Director of Formulation and Education

Gaia Herbs•Mills River, NC

just now•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Formulation and Education will provide scientific, technical, and strategic leadership across formulation and education at Gaia Herbs. Reporting to the Senior Director of Innovation and Product Development, this position will lead the development of innovative, effective, and scientifically grounded products while translating complex scientific information into compelling, accessible consumer education. This role combines deep expertise in both botanical and non-botanical formulation with the ability to interpret and communicate scientific evidence, including clinical research and other substantiation, in ways that are meaningful and understandable to consumers. The Director will help ensure that Gaia’s products are formulated with a high degree of scientific and technical rigor while developing clear and compelling stories that communicate what products do, why they matter, and how they support consumers. The Director will lead and develop two functional areas: Herbal/Botanical Formulation and Education. This position will partner closely with Innovation, Product Development, Scientific Affairs, Marketing, Quality, Regulatory, and other cross-functional teams to bring new products to market and strengthen Gaia’s position as a trusted leader in herbal and natural health.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant scientific field such as chemistry, biochemistry, pharmaceutical science, food science, nutrition, herbal science, or a related discipline preferred; advanced degree is a plus.
10+ years of relevant experience in dietary supplement, pharmaceutical, food, natural products, or related formulation environments preferred.
Demonstrated expertise in both botanical/herbal and non-botanical formulation.
Significant experience leading the formulation and development of dietary supplements or related consumer health products from concept through commercialization.
Demonstrated experience interpreting scientific research, including clinical trials and published literature, and translating findings into practical product and consumer applications.
Experience leading and developing technical or scientific teams.
Experience partnering cross-functionally with Innovation, Product Development, Marketing, Scientific Affairs, Quality, Regulatory, and/or Manufacturing teams.
Deep expertise in botanical/herbal formulation and natural products, combined with strong knowledge of non-botanical formulation.
Strong understanding of ingredients, dosage forms, formulation principles, product development, stability, manufacturability, and product performance.
Ability to critically evaluate scientific evidence and distinguish meaningful substantiation from less rigorous or less relevant information.
Exceptional ability to translate complex scientific concepts into clear, compelling, consumer-friendly language.
Ability to connect scientific evidence and formulation decisions to meaningful consumer benefits and product stories.
Strong strategic thinking and ability to connect technical decisions to broader business and innovation objectives.
Strong leadership and people-development skills, with the ability to coach, develop, and inspire technical and scientific talent.
Able to work collaboratively with cross-functional partners around the organization and influence decisions without relying solely on organizational authority.
Confident challenging assumptions, scientific conclusions, formulation decisions, and established norms when appropriate.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present complex scientific information to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to scientific accuracy.
Creative problem solver who can balance scientific rigor with consumer needs, business objectives, and practical product development considerations.
Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities and competing demands.
Resilient and comfortable navigating ambiguity, conflicting perspectives, and complex decisions.
Self-motivated, highly organized, and able to operate with a high degree of autonomy.
Strong relationship-building skills with internal and external scientific, technical, and business partners.
Ability to adapt well to change and develop practical solutions as priorities and circumstances evolve.
Passion for herbal medicine, natural health, scientific discovery, and educating others.
Requires very little oversight.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree is a plus.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic and technical leadership for Gaia’s formulation and education capabilities, ensuring alignment with the company’s innovation strategy and long-term growth objectives.
Lead the development and evolution of both botanical and non-botanical formulations, bringing deep expertise in formulation science, ingredients, dosage forms, product performance, stability, and consumer needs.
Guide the formulation of new products and reformulations from concept through commercialization, ensuring products are scientifically sound, differentiated, effective, manufacturable, and aligned with Gaia’s quality standards.
Serve as a senior formulation expert and resource for Innovation, Product Development, Marketing, Scientific Affairs, Quality, Regulatory, and other cross-functional partners.
Lead and develop the Herbal/Botanical Formulation and Education functions, establishing clear priorities, capabilities, processes, and development plans for both teams.
Direct, coach, and develop two direct reports responsible for leading Herbal/Botanical Formulation and Education.
Translate complex scientific information—including clinical trials, published research, ingredient science, mechanisms of action, and other scientific substantiation—into clear, compelling, and consumer-relevant stories.
Partner with Marketing and Brand teams to develop scientifically accurate product positioning, benefit communication, educational content, and product storytelling.
Ensure scientific claims and consumer communications accurately reflect the available evidence and are appropriately balanced, understandable, and consistent with Gaia’s standards.
Develop educational frameworks and resources that enable internal teams and consumers to better understand herbs, botanicals, formulations, ingredients, and the science behind Gaia products.
Serve as a trusted scientific voice and subject-matter expert within Gaia, helping teams understand the connection between formulation decisions, scientific evidence, consumer benefits, and product storytelling.
Evaluate emerging scientific research, ingredients, technologies, and formulation approaches to identify opportunities for innovation and product differentiation.
Bring a consumer-centric perspective to formulation, ensuring that scientific and technical decisions ultimately translate into meaningful consumer benefits and experiences.
Establish and maintain formulation principles and best practices that support innovation while protecting Gaia’s standards for quality, efficacy, safety, and authenticity.
Collaborate with external scientific, formulation, ingredient, manufacturing, and research partners at industry conferences and other forums as needed to advance product development and scientific understanding.
Challenge teams to think critically about scientific evidence, formulation decisions, product benefits, and consumer communication.
Help establish a culture of scientific curiosity, continuous learning, critical thinking, and creative problem solving across Innovation and Product Development.
Stay current on relevant scientific literature, clinical research, botanical science, formulation technologies, regulatory considerations, and emerging trends in the natural products industry.
Provide scientific and formulation perspective during product strategy, portfolio reviews, innovation development, and commercialization decisions.
Communicate complex technical concepts clearly and effectively to audiences with varying levels of scientific expertise.
Present scientific and formulation recommendations to senior leadership and cross-functional teams in an articulate, compelling, and accessible manner.