Project Manager, NPD

At Avon, beauty is more than skin deep. We are inspired by our community of passionate women; yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Avon is all about celebrating each other and our achievements in business and in life, inviting others to join us, and committing to be a force for good.

About the Role

The Project Manager will support the successful execution of New Product Development (NPD), Change Management, new product claims, process improvement, and visual brand initiatives across North American Avon and Retail channels.

The Project Manager is responsible for developing and maintaining project timelines, coordinating cross-functional activities, monitoring milestones and risks, and ensuring effective communication across project teams. The role works closely with Marketing, R&D, Sourcing, Planning, Creative, Quality Assurance, Supply Chain, and suppliers to ensure projects progress efficiently from concept through launch.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage project timelines and dashboards in Smartsheet, ensuring project information, milestones, dependencies, ownership, status, risks, and key dates are accurate, current, and visible to stakeholders.
• Maintain and continuously improve Smartsheet project management tools, including project trackers, dashboards, reports, standardized templates, and automated workflows to improve project visibility, consistency, and accountability.
• Coordinate cross-functional project activities by serving as the central point of contact across Marketing, R&D, Sourcing, Planning, Creative, QA, SCM, and suppliers, to ensure deliverables and timelines are clearly understood and tracked.
• Lead weekly project and category meetings to communicate project status, follow up on action items, identify delays, and maintain accountability.
• Monitor project progress, risks, and issues, proactively identifying potential impacts to timing, cost, quality, supply, or launch readiness and escalating concerns when appropriate.
• Drive issue resolution and follow-up by coordinating with the appropriate stakeholders, tracking actions to completion, and supporting the development of recovery plans when milestones are at risk.
• Attend and participate in weekly meetings with various vendors and suppliers throughout the product life cycle.
• Prepare and present project status updates, Smartsheet dashboards, and reports to provide clear visibility into project progress, key milestones, risks, issues, dependencies, and required actions.
• Ensure project data integrity within Smartsheet, maintaining accurate ownership, dates, status updates, dependencies, and project documentation.
• Support continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to simplify project processes, improve communication and accountability, eliminate bottlenecks, and accelerate speed to market.
• Facilitate effective communication and conflict resolution across project stakeholders by using collaboration, negotiation, and diplomacy to address competing priorities and maintain project momentum.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant area

• Minimum of five years of Project Management experience handling multiple projects of different scope/complexity.
• Experience in Beauty is needed
• Experience in new product development related area (e.g., Marketing, Supply Chain, R&D) with a focus on Beauty or consumer packaged goods (CPG)
• Demonstrated computer skills (e.g., Microsoft Office) and proficiency in Smartsheet
• Demonstrated leadership skills including prioritization, delegation, and conflict management of Project Team-related activities
• Demonstrated effective communications skills both written and oral, coupled with the sense to tailor to any one of a wide variety of audiences
• Strong analytical, meeting management, cross-functional team and leadership skills
• Comfortably operate in situations characterized by complexity, ambiguity and high levels of uncertainty
• An ability to map and understand complex, highly interdependent issues and find simple solutions
• Understanding of key business processes and functions within a Beauty or CPG company
• Negotiation skills and ability to influence with or without authority at all levels

Our Benefits

• Eligible for benefits as of date of hire (health, dental, vision, life and other voluntary programs)
• You are immediately vested in Avon's matching contributions to the 401(k) Plan. Avon matches your contributions dollar-for dollar up to 3% of your eligible pay, and $0.50 per dollar on the next 2% of your eligible pay.
• Company sponsored Life insurance, AD&D and Disability benefits with option to buy up
• Commuter, Health Reimbursement (HRA) and Flexible Spending (FSA) accounts
• Family Care (back-up child and elder care) benefit Programs
• Additional voluntary benefit programs available such as group legal, critical care, accident, pet insurance and identity protection insurance.

Salary Range: $110-120k

Avon is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, religion, citizenship, national origin/ancestry, physical/mental disabilities, military status or any other basis prohibited by law.