R&D Senior Scientist (Product Development)

Liquid I.V. • El Segundo, CA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Liquid I.V. is seeking a highly motivated, innovative Senior Scientist to join its R&D Product Development team. Reporting to the R&D Director, Product Development, this role will execute core expansion and continuous improvement projects and collaborate across all levels of the business. The ideal candidate is a hands-on beverage formulator with a highly technical approach who can independently design and execute experiments and communicate findings to technical and non-technical partners.

The role supports product formulation and optimization against nutritional, sensory, regulatory, and cost targets. It works with Sensory and technical commercialization teams to evaluate prototypes, transfer formulations and specifications to manufacturing sites, and support product commercialization. The Senior Scientist also develops specifications, plans and analyzes stability studies, troubleshoots technical issues, and uses experimental data to guide product and process decisions.

The position leads commercial readiness activities, including ingredient and co-manufacturer onboarding, technology transfer, plant-trial planning and execution, and documentation of trial outcomes. It also identifies continuous-improvement opportunities across the product portfolio, tracks project milestones, and communicates with cross-functional partners. Travel may be needed for conferences, tradeshows, and development, pilot, or production runs. The role is hybrid in El Segundo, California, with in-office work 1–3 times and 10–20% travel.

Requirements

• 3–5 years of progressively responsible experience in food or supplement consumer packaged goods.
• Deep technical expertise in areas such as beverages, powder mixes, nutritional supplements, flavor design and development, specification development, and formulation management.
• Strong working knowledge of food science, health and nutrition, food manufacturing processes, quality assurance principles, product development systems and processes, ingredient supply markets, scale-up, and product commercialization.
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills, including designing experiments, collecting and interpreting data, drawing valid conclusions, and proposing solutions.
• Experience developing co-development agreements with external partners, including intellectual property protection, negotiations, cost structures, and statements of work.
• Strong oral and written presentation skills and the ability to influence as a technical leader.
• Strong working knowledge of R&D program management.
• Ability to adapt to change, work independently, and motivate others amid aggressive business objectives and shifting priorities.
• Authorization to work in the United States without sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in food science or a related field.
• Start-up experience.
• Experience using sensory methodologies in product development.

Responsibilities

• Support formulation and optimization of products to meet nutritional, sensory, regulatory, and cost targets.
• Collaborate with the Sensory team to evaluate formula prototypes against benchmarks and ensure products meet superiority standards.
• Partner with technical commercialization to transfer and execute product formulations and specifications at manufacturing sites.
• Develop technical specifications for raw materials, bulk blends, and finished products with cross-functional partners.
• Plan and execute stability studies for new and existing formulations; analyze data and recommend product or process updates.
• Apply food science knowledge to troubleshoot technical issues and recommend solutions.
• Design and execute experiments to evaluate formulation variables, optimize performance, and produce data-driven recommendations.
• Lead commercial readiness, including ingredient and co-manufacturer onboarding, technology transfer, plant-trial planning and on-site execution, and documentation of outcomes, risks, decisions, and next steps.
• Identify and execute continuous-improvement initiatives across the product portfolio in collaboration with cross-functional teams and external partners.
• Monitor delivery of critical project milestones and communicate with cross-functional partners about product briefs, formula evaluations, and deliverables.
• Travel as needed to represent the team at industry conferences and tradeshows and support formula development, pilot runs, and production runs.

Benefits

• 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, with PPO, HMO, and Kaiser options.
• 401(k) plan with company match.
• Short- and long-term disability coverage.
• Generous PTO and sick leave programs.
• 10+ paid annual holidays and an annual Holiday Office Closure.
• Wellness Days, including a Vitality Day and two Recharge Days.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Monthly technology and wellness reimbursement.
• Liquid I.V. products provided.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed