Estée Lauder Companies Associate Fellow, Packaging Materials Science and Technology

About Estée Lauder Companies

The Estée Lauder Companies is a global leader in prestige beauty, founded in 1946 by Estée and Joseph Lauder and built on an enduring belief in creativity, high-touch service, and entrepreneurial spirit. As an employer, the Group offers talent the scale of an international house with the energy of distinctive brands across skincare, makeup, fragrance, and hair care. Its culture values innovation, inclusion, learning, and responsible growth, inviting professionals to shape consumer experiences from laboratory to counter, digital platform to boardroom. Employees join a purpose-led organization where heritage, artistry, and scientific excellence meet to define the future of luxury beauty.

Role & Responsibilities

• Lead materials science strategy and innovation across the fragrance packaging portfolio, supporting material roadmaps aligned with business, consumer, brand and sustainability priorities.
• Identify and evaluate emerging materials, technologies, market trends and supplier capabilities to drive innovation, improve performance and support long-term business opportunities.
• Guide the development of material solutions across polymers, substrates, coatings, adhesives and decoration technologies, balancing performance, sustainability, cost, manufacturability and speed to market.
• Provide scientific expertise in material characterization, plastics properties, testing methodologies and composition–structure–property relationships.
• Support material selection, evaluation and qualification, including assessing compatibility between packaging materials and product formulations.
• Guide technical decision-making across material performance, quality, manufacturing readiness, regulatory requirements and commercialization.
• Lead materials science work across complex packaging development programs and technology platforms.
• Set technical priorities, oversee testing and qualification activities, manage technical risks and support project execution across multiple workstreams.
• Drive portfolio-level initiatives focused on material simplification, sustainability, cost optimization and continuous improvement.
• Partner with Packaging Development, R&I, Design, Manufacturing, Quality, Regulatory, Sustainability, Global Supply Management and external suppliers.
• Translate scientific and technical data into clear, actionable recommendations for technical and business stakeholders.
• Influence strategic decisions by balancing consumer needs, scientific expertise, technical feasibility and commercial priorities.
• Mentor and coach technical professionals, contributing to the development of materials science capabilities and expertise.
• Support technical standards, knowledge sharing and scientific best practices across Materials Science and Packaging Development teams.
• Advance the visibility of scientific expertise through technical documentation, internal reviews, publications, patents and external industry engagement.
• Drive effective use of digital tools, materials informatics and AI-enabled technologies for research, data analysis, documentation and knowledge management.
• Identify opportunities to improve technical productivity through automation and digital transformation.
• Promote scientific rigor, technical governance and continuous improvement across materials science activities, ensuring alignment with company standards and relevant requirements.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Engineering, ideally Mechanical, Chemical or Plastics Engineering, or an equivalent discipline.
• Demonstrated expertise and extensive hands-on experience in materials characterization and plastics properties.
• Experience assessing compatibility between packaging materials and product formulations.
• Advanced ability to use analytical techniques to determine material structure and properties, with demonstrated experience establishing and interpreting composition–structure–property relationships.
• Ability to explain scientific data and results clearly and communicate effectively with different stakeholders.
• Strong problem-solving aptitude.
• Fluency in English and French.
• Ability to work effectively in a highly cross-functional environment with internal teams and external suppliers.

Skills

Experience

Minimum of 6 years of professional experience.

Education

Master’s degree in Engineering, ideally Mechanical, Chemical or Plastics Engineering, or an equivalent discipline.

Culture

The Estée Lauder Companies fosters a collaborative, inclusive workplace where creativity, entrepreneurial thinking, and a passion for prestige beauty are deeply valued. As a global house of distinctive brands, it offers employees an environment that encourages innovation, professional growth, and a shared commitment to excellence and consumer inspiration.

About Cerulean

Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.