Associate Scientist

fairlife•Chicago, IL

21h•Onsite

About The Position

fairlife, LLC is seeking an independent, driven Associate Scientist to join its R&D team as a method developer and project owner. The role is a step from executing assigned tasks to owning experiments and scientific decisions. The Associate Scientist drives specific workstreams end to end, develops research plans, and validates physical and chemical mechanisms. The work centers on hands-on benchtop laboratory work, with pilot plant support as needed, and requires translating data into contextualized business insights. The Associate Scientist develops and optimizes analytical methods and protocols, establishes laboratory SOPs, and contributes scientific judgment to technical troubleshooting and root cause analysis. The role also communicates findings and business context to cross-functional stakeholders, leads technical knowledge transfers, and provides coaching and mentorship to junior R&D and Quality technicians. The position is based in Chicago, Illinois, reports to the Senior Director, Process Science & Technology, and requires 15–30% travel. It is exempt. The base pay range is $60,000–$80,000 USD, with the offered amount potentially varying by geography and job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, or a closely related scientific field.
1–3 years of laboratory experience in food, beverage, or fluid dairy R&D or manufacturing environments.
Proven experience in method development, protocol optimization, and authoring technical SOPs.
Hands-on proficiency with analytical laboratory instrumentation, such as rheology, physical chemistry testing, or compositional analysis.
Ability to apply independent scientific judgment to move projects from data collection to mechanistic understanding.
Strong communication and collaboration skills, including experience clearly sharing data with cross-functional partners such as plant operations and quality teams.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience supporting pilot plant operations or commercial scale-up trials.
Strong foundational knowledge of dairy, physical chemistry, protein stability, or fluid milk matrix interactions.
Experience training plant-floor operators or QA technicians on newly implemented laboratory methods.

Responsibilities

Design, set up, and execute scientific experiments aligned with broader project goals and scientific rigor.
Adapt analytical methods, optimize testing protocols, and validate new analytical approaches.
Write, establish, and implement new Standard Operating Procedures and continually improve laboratory practices.
Participate in cross-functional root cause analysis to investigate and resolve technical and product quality issues.
Use independent scientific judgment to troubleshoot analytical and process deviations.
Translate and report scientific data as clear, actionable insights for stakeholders in QA, Supply Chain, Plant Operations, Marketing, and Consumer Insights.
Communicate technical findings with business context and explain the significance of results, not only the raw data.
Lead technical knowledge transfers across R&D and manufacturing networks.
Coach, guide, and mentor junior technicians in R&D and Quality.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage effective day one.
Supplemental health plans, including hospital indemnity, accident, and critical illness insurance.
Paid time off.
Paid parental leave and adoption assistance of up to $10,000.
Parental support and family care benefits, including childcare resources and lactation support.
401(k) with up to 9% employer match.
Wellness reimbursement of up to $500 for qualified wellbeing expenses.
Employee Assistance Program for emotional wellbeing and work-life support.
Company-paid life insurance and short-term disability.
Employer HSA funding for HDHP participants.
Tuition reimbursement of up to $10,000 and student loan repayment of $200 per month.
Learning and development programs.
Rewards and recognition, matching gifts, free product, and Business Resource Groups.