Job Description

Position Title: Sr. Brand Manager, OPI - Innovation

Location: Calabasas, CA

Reports to: Senior Director, Wella Retail Brands

Scope: OPI

ABOUT THE WELLA COMPANY

Together, WE enable individuals to look, feel, and be their true selves.

Wella Company is one of the world’s leading beauty companies, comprised of a family of iconic brands such as Wella Professionals, Clairol, OPI, Nioxin and ghd. With 6,000 employees globally and presence in over 100 countries, Wella Company and its brands enable consumers to look, feel, and be their true selves. As innovators in the hair and nail industry, Wella Company empowers its people to delight consumers, inspire beauty professionals, engage communities, and deliver sustainable growth to its stakeholders.

For additional information about Wella Company, please visit www.wellacompany.com.

THE ROLE

We are looking for a Sr. Brand Manager, OPI - Innovation to lead the US innovation and portfolio strategy, ensuring OPI has the right pipeline, the right level of support, and flawless readiness to deliver sustainable growth.

The Sr. Brand Manager, OPI - Innovation owns the US innovation and portfolio agenda across collections, artificial nails, treatments, and other newness. This role is the primary US market voice to Global Product Marketing and the category Trade Marketing team, translating consumer, category, retailer, and financial needs into a prioritized multi-year pipeline. The role owns initiative sufficiency, business cases, launch readiness, asset creation, stage-gate approvals US representation, and US market requests for new items. The role partners closely with the Sr. Brand Manager, OPI - Activation, who determines how the total brand shows up in market, and ensures each innovation has a clear strategic role, compelling proposition, and support level aligned to its revenue ambition.

In this full-time role, you will report to the Senior Director of Wella Retail Brands.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Innovation & Portfolio Strategy

• Own the US innovation and portfolio strategy, defining the role of collections, artificial nails, treatments, core franchises, and whitespace opportunities in delivering brand and business growth.
• Translate US consumer, category, competitive, retailer, and channel insights into a prioritized multi-year innovation pipeline and clear requests to Global Product Marketing.
• Assess portfolio mix, productivity, cannibalization, incrementality, price-pack architecture, and sources of volume to recommend where OPI should expand, renovate, simplify, or exit.
• Identify and develop whitespace opportunities and new revenue pools, building evidence-based business cases and aligning cross-functional partners around the recommendation.
• Ensure the innovation pipeline is consistent with OPI brand strategy, professional authority, color leadership, and long-term growth platforms.

Initiative Ownership & Launch Readiness

• Own initiative launches into the US market including collections and newness, including artificial nails, from early concept through market launch and post-launch learning.
• Lead initiative sufficiency: confirm the pipeline, claims, assets, assortment, pricing, distribution, support, and timing are strong enough to deliver the net revenue ambition.
• Own US launch readiness, including market requirements, asset creation, global IMP alignment, timeline management, and resolution of risks or gaps.
• Gather input from Sales, Trade Marketing, Finance, Education, Supply, Commerce, and Activation, then communicate one clear US point of view to Global Product Marketing.
• Lead USLT and Finance alignment and approval for IMP and stage-gate decisions, with transparent assumptions, risks, investment needs, and expected returns.
• Project-manage gap-closing work when the global pipeline is insufficient, including base-business programs, gifting, retailer-custom initiatives, and requests for additional newness.

Commercialization & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Serve as the primary US contact for Global Product Marketing and category Trade Marketing on innovation strategy, initiative development, and commercialization.
• Partner with the Sr. Brand Manager - Activation to define the strategic role, target, proposition, proof points, and recommended support level for every priority launch.
• Evaluate distribution whitespace and retailer-specific opportunities, balancing scale, complexity, margin, and brand equity.
• Build concise launch narratives and senior-leadership recommendations that connect consumer need, category opportunity, financial value, and execution requirements.
• Establish disciplined post-launch reviews and feed performance learning back into future pipeline, support, and portfolio choices.

SUCCESS MEASURES

• Innovation revenue contribution and incrementality
• Portfolio mix health, productivity, and profitability
• White-space pipeline and new revenue creation
• On-time launch readiness and stage-gate quality
• Innovation support aligned with net revenue ambition
• Operational efficiency and process adherence

The Sr. Brand Manager performs other tasks as designated by the Senior Director of Wella Retail Brands.

QUALIFICATIONS

Essential:

• Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, or a relevant field.
• 8+ years of relevant marketing experience; CPG, beauty, or omnichannel brand experience preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to turn consumer, category, financial, and performance data into clear business recommendations.
• Strong commercial acumen, including experience with budgets, P&L drivers, investment choices, and senior-leadership communication.
• Proven cross-functional leadership and ability to influence global, local, commercial, and agency partners without direct authority.
• Strong ownership, accountability, and bias to action; able to simplify complexity, make decisions, and deliver through others.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to tailor concise, compelling messages for different audiences.
• Digitally savvy and passionate about beauty, culture, consumers, and retail.
• Highly proficient in Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and related tools.

Key competencies:

• Speed: Quickly assesses situations, makes informed decisions, and drives execution to capture market opportunities.
• Simplification: Distills complex inputs into clear choices, priorities, roles, and actions.
• Accountability: Owns outcomes, not only tasks, and creates clarity for partners on decisions and commitments.
• Intensity: Brings focused energy to the highest-impact work and follows through until business results are delivered.

EEO OPPORTUNITIES

We offer equal employment opportunity to qualified individuals without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Wella Company with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact us at: https://www.wellacompany.com/consumer-affairs

We strongly believe that cultivating a diverse workplace gives a company strength. The combination of unique skills, abilities, experiences and backgrounds creates an environment that produces extraordinary results. EOE Minorities/Females/Protected Veterans/Disabled.

We disclose the compensation range for positions in compliance with local law. Actual salaries will vary and may be above or below the range based on various factors including but not limited to location, experience, skills and in comparison to internal incumbents currently in similar roles. Pay Range: $120,000 – $150,000 salary per year. The range listed is just one component of Wella Company's total rewards package for employees. Other rewards may include annual bonus plan or variable pay, depending on the role. In addition, Wella Company provides a rich variety of benefits to employees, including health insurance, life and disability insurance, 401(k) retirement plan, paid holidays and paid time off (PTO).

NOTICES

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other legally protected status.

If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, please email NA.Recruiting@wella.com. This email account will not respond to inquiries regarding the status of a candidate’s application.

Qualified Applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

Information regarding your rights: Know Your Rights and Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision.