Estée Lauder Companies Director of Content Production

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

• Manage multiple productions of varying scales across brands simultaneously, anticipate changes, risks and roadblocks, and proactively mitigate and resolve them.
• Own relationships with external vendors, agencies and freelance production talent.
• Maximize production value while working efficiently within timelines and budgets.
• Own and communicate shoot volume and cadence across the full production calendar.
• Review shoot briefs with brand partners to ensure creative direction, product focus and assortment, budgets and timelines are clear and complete.
• Partner with art directors and creative operations to translate briefs into production plans, including timelines, budgets and resources.
• Build production schedules and timelines for internal creative teams and external talent and partners; develop cost estimates and budgets.
• Source, coordinate and negotiate contracts and budgets with crew, talent, photographers, videographers, stylists and other vendors; partner with procurement when needed.
• Align mood boards, creative direction and shot lists with briefs in collaboration with art directors and internal stakeholders.
• Lead pre-production meetings and coordinate across departments, stakeholders, external talent and production partners.
• Coordinate product samples with brand teams, ensuring items are ordered, received and stored before production.
• Secure certificates of insurance, permits, equipment and catering when needed.
• Supervise shoots and oversee production end-to-end.
• Coordinate internal teams, crew, talent, photographers, videographers, stylists, hair and makeup teams, and agencies on set.
• Track shot progress, deliverables and budget and resource allocation, keeping production on schedule.
• Conduct set-readiness checks and quality oversight, troubleshoot issues and facilitate real-time problem-solving.
• Keep teams and stakeholders updated throughout shoot days while managing time, approvals and on-set logistics.
• Coordinate wrap logistics, invoicing, budget reconciliation and expense tracking.
• Manage handoffs to editing, retouching, color grading, sound mixing and motion graphics teams.
• Plan post-production review sessions, consolidate feedback and coordinate revisions through final approval and delivery.
• Partner with the CCH DAM Manager to maintain master asset management, usage-rights tracking, file delivery, archiving and final asset distribution and rollout.
• Conduct production debriefs, capture lessons learned and team feedback, and report on project closeout and campaign delivery.
• Maintain the creative photo studio, including equipment, props, product closet and expendables; update and refresh it as needed, and manage product sourcing, inventory and organization for recurring productions.
• Assess when physical-space updates and improvements are needed and coordinate their implementation with Office Services and relevant vendors.
• Build and maintain a reliable freelance crew network; assess and onboard new vendors as the studio grows.
• Continuously assess and refine internal and external production workflows, identifying and proposing improvements to production efficiency and content quality.

Qualifications

• At least 7 years of photo production experience, ideally in-house or at an agency, managing photo and video productions from concept through delivery.
• Deep understanding of production processes, from large-scale campaigns to quick content capture, and experience managing multiple shoots simultaneously.
• Proven ability to manage timelines, shot lists and production crews end-to-end.
• Knowledge of current industry-standard rates for talent, services and usage rights; strong negotiation and budgeting skills; and experience with both large campaign budgets and tight, resourceful budgets.
• Ability to translate creative vision into efficient, cost-effective production while maintaining brand standards and aesthetic.
• Established network and relationships with photographers, retouchers, stylists, talent agencies and other production-related partners.
• Proactive, collaborative, solutions-first mindset; calm, composed presence on set; and can-do approach.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience building relationships with stakeholders and functions across a large, matrixed organization.
• Excellent knowledge of file formats and resolutions for social, digital and print.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, manage multiple projects and priorities, and demonstrate resilience, adaptability and a solutions-oriented mindset.
• Experience with Wrike or similar project management tools is a plus.
• Knowledge of photo, video and lighting equipment; photo studio management experience is a plus.
• Some domestic travel required.

Skills

Experience

At least 7 years of photo production experience, ideally in-house or at an agency, managing photo and video productions from concept through delivery.

Compensation

The base compensation for this position ranges from USD 124,200 to USD 214,450 per annum.

Benefits

Eligible employees may receive health insurance (medical, dental and vision), wellness and family support programs, life and disability insurance, retirement savings plans, paid leave, education-related programs, paid holidays and vacation time. The role is also eligible for a competitive bonus program, with potential overachievement based on performance and company results, and participation in a share incentive plan.

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.