[Hiring] Head of Product Development @Activate Talent

Role Description

We’re helping our client find a Head of Product Development to build and scale a world-class product portfolio across multiple health and wellness categories. In this role, you will lead end-to-end product development—from concept through commercialization—while contributing to building a best-in-class, globally competitive DTC wellness brand.

This role is for someone who has built and scaled massive product pipelines across multiple brands, categories, and form factors – and who understands that great product development is the intersection of science, commercial acumen, and brand storytelling.

You will report directly to the CEO and have a seat at the leadership table.

Responsibilities

• Product Pipeline & Roadmap
  • Build and manage a deep, rolling product pipeline across multiple categories: men’s health, women’s health, kids, longevity, performance, hydration, weight management, and emerging verticals.
  • Drive product development from concept through commercialization across all form factors: powders, gummies, liquids, soft gels, capsules, effervescent tablets, sachets, RTDs, and new delivery formats.
  • Own the 12–18 month product roadmap with clear gate-stage milestones, prioritised by commercial opportunity, competitive gap analysis, and brand-market fit.
  • Develop category expansion strategies informed by global market trends, consumer insights, clinical research, and competitive intelligence.
  • Identify white-space opportunities in underpenetrated demographics and health verticals before the market catches up.
• Formulation & Product Excellence
  • Lead formulation strategy with an obsession for clinical dosing, ingredient transparency, and product efficacy – no fairy-dusting, no proprietary blends that hide weak formulations.
  • Evaluate and select branded ingredients, patented compounds, and novel actives – balancing efficacy, IP defensibility, regulatory clearance, and COGS impact.
  • Manage relationships with scientific advisors, KOLs, and clinical research partners to validate formulations and generate credible substantiation.
  • Stay ahead of ingredient innovation, regulatory shifts (FDA, EFSA, TGA, MHRA), and emerging science across nutraceuticals, functional foods, and adjacent categories.
  • Own stability testing, heavy metals compliance (Prop 65, USP), allergen management, and multi-market regulatory filings across 31+ countries.
• Contract Manufacturing & Supply Chain
  • Source, evaluate, negotiate, and manage contract manufacturers (CMOs/CDMOs) globally across all form factors – with a sharp focus on quality, cost, speed, and scalability.
  • Drive aggressive COGS optimisation without compromising product quality – negotiate raw material pricing, MOQs, lead times, and production economics.
  • Build a diversified supplier base to mitigate single-source risk, geopolitical disruption, and supply chain volatility.
  • Oversee tech transfer, scale-up production, QA/QC protocols, and line trials for new product launches.
  • Establish vendor scorecards and performance reviews with clear SLAs covering quality, on-time delivery, and defect rates.
• Commercial Product Strategy
  • Partner with the CEO and commercial team to align product development with revenue targets, margin requirements, and DTC/omni-channel strategy.
  • Own landed COGS modelling and unit economics for every SKU – ensuring products are commercially viable at scale while maintaining premium positioning.
  • Build product bundles, subscription architectures (monthly vs. quarterly), and tiered SKU structures that maximise LTV and reduce churn.
  • Collaborate with marketing on product storytelling, hero ingredient narratives, and competitive positioning – translating complex science into consumer-facing claims that convert.
  • Inform pricing strategy through competitive benchmarking, willingness-to-pay analysis, and margin stack modelling across markets.
• Brand & Storytelling Integration
  • Work closely with the Scientific Advisory Board to validate formulations, pressure-test ingredient choices, and ensure every product meets the highest standards of clinical credibility.
  • Develop compelling “why this product exists” stories that give marketing, content, and sales teams a strong foundation for go-to-market.
  • Create product education materials, ingredient deep-dives, and comparison frameworks that equip the brand team to win the trust conversation with consumers.
  • Ensure every product launch has a clear competitive moat – whether it’s a proprietary formulation, a category-first innovation, or a clinically validated claim.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in product development, formulation, or R&D leadership within supplements, nutraceuticals, functional foods/beverages, or consumer health – with at least 5 years in a senior/VP-level role.
• Proven track record building and scaling product pipelines across multiple brands and categories simultaneously (multi-brand experience strongly preferred – think Oddity, Hims & Hers, Church & Dwight, Reckitt, Clorox Nutranext, MaryRuth Organics, Ritual, or equivalent).
• Deep hands-on experience managing contract manufacturers for powders, gummies, soft gels, liquids, and capsules at scale – you’ve been on factory floors, not just in boardrooms.
• Strong understanding of COGS structures, margin modelling, and the commercial trade-offs of ingredient decisions, sourcing, and packaging.
• Experience in DTC and/or high-growth consumer brands with a track record of launching 15+ SKUs in a compressed timeframe.
• Working knowledge of global regulatory frameworks: FDA (DSHEA), EFSA Novel Foods, TGA, MHRA, and international labelling/claims compliance.
• Experience with branded/patented ingredients and relationships with major ingredient suppliers (Lonza, Kyowa Hakko, Sabinsa, Cognizin, Albion, etc.).

Nice-to-Have

• Builder, not a bureaucrat – you thrive in fast-moving environments where speed and quality must coexist.
• Commercially wired – you don’t just create great products, you understand how they sell, retain, and generate margin.
• Obsessively curious about health, wellness, and longevity trends – you’re already tracking the latest on GLP-1 adjacencies, adaptogens, nootropics, bioavailability tech, and precision nutrition.
• Direct communicator who can hold their own with a CEO, defend their formulation choices, and push back when the science doesn’t support the marketing ask.
• Comfortable operating across time zones and cultures – our supply chain, markets, and partners are global.
• Relentless quality standard – you’d rather delay a launch than ship something that isn’t the best in its class.