Personal Care Product Development & Manufacturing Sourcing Specialist

We are looking for an experienced Personal Care Product Development & Manufacturing Sourcing Specialist to help us develop and source a high-quality new personal-care product line. The initial line is expected to include: * Gentle facial cleanser * Moisturizer / lotion * Body wash * Shampoo We are based in Southern California, but we are open to manufacturing in other locations if there is a meaningful advantage in product quality, cost, logistics, lead times, capabilities, or scalability. We are looking for someone who can help us determine the best overall manufacturing approach, not simply provide a list of factories. What we need help with: * Identify strong contract manufacturers for personal-care, skincare, and haircare products * Evaluate existing/stock formulas as well as custom formulation options * Contact manufacturers directly and gather real information * Compare MOQs, pricing, formulation/development fees, sampling costs, and lead times * Understand production capacity and ability to scale * Evaluate product quality and formulation capabilities * Compare packaging capabilities and identify options for a cohesive product line * Evaluate quality control, testing, regulatory support, and relevant certifications * Consider manufacturing location, freight, logistics, and overall landed cost * Help determine the best manufacturing strategy and location * Organize findings clearly and recommend the strongest options Product direction: We want genuinely excellent products, not generic low-quality private-label formulas. We are benchmarking established personal-care products for performance, texture, feel, fragrance, lather, and overall user experience. For example: * A gentle, effective facial cleanser suitable for everyday use * A moisturizer/lotion with an excellent feel and finish * A high-quality body wash with strong lather and user experience * A shampoo with good fragrance, lather, and overall performance The goal is to create a competitive, high-quality product line with strong economics and long-term scalability. Ideal experience: * Personal care * Skincare * Haircare * Cosmetics * Contract manufacturing * Private label / white label * Product development * Supplier sourcing * Packaging sourcing * Product costing * Manufacturer negotiations * CPG product launches Experience working directly with personal-care manufacturers is highly preferred. Excellent spoken and written English is required. You should be comfortable communicating directly with manufacturers by email and phone and be available for reasonable overlap with U.S. business hours when needed. This may begin with manufacturer sourcing and evaluation, but there is potential for ongoing work involving samples, formulation coordination, packaging, supplier communication, quotes, negotiations, and product-development execution.