Pole Innovation Leader

For more than a hundred years, L'Oréal believes that beauty needs Science. In a world now transformed by digital technology and the emergence of new scientific domains, we are confident in our ability to turn these opportunities into major innovations, closely linked to the new consumer expectations all over the world. Science & Technology are allowing us to invent safe, trustable, sustainable & responsible beauty products and experiences that will change people's lives.
L'Oréal Research & Innovation (R&I) has continuously invested upstream in its research with a high level of ambition. Our 4 100 L'Oréal R&I people are talented and highly skilled, located in major markets, working in a cooperative way, open to the world.
In the Fragrance Métier within L'Oréal Research & Innovation, we are looking for a Pole Innovation Leader on Perfumery Ingredients.
Role overview
The Pole Innovation Leader on Perfumery Ingredients will play a crucial role in developing the perfumery ingredients of the future (Exclusive custom-made qualities on naturals, new process of extractions, green synthetics)
The ambition is to accelerate the innovation within the ingredient landscape and to drive the quality excellence of L'OREAL's Perfumery Ingredients Palette. This role will be as well working hand in hand with fragrance design, technical perfumery and communication teams to leverage the value to consumers.
This position is key to establishing a robust expertise of perfumery ingredients within L'OREAL Fragrance Métier with strong knowledge on perfumery ingredients in terms of olfaction & sourcing & extraction process for naturals and synthetics.
This role goes beyond olfactive expertise and ingredient selection focusing on framing new ways of external collaboration:

- Working & pushing partnership with direct players on ingredients & fragrance houses
- Leading strategic projects within key partners on Innovations

Internal collaborations will be at the core of the role as well with sourcing & purchasing teams to accelerate the usage of the new qualities from creation to production. The ingredients expert will also connect with the creation team, fragrance designers and fragrance house from the brief stage and transitioning with technical perfumers for integration into composition from qualified scents.
This strategic role reports directly to International Director of Scent Science Innovation.

**Responsibilities**:

- Define Fragrance Ingredients Strategy: in line with the ambition of the group to strengthen our leadership in Fine Fragrance define L'OREAL ingredients strategy dedicated to our brands portfolio and integrated in our future ways of working with Fragrance Houses.
- Build Ideal Ingredients Portfolio and Lead Ingredients Task Force: Pairing with technical perfumers define the ideal portfolio of perfumery ingredients and lead the Ingredient Task Force to drive the change towards the best quality of ingredients for L'OREAL in collaboration with Fragrance Designers & Technical Perfumery & Operation Teams (Purchasing, Sourcing, Operations).
- Build Innovation Road Map including the right choices of Partners: Propose Ingredients innovation road map with the right balance of short term & long term deliverables all with powerful communication assets.
- Technical Project Leader of the Extended Lab with Cosmo International Fragrance: Manage development of innovations (Stream Leader) & Selection of best innovation ingredients for creative briefs.
- Drive Strategic External Collaborations: Initiate and lead diverse collaborations focused on discovering novel green molecules, pioneering new natural qualities and extraction methods, and securing exclusive preview access.
- Strategic Budget Stewardship: Meticulously manage budgetary requirements, aligning scientific costs, resources, and travel with prioritized projects to ensure optimal implementation of the innovation roadmap
- Internal & External Communication: Nourish the fragrance designers and communication teams with the new news of ingredients and actively participate to internal and external communication on Ingredients at L'OREAL Group, R&I or Brand Levels.

**Key Challenges**:

- Olfactive Expertise on Perfumery Ingredients Transitioning & shadowing with our current olfactive expert to accelerate olfactive training on ingredients.
- Ingredient Olfactive Expert within Fragrance Métier
- Drive Business Transformation through Innovation

**Qualifications**:

- Strong Expertise on Olfaction
- Ingredients Suppliers Network
- Strong understanding of the Fragrance ecosystem
- High skills of project leadership with variety of teams & functions
- Strategic thinking & Priority Focus
- Innovative mindset
- Negotiation mindset to fight for exclusivity/ 1st right to communicate
- Excellent communication, interpersonal, and stakeholder management skills.
- Proven ability to manage complex projects involving cross-functional teams.
- Strong understanding of data security and confidentia