

Communication skills

Leadership

Learning agility

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Data visualization

Excel proficiency

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Data visualization tools

Social listening platforms

Job description

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is one of the world’s leading manufacturers, marketers, and sellers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products, and is a steward of luxury and prestige brands globally. The company’s products are sold in approximately 150 countries and territories under brand names including: Estée Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Lab Series, Origins, M·A·C, La Mer, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Darphin Paris, TOM FORD, Smashbox, AERIN Beauty, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, GLAMGLOW, KILIAN PARIS, Too Faced, Dr.Jart+, the DECIEM family of brands, including The Ordinary and NIOD, and BALMAIN Beauty.

Description

The Director, Makeup Consumer Intelligence serves as a strategic and analytical partner responsible for translating consumer, market, competitive, social and cultural intelligence into actionable growth strategies for ELC’s global makeup portfolio. Working closely with the Executive Director - Makeup Consumer Intelligence, Brand Presidents, Global Marketing, Product Development, Regions and cross-functional partners, this role will help shape category strategy, brand planning, innovation priorities and commercial activation. The Director will independently lead complex analytical and consumer intelligence workstreams, with particular strength in market share, category performance and competitive analysis. This individual is expected to move beyond reporting data to identify the business story, propose the strategic framing and analytical approach, and develop clear implications and recommendations for senior stakeholders. Success in this role requires strong analytical rigor, category & consumer curiosity, strategic storytelling, social and cultural intelligence, and the learning agility to flex across a wide range of projects, data sources, methodologies and emerging business priorities.

• Spearhead Category and Market Intelligence: Independently analyze global prestige makeup performance, including market share, category growth, subcategory dynamics, channels, geographies, and competitive activity.
• Translate Data into Strategic Direction: Move beyond reporting to develop the framing, hypotheses, implications, and recommended actions for category, brand, and regional business questions.
• Shape Category Strategy: Partner with the Executive Director to support global makeup category strategy, identifying growth opportunities, risks, and clear where-to-play and how-to-win choices.
• Lead Consumer Research: Design and oversee qualitative and quantitative learning plans across innovation, positioning, communications, portfolio strategy, and consumer experience.
• Integrate Consumer and Cultural Intelligence: Combine primary research, syndicated data, social listening, search behavior, ratings and reviews, and competitive intelligence into a holistic view of the consumer and category.
• Develop Executive-Ready Storytelling: Synthesize complex information into clear, compelling narratives that communicate what is happening, why it matters, and what the business should do next.
• Partner with Global Brands: Work closely with global brand leadership and cross-functional teams to translate category, consumer, and market insights into brand strategy, innovation priorities, annual planning, and commercial activation.
• Partner Cross-Functionally: Collaborate with Brands, Regions, Marketing, Product Development, Finance, R&D, Supply Chain, Digital, and other functions to embed consumer intelligence into planning and execution.
• Operate with Independence and Agility: Lead complex workstreams with limited direction, anticipate stakeholder needs, flex across different project types, and rapidly build knowledge in new areas.

Qualifications

• Experience: 8–10 years of experience in consumer insights, market intelligence, analytics, strategy, or a related field; beauty, consumer products, or retail experience preferred.
• Analytical Expertise: Deep proficiency in market share, category performance, competitive analysis, and business performance data.
• Consumer Research Expertise: Strong experience designing and managing qualitative and quantitative research.
• Social and Cultural Intelligence: Experience using social listening and digital consumer signals to identify emerging behaviors, trends, and opportunities.
• Strategic Synthesis: Ability to translate multiple data sources into clear business implications, recommendations, and executive-level framing.
• Independent Leadership: Demonstrated ability to scope and lead workstreams, propose analytical approaches, and develop slide storylines with limited direction.
• Learning Agility: Strong curiosity and willingness to flex across different business questions, methodologies, data sources, and project types.
• Communication and Collaboration: Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal skills with the ability to navigate complexity, align diverse stakeholders and drive action without direct authority.
• Technical Skills: Advanced proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint required; experience with data visualization, social listening and analytical platforms preferred.

Pay Range

The anticipated base salary range for this position is $124,200.00 to $214,450.00. Exact salary depends on several factors such as experience, skills, education, and budget. Salary range may vary based on geographic location.

In addition to base salary, this position is eligible for participation in a highly competitive bonus program as well as participation in the share incentive plan. In addition,

In addition to base salary, this position is eligible for participation in a highly competitive bonus program with the possibility for overachievement based on performance and company results. In addition, The Estée Lauder Companies offers a variety of benefits to eligible employees, including health insurance coverage (medical, dental, and vision insurance), wellness and family support programs, life and disability insurance, retirement savings plans, paid leave programs, education-related programs, paid holidays and vacation time, and many others. Many of these benefits are subsidized or fully paid for by the company.

Equal Opportunity Employer

It is Company's policy not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions), gender identity or gender expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, physical or mental disability, protected medical condition as defined by applicable state or local law, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws and ordinances. The Company will endeavor to provide a reasonable accommodation consistent with the law to otherwise qualified employees and prospective employees with a disability and to employees and prospective employees with needs related to their religious observance or practices.

Michigan Applicants

Persons with disabilities needing accommodations for employment must notify the company in writing of the need for an accommodation within 182 days after the date the person with a disability knew or reasonably should have known that an accommodation was needed.

Philadelphia Applicants

Philadelphia's Fair Chance Hiring Law

Rhode Island Applicants

The company is subject to chapters 29-38 of title 28 of the general laws of Rhode Island and is therefore covered by the state's workers' compensation law.