Senior / Principal Scientist, Ingredient Development

Kingdom • Brooklyn, NY

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Kingdom is an AI-native ingredients company that develops Superculture® ingredients from natural microbes to improve the health of pets and people. The Senior or Principal Scientist, Ingredient Development will lead the company’s in vitro validation function, combining scientific direction with hands-on experimental work. The role will identify important scientific questions, select and conduct experiments, and use findings to guide ingredient development and customer adoption.

The scientist will lead validation across ingredient programs, including studies of efficacy, safety, mechanisms of action, stability, shelf life, and analytical characterization. They will coordinate external testing with contract research organizations, assess data quality, interpret results, and lead formulation development in partnership with the bioprocess team. They will also maintain a shared evidence database and translate findings into technical materials, formulation guidance, and safety and stability documentation.

Working closely with bioprocess, clinical development, regulatory, and commercial colleagues, the scientist will connect laboratory findings to customer needs. They will help customers and colleagues understand what evidence establishes, where uncertainty remains, and what additional work may be needed. The role includes responding to in vitro and formulation questions, helping the commercial team communicate scientific evidence, and turning customer feedback into development priorities. It is an in-person position at Kingdom’s Brooklyn Navy Yard headquarters and lab.

Requirements

• PhD in a relevant life-sciences field.
• 3–4 years of work experience; more experienced candidates are encouraged to apply.
• Rigorous experimental design, quantitative analysis, and interpretation of efficacy and mechanisms-of-action studies.
• Hands-on experience developing, validating, and troubleshooting cell-based models and assays, with reproducible, transferable protocols.
• Ability to synthesize evidence clearly into reports and datasets, including limitations and needs for further testing or specialist review.
• Ability to set scientific direction, make decisions, and build a function while remaining accountable for its work.
• Structured planning and prioritization across projects, including identifying evidence gaps and dependencies, allocating effort, and resolving blockers with relevant stakeholders.
• Scientific judgment under ambiguity, including choosing informative experiments, balancing depth of investigation with urgency, and recognizing when specialist input is needed.
• Clear communication and collaboration, including explaining evidence, translating requests into scientific questions, and agreeing on realistic commitments.
• Practical experience using AI to support scientific work, with independent verification of outputs.
• Experience working with CROs, including defining study objectives and deliverables, assessing proposed methods, and critically reviewing results.
• Intellectual curiosity and enjoyment of learning unfamiliar biology.

Responsibilities

• Lead in vitro validation across ingredient projects and own the validation strategy across ingredient programs.
• Identify evidence gaps and design and execute studies of efficacy, safety, mechanisms of action, stability, shelf life, and analytical characterization, including comparisons with other ingredients.
• Plan and coordinate external testing with contract research organizations (CROs), defining study designs, deliverables, and timelines.
• Assess data quality and interpret findings to guide ingredient development.
• Lead formulation development with the bioprocess team, accounting for manufacturing processes and requirements as production scales.
• Maintain a shared database of ingredient evidence, cross-team contributions, and remaining gaps.
• Translate findings into technical materials, formulation guidance, and safety and stability documentation, coordinating scientific, safety, and regulatory review.
• Help the commercial team explain ingredient efficacy, safety, and mechanisms of action to customers, engaging independently as experience allows.
• Work with colleagues to turn customer feedback into development priorities and distinguish immediate adoption barriers from longer-term needs.
• Own responses to in vitro and formulation questions, set realistic timelines, and follow through.
• Coordinate clinical and in vivo questions with the clinical team through its established process, agreeing on scientific input and response timing.
• Provide scientific direction and mentoring while remaining involved in experimental work.

Benefits

• Fully covered medical, vision, and dental insurance.
• Free memberships to One Medical, Teladoc, and Talkspace.
• Flexible PTO.
• 13 paid company holidays, including a weeklong winter closure from Christmas Eve through New Year's Day.
• 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave, with the option to extend up to 24 weeks total.
• 401(k) plan.
• FSA option.
• Commuter benefit of your choice.
• Fully stocked kitchen with fruits, snacks, coffee, and tea, plus weekly team lunches.
• Generous equity.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree