Director, Open Innovation Scouting, L'Oreal Research & Innovation

Director, Open Innovation Scouting, L'Oreal Research & Innovation - Clark, New Jersey

Life is too short for a boring career, so build an extraordinary one with us. We believe your career should spark the same thrill and curiosity as your personal interests. Creativity drives everything we do, turning ideas into meaningful impact. With opportunities across brands, markets, and divisions, your growth knows no boundaries.

Who We Are

Join us at L'Oreal, 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'Oreal 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'Oreal R&I experts leverage Science & Technology to invent safe, trustable, sustainable & responsible beauty products and experiences that will change people's lives.

Our Open Innovation function for North America R&I exists to keep L'Oreal at the absolute cutting edge of what science and technology can deliver for beauty. We do this by scouting unique and disruptive technologies from external partners - spanning Biotechnology, Biomedical, Biology, Advanced Materials, Devices, Diagnostics, and beyond - building deep, strategically aligned relationships with the startups, VCs, and innovators shaping tomorrow, and managing the end-to-end coordination of disruptive projects in taskforce-mode to bring breakthrough external technologies all the way to the beauty market.

You will be a key contributor to L'Oreal's superior product portfolio pipeline - with a meaningful, tangible impact on consumer lives around the world. Some examples of L'Oreal Open Innovation partnerships that have already changed the game: Debut Bio's collaboration to bio-manufacture sustainable and novel ingredients; Timeline's Mitopure incorporated into Lancome's LongevityMD skincare range; the Cell BioPrint device for personalized skin analysis (CES 2025); and the AirLight Pro hairdryer using infrared technology for faster, more sustainable haircare (CES 2024).

The Director of Open Innovation Scouting reports to the Head of Open Innovation in R&I for North America, is a full-time hybrid role, and is based at L'Oreal's state-of-the-art research center in Clark, New Jersey.

A Day in the Life: As an Open Innovation Director you will:

• Scout the future of beauty - identifying new, unique, and disruptive technological opportunities from external partners across North America, from early-stage startups to larger corporates, through a dynamic combination of active networking, ecosystem immersion, and cutting-edge digital scouting tools.
• Make the calls that shape the pipeline - analyzing and rigorously selecting the most strategically valuable external opportunities in close alignment with internal R&I stakeholders, ensuring every partnership we pursue advances L'Oreal's innovation agenda with purpose and precision.
• Orchestrate cross-functional transformation - coordinating the cross-functional project taskforces and global counterparts across Advanced Research, Safety, Regulatory, Claims, Legal, IP, Business Development, Formulation, and Operations to drive the full journey from technology evaluation through to the development phase and commercial readiness.
• Build the contractual foundation for collaboration - working hand-in-hand with Open Innovation Business Development, Legal, and IP teams to establish the right partnership frameworks that protect L'Oreal's interests while enabling bold, fast-moving innovation with external partners.
• Own and grow L'Oreal's innovation ecosystem - building and maintaining a robust, high-value network of startups, VCs, accelerators, incubators, and key opinion leaders operating across the most relevant scientific fields and industries, and positioning L'Oreal as the partner of choice for the world's most disruptive innovators.

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 - someone who sees the future before others do and knows how to turn scientific possibility into consumer reality.

• Education: A completed MS or PhD in biology / biotechnology / biochemistry / chemistry / formulation / material science or engineering required.
• Experience: 7-10+ years of relevant experience in open innovation, venture capital, or a startup environment is required, with a demonstrated track record of identifying, evaluating, and managing high-impact innovation partnerships from concept through to development.
• Technical Expertise:
  • Strong scientific and technical knowledge across one or more of the following domains: beauty, biotechnology, biomedical sciences, advanced materials, or diagnostics - with the intellectual curiosity and breadth to engage credibly across adjacent fields.
  • Proven project management experience in complex, cross-functional, fast-moving environments - with the rigor to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously and the agility to pivot when the landscape shifts.
  • Robust analytical skills, with the ability to assess both the scientific merit and the strategic business value of emerging technologies with speed and confidence.
• Soft Skills & Attributes:
  • A natural networker and ecosystem builder - you are energized by the startup world, you move fluidly between scientific and business conversations, and you instinctively know how to position L'Oreal as an irresistible innovation partner.
  • Highly resilient, adaptable, and solutions-oriented - you thrive in ambiguity, navigate complexity without losing momentum, and bring calm, strategic thinking to even the most challenging environments.
  • A masterful influencer and communicator - able to engage, align, and inspire internal and external stakeholders at every level, from founding startup teams to L'Oreal's most senior scientific and business leadership.
  • An entrepreneurial, decisive mindset - you take ownership, act with courage, and are never content with the status quo when there is a better, bolder path forward.
• Mandatory Requirements:
  • Authorization to work in the U.S. on a permanent, ongoing basis. No immigration support/sponsorship offered for this role
  • The ability to be onsite, in the office at least 3 days a week as an essential function of the position.

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'Oreal
• 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
• Competitive Benefits Package (Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K, Pension Plan)
• Base Salary Range: $126,900 - $184,000 (The actual compensation will depend on a variety of job-related factors which may include geographic location, work experience, education, and skill level)
• Flexible Time Off (Paid Company Holidays, Paid Vacation, Vacation Buy Program, Volunteer Time, Summer Fridays & More!)
• Access to Company Perks (VIP Access to L'Oreal'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'Oreal, 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.