Formulation Sales Manager

About Debut

Debut is the unconventional innovation lab spearheading the next generation of big business. Only Debut has a scalable, integrated, climate-positive creation model powered by biotechnology that puts human wellbeing at the center of everything we do—setting the new standard for profitable business and a new pace for an ever-changing world.  Our hybrid biotechnology approaches unlock latent markets, providing access to sustainably produced, natural ingredients with health benefits that cannot be obtained through other methods. We are committed to traversing the entire process, from ingredient discovery to the scaling of these products, for consumer markets. If you are passionate, enjoy fast-paced innovation and collaborative teams, then Debut is for you.  

Manager, Formulation Sales

Summary

Are you skilled at building beauty brand relationships and ready to own the sales cycle from first contact through close? In this role, you will be responsible for identifying, engaging, and securing new brand partnerships for Debut's formulation business, while advancing and closing a portion of those opportunities independently. This role serves as the connective layer between the top-of-funnel prospecting led by the Formulation Sales Coordinator and the enterprise-level sales motion led by the Director, Formulation Sales.

This position is highly commercial in nature and suited for a driven professional with strong industry relationships, a demonstrated ability to open doors, and the discipline to advance opportunities from initial outreach through negotiation and, whenever possible, through project award and purchase order. When an opportunity requires additional negotiating authority or executive-level engagement to close, the Manager will partner with the Director, Formulation Sales, or a more senior leader to bring the opportunity to close.

San Diego-based preferred but remote may be considered for the right candidate. This role sits within the Commercial Formulation Sales organization.

Essential Functions

• Drive outbound prospecting to identify and secure new beauty brand partnerships.
• Own the commercial process from first contact through qualification, proposal, and negotiation, and close opportunities independently whenever possible.
• Partner with the Director, Formulation Sales, or senior leadership to close opportunities that require additional negotiating authority, pricing approval, or executive-level relationships.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key decision makers across R&D, product development, marketing, and executive leadership within beauty organizations.
• Manage and prioritize a pipeline of active opportunities, ensuring consistent progression of each opportunity toward conversion.
• Responsible for the coordination of drip campaigns.
• Understand Debut's competitive positioning and clearly articulate its value to win new formulation business, including custom and white label opportunities.
• Maintain working knowledge of product development timelines and formulation planning cycles to align outreach and proposals with customer launch calendars.
• Lead pricing discussions and contract negotiations, involving the Director or senior leadership as needed for final approval.
• Maintain disciplined follow-up, CRM hygiene in Monday.com, and project management to sustain momentum from initial engagement through commercialization.
• Provide regular pipeline updates and forecasts to the Director, Formulation Sales.

Education and Experience

• Minimum of 3 years in business development, lead generation, or formulation sales within the beauty industry.
• Demonstrated ability to independently advance and close sales opportunities, in addition to generating new pipeline.
• Experience managing multiple concurrent sales cycles from prospecting through close.
• Highly self-driven, results-oriented, and comfortable operating independently in a fast-paced environment.
• Willingness to travel up to 25% for customer meetings and industry events.

Essential Physical Characteristics:

• The physical characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of a job, on a case-by-case basis.
• Continuous upward and downward flexion of the neck.
• Frequent sitting, repetitive use of hands to operate computers, printers, and copiers.
• Occasional walking, standing, bending and twisting of neck, bending and twisting of waist, squatting, simple grasping, reaching above and below shoulder level, and lifting and carrying of files weighing up to 15 pounds.
• The performance of this position will present exposure to an industrial environment and requires support and compliance with the published Company PPE policy, including but not limited to the use of personal protective equipment as needed.

Condition of Employment

As part of Debut's pre-employment process, prospective candidates will undergo a background check prior to beginning employment. Additional types of background investigations may be conducted based on the job-related activities of the position.

Debut is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.

Salary: $100,000 - $140,000