Sr. Scientist (Innovation & Core Expansion)

Liquid I.V. • El Segundo, CA

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

Liquid I.V. is seeking a highly motivated and innovative Senior Scientist to join its R&D team. This role will support both innovation and core expansion efforts, acting as an integral member of the LIV R&D team with cross-functional collaboration across all business levels. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in new product development, particularly in powdered food development, and experience with innovation processes, hands-on formulation, productivity, resilience projects, and lab management.

The Senior Scientist will lead product development projects through the full lifecycle, from concept ideation to post-launch support. This includes collaborating with marketing, developing prototypes, creating specifications, supporting scale-up, and ensuring successful commercialization. The role also involves engaging external partners to identify innovation opportunities, leading the creative development of new flavors, and ensuring product superiority. Collaboration with technical commercialization teams for successful manufacturing transfers, planning and executing stability studies, and analyzing data for product improvements are key functions. Additionally, the scientist will lead technical evaluations of raw material suppliers, provide technical support to manufacturing sites, and support continuous improvement initiatives. Working closely with marketing, insights, and sensory teams to understand consumer needs and ensuring final products meet all requirements are also crucial aspects of the role. Travel may be required for industry conferences, trade shows, and pilot/production runs.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in food science with experience in Food Engineering or Bachelor’s degree in food engineering with experience in R&D or Bachelors in other Engineering Fields with significant food/R&D experience.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of relevant work experience.
• Excellent planning, organizational, and project management skills.
• Strong working knowledge of food science, dietary supplements, health and nutrition, food manufacturing processes, quality assurance principles, ingredient supply market, and market research practices, and product commercialization.
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to define problems, collect and interpret data, draw valid conclusions, and propose solutions.
• Highly innovative and creative.
• Excellent written and oral technical communication skills.
• Strong organizational and teamwork skills, ability to multi-task.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced setting under tight deadlines.
• Knowledgeable in Microsoft Office.

Nice To Haves

• Focus on powdered food development.
• Experience with innovation process.
• Hands-on formulation.
• Productivity and resilience projects.
• Lab management.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to independently lead product development projects within innovation and core expansion teams through the full product development lifecycle, including concept ideation with Marketing, prototype development, specification creation, scale-up support, and post-launch/in-market support to ensure successful commercialization.
• Support innovation initiatives by engaging external partners, including suppliers, third-party organizations, and internal teams, to facilitate innovation sessions and identify emerging opportunities to drive continuous growth of LIV portfolio.
• Lead the creative development of new flavors as part of innovation projects and core portfolio expansion while ensuring stable and quality formulations.
• Deliver "product superiority" measures with innovation, fuel for growth and resilience projects.
• Partner with technical commercialization function to ensure successful transfer and execution of product formulations and specifications at various manufacturing sites.
• Plan and execute stability studies for new and existing formulations.
• Analyze data to make recommendations for product and process updates.
• Lead technical evaluation and qualification of alternate raw material suppliers to reduce cost and mitigate business risk.
• Provide technical support to manufacturing sites to troubleshoot formulation and quality issues to minimize downtime and product loss.
• Support implementation of step changes in PD capabilities as outlined in function growth strategies.
• Collaborate with cross-functional team to identify and execute continuous improvement initiatives across core portfolio to improve efficiencies.
• Work closely with marketing, insights, and sensory teams on consumer focus groups to understand product landscape and consumer needs to be addressed.
• Ensure the final product meets efficacy, cost, sensory, and aesthetic requirements in accordance with the brand's strategy and goals.
• Travel as necessary to represent team at industry conferences, tradeshows, formula development, pilot and/or production runs, work onsite at CM R&D facilities as needed to meet project approval milestones.

Benefits

• 100% company-paid medical, dental and vision insurance for employees (PPO, HMO and Kaiser options).
• A 401k plan with company match, short and long-term disability coverage.
• A generous PTO and sick policy that includes 13+ paid annual holidays.
• Wellness classes (fitness, mental health, nutrition, finance, etc.).
• An Employee Assistance Program, including membership for guided meditation for all employees.
• Monthly tech and wellness reimbursement.
• An infinite supply of Liquid I.V. for endless hydration!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Associate degree