R&D Associate

FOODSCIENCE LLC•Williston, VT

3h•$65,000 - $70,000•Onsite

About The Position

At FoodScience, R&D doesn't stop when a formula works at the bench. We are looking for an onsite R&D Associate who wants to be part of the entire product development journey, from researching ingredients and developing formulations to figuring out how those products will actually be manufactured consistently, efficiently, and at scale. This is a highly hands-on role for someone who enjoys both the science of product development and the problem-solving of process engineering. You will work at the intersection of R&D and manufacturing, helping transform innovative concepts into commercially viable products that support the health and wellness of pets. You don't necessarily need to come to us with years of pet supplement formulation experience. We're interested in people with strong scientific or engineering fundamentals, curiosity, practical problem-solving skills, and experience working with products or processes in a manufacturing environment. If you enjoy asking "How can we make this work?" and then getting into the lab or onto the production floor to figure it out, this may be the opportunity for you.

Requirements

A bachelor's degree in Animal Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Food Science, Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a related scientific or engineering discipline.
Hands-on laboratory, product-development, process-development, or manufacturing experience.
Strong scientific and technical problem-solving skills.
An understanding of how laboratory or technical work translates into manufacturing.
The ability to analyze data, troubleshoot problems, and make thoughtful recommendations.
Strong documentation and organizational skills.
Comfort working cross-functionally with both scientific and operational teams.
Curiosity, initiative, and a willingness to learn.

Nice To Haves

Experience with formulation, GMP-regulated manufacturing, process validation, scale-up, nutritional supplements, food, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, or pet products is highly valuable—but we are also interested in strong transferable experience.

Responsibilities

Support the development of new nutritional supplement products from initial concept through commercialization.
Develop, modify, and evaluate formulations based on product objectives, ingredient functionality, manufacturability, quality, and performance.
Conduct bench-scale trials and experiments to evaluate formulations and processing conditions.
Research ingredients, technologies, and scientific developments that can support new product innovation.
Document experimental work, observations, results, and recommendations.
Support stability studies and evaluate product performance throughout development.
Help translate successful laboratory formulations into repeatable, scalable manufacturing processes.
Partner directly with Operations and Manufacturing to plan and execute pilot and production trials.
Evaluate how ingredients, equipment, processing parameters, and manufacturing conditions affect finished-product performance.
Identify potential scale-up challenges before products move into full commercial production.
Troubleshoot issues that arise during trials, scale-up, and manufacturing.
Recommend adjustments to formulations or processes based on production results.
Help establish appropriate process parameters and operating requirements for new products.
Remain involved as products transition from R&D into commercial manufacturing.
Provide technical support during initial production runs and product launches.
Investigate formulation or process-related issues that affect quality, consistency, yield, efficiency, or manufacturability.
Partner with Manufacturing, Quality, and Operations to identify root causes and develop practical solutions.
Support continuous improvement opportunities for existing products and processes.
Help ensure knowledge gained during development is effectively transferred to the teams responsible for ongoing production.
Translate scientific research into practical product and process opportunities.
Evaluate new ingredients, technologies, processing approaches, and delivery formats.
Design experiments that answer meaningful product-development questions.
Analyze data and use results to guide formulation and process decisions.
Bring curiosity and a continuous-learning mindset to product and process challenges.
Work closely with R&D and Product Development, Manufacturing and Operations, Quality, Regulatory, Procurement and ingredient suppliers, Marketing and Commercial teams.
Help connect the scientific intent of a product with the practical realities of producing it successfully.
Maintain accurate and thorough laboratory and development documentation.
Support specifications, formulas, manufacturing instructions, protocols, reports, and technical documentation.
Work within applicable quality systems, SOPs, and regulatory requirements.
Ensure appropriate documentation accompanies products as they transition from development into production.
Contribute to investigations, root-cause analysis, validation activities, and corrective actions when appropriate.