Senior Manager, Safety & Regulatory

#MaesaMagic   

Maesa is the world's largest independent beauty incubator, housing numerous, fast growing "it" brands within all categories of beauty. We are a high growth global company in the middle of the transition from founder lead to private equity owned. With an incubation flywheel ideating on new global brand launches, Maesa pushes creative and technical boundaries to deliver exceptional performance and establish global staying power. Maesa has a keen focus on marketing and white space analysis, which guides its thinking on marketing existing brands as well as development of new brands through its extremely unique structure. We are vertically integrated globally with in-house marketing, branding, product development/formulation, packaging design/engineering and regulatory. With a focus on modernity and sustainability, we design innovative solutions and make proactive choices to achieve environmental neutrality and consumer wellness. Maesa has mastered "commercializing creativity," making itself a leader in the fundamental revolutionary change in the beauty industry. Headquartered in New York and Paris, with additional offices in Los Angeles, Vienna, Dubai, Hong Kong, and Dongguan, Maesa employs about 400 team members worldwide. 

This role is based in NYC and you will be expected in office a few days a week, at minimum. 

Role Overview:

The Senior Manager of Safety & Regulatory plays a key leadership role, responsible for ensuring compliance with global regulatory and safety standards while managing a team of regulatory coordinators. The ideal candidate is a strong people manager with expertise in claims substantiation, adept at providing strategic regulatory guidance throughout the product lifecycle.

Core Responsibilities:

• Leadership & Management:
  •  Lead, mentor, and develop a team of coordinators, fostering growth and ensuring alignment with departmental and company goals
  • Manage new product development for multiple brands by overseeing team workflows to ensure timely completion of safety testing, regulatory submissions, and claims validation
  • Manage complex regulatory projects by monitoring regulatory landscape (i.e. VOC, EPR, MoCRA, etc).
• Regulatory Compliance:
  • Ensure all products meet domestic & global regulatory standards, including FDA (MoCRA), CAN, EU, and other applicable regulations
  • Provide regulatory guidance and risk assessments during the product development lifecycle for categories including hair, skincare, personal care, fragrance, cosmetics, OTC, and home fragrance
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to review and approve claims, product labels and artwork for compliance
  • Review prelim ILs against ingredient policies for company vs. brand vs. retailer, validate ILs for label, and provide final artwork review
• Safety Testing & Documentation:
  • Coordinate clinical efficacy, consumer perception and safety testing with third-party labs to support product claims & safety
  • Review and maintain regulatory documents and certifications, ensuring robust documentation control processes
  • Provide ongoing updates on compliance and regulatory trends impacting product safety and marketability
• Claims Substantiation:
  • Develop and manage strategies for substantiating marketing claims, ensuring claims are accurate, substantiated, and compliant with FDA, FTC, NAD, and global regulatory requirements
  • Partner with Marketing and R&D to craft compelling, compliant product narratives & review brand bibles
  • Conduct risk assessments to evaluate the level of risk associated with making specific claims. Provide recommendations on appropriate substantiation types and prepare to present findings in senior leadership meetings
  • Oversee claims testing timelines and budgets, ensuring alignment with project milestones
•  Strategic Contribution:
  • Provide expertise in regulatory trends and developments, advising stakeholders on their implications for the business
  • Support product launches by preparing regulatory submissions and conducting pre-market notifications

Qualifications:

• BA/BS required. Advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 6 years of experience in safety and regulatory functions within the beauty, personal care, or OTC industries
• Proven expertise in claims substantiation and regulatory compliance across multiple markets, including North America and Europe
• Demonstrated leadership and people management experience, with a focus on mentoring and team development
• Strong understanding of global cosmetic regulations (e.g., FDA MoCRA, EU Cosmetics Regulation, Health Canada)
• Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and cross-functional initiatives in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to present complex regulatory topics to diverse audiences

Preferred Skills:

• Knowledge of global regulations for cosmetics and personal care products, including FDA, EU Cosmetics Regulation, and Health Canada.
• Experience with claims substantiation testing and collaboration with third-party labs
• Knowledge of cGMP, global safety testing protocols, EPR, VOC, sustainability
• Familiarity with NAD and FTC regulatory processes

Working Relationships:

• Reports to the Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs
• Collaborates closely with Marketing, R&D, Project Management, Packaging, contract manufacturers and external testing laboratories