Director, R&I AI Digital Product Manager

Director, AI Digital Product Management, Augmented Beauty Tech Incubator, L'Oréal Research & Innovation - San Francisco, California

Who We Are

Join us at L’Oréal, the world's #1 beauty company present in over 150 markets. For over a century, we have been transforming; fueled by data, tech, innovation, and science. Together, we tackle big challenges while making sure we stay committed to making the world a more inclusive and a better place for everyone & our planet.

At L’Oréal Research & Innovation we are pushing the boundaries of Science & Tech. We invest heavily in cutting-edge research, leveraging advanced technologies to understand skin, hair, and microbiome, while discovering new active ingredients and launching outperforming formulas. Our 3,500 L'Oréal R&I experts leverage Science & Technology to invent safe, trustable, sustainable & responsible beauty products and experiences that will change people’s lives.

Augmented Beauty Innovation is the startup-style upstream arm of L’Oréal R&I’s Beauty Tech organization. This team explores new technologies and ideas, then develops them in partnership with both external tech companies and internal beauty experts, turning them into functional prototypes with user-centric designs and experiences that can be launched as beauty products and services.

Within Augmented Beauty Innovation, the Global Digital team leverages expertise in AI, digital product development, data science, and consumer UX to explore, prototype, and launch new digital services. This team is based in the Augmented Beauty US Hub but has a global remit within the digital space, collaborating closely with the Global CDMO, IT, and engineering teams to build new digital tech powered by R&I and industry innovations.

The Director, Digital Product Management will lead AI and digital innovation efforts within this team, focusing on driving the success of specific products and ensuring they deliver measurable customer value and business results. This role encompasses the entire innovation lifecycle, blending strategic vision with tactical execution. They will identify, develop, and pilot groundbreaking digital products and services that leverage emerging technologies, with a focus on generative AI. Responsibilities will include concepting, exploring consumer needs, securing internal buy-in through pitches, building and leading cross-functional project teams, working within the L’Oreal Innovation process, and guiding projects through prototyping and handoff to development teams for implementation. They will input into the strategic roadmap that defines the future of digital beauty within the organization, ensuring innovations are both aspirational and achievable.

A Day in the Life: As a Director of Digital Product Management you will:

• AI Services Innovation: be a thought leader in how AI-powered services integrate into and reinvent e-commerce platforms, digital infrastructure, professional tools, and in-store experiences. Lead the hands-on development of new digital products, including prompt engineering, behavior optimization, and rapid prototyping.
• Product Execution: drive the product innovation lifecycle from conception to pilot launch, serving as the bridge between technical innovation, L’Oreal Research Scientists, and business objectives of the Groupe’s brands and divisions. Translate complex challenges into actionable development sprints.  
• User Value Proposition champion the strategic analysis, positioning, and product narratives to select product features that resonate deeply with our target users, ensuring successful market adoption.
• Project Leadership: lead product requirements and definition; collaborate with cross-functional internal teams, including IT, operations, marketing, and portfolio management; and guide projects through the L’Oréal process.

We Are Looking For: You’re a great match for this role if you are an innovator, entrepreneur, integrator, and problem-solver with a research-minded approach, eager to contribute to our Beauty Tech portfolio

• Education: A completed Bachelor's or Master’s in a scientific, technical or  related field is required. Advanced degree preferred.
• Experience: 8+ years of product management experience with a focus on digital innovation, including defining, launching, and optimizing digital products and features. Demonstrated success in end-to-end product ownership, from high-level strategy to detailed execution.
• 3+ years of experience leading strategic development and execution of digital products from concept through prototyping, iteration, and handoff to development teams, with experience using lean startup and agile methodologies.
• Strong expertise in all stages of the digital product lifecycle, including user research, prototyping, iterative development, and agile methodologies.
• Applied AI experience launching AI/ML-driven products; proficiency in prompt design techniques, agentic workflows, context window management, and system evaluation.  
• Solid understanding of digital interface design and user experience principles, with the ability to translate consumer insights into engaging and intuitive digital product experiences.
• Deep knowledge of how augmented reality, generative AI, big data, and other digital beauty applications integrate into broader digital ecosystems, including e-commerce platforms, IT backend systems, and digital infrastructure.
• Proven ability to build, lead, and motivate cross-functional digital product teams, including designers, developers, data scientists, and QA, to deliver innovative solutions.
• Exceptional communication and storytelling skills to articulate the vision, value, and strategy of digital beauty products to diverse audiences, from technical teams to marketing and sales stakeholders.
• Experience managing day-to-day technical and design direction, launching successful app products in the market, and developing products with an understanding of cutting-edge digital innovation technologies
• Experience with complex product/outbound customer work; knowledge of market, landscape, and customer/user requirements in
• Strong ability to influence stakeholders and build consensus for product vision and strategy through effective communication, internal pitching, and collaboration.
• The ability to be onsite, in the office 3 days a week as this is an essential function of the position (required)
• Authorization to work in the United States on a full-time, permanent, ongoing basis is required. No immigration support/sponsorship offered for this role.

What’s In It For You

• A place for you to leave your comfort zone and grow beyond your potential (here, you’ll be encouraged to try new things and take risks!)
• Real responsibility from day 1, there’s no sitting on the sidelines at L’Oréal
• An environment where people of every ethnicity, social background, age, religion, gender and sexual orientation as well as people with disabilities are accepted, can speak up, will thrive and are celebrated!
• A place where you can contribute to something bigger! Many of our brands have societal /environmental causes to make concrete difference
• Base Salary Range: $138,500 - $200,800 (The actual compensation will depend on a variety of job-related factors which may include geographic location, work experience, education, and skill level)
• Competitive Benefits Package (Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K, Pension Plan)
• Hybrid Work Policy (Up to 2 Days per week work from home for eligible roles, subject to manager approval)
• Flexible Time Off (Paid Company Holidays, Paid Vacation, Vacation Buy Program, Volunteer Time, Summer Fridays & More!)
• Access to Company Perks (VIP Access to L’Oréal’s Internal Shop for Discounted Products, Monthly Mobile Allowance)
• Learning and Development Opportunities (Unlimited Access to E-learnings, Lunch & Learn Sessions, Mentorship Programs, & More!)
• Employee Resource Groups (Think Tanks and Innovation Squads)
• Access to Mental Health & Wellness Programs

Don’t meet every single requirement? At L'Oréal, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and innovative workplace. If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with the qualifications listed in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways! You may just be the right candidate for this or other roles!

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and take pride in a diverse environment. We’re committed to guaranteeing inclusive recruitment processes and advocating for hiring and promoting each candidate in an ethical and equitable way. The Group strictly prohibits discrimination against any applicant for employment because of the individual’s gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, visible and/or invisible disabilities, socio-economic and/or multicultural origins, health conditions, age, religion, or any other characteristics protected by law.