Associate Principal Scientist, Product Development

Socket.dev; El Segundo (CA); Hybrid; USD 116,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401k with match

PTO + holidays

Wellness reimbursement

Liquid I.V. hydration

Job summary

Liquid I.V. is seeking a hands-on Associate Principal Scientist, Product Development to join our R&D team in El Segundo, CA. This role reports to the R&D Director and will drive innovation, core expansion, and continuous improvement in beverage product development.

The ideal candidate brings 6+ years in food or supplement CPG, a Master’s in Food Science, and strong leadership in formulation. This hybrid role requires cross-functional collaboration and travel 20–30% for trials and industry events.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in food science or related field highly desired.
• 6+ years of progressive growth experience in food or supplement CPG.

Responsibilities

• Lead innovation flavors and core portfolio expansion with stable formulations.
• Plan and execute stability studies and analyze data for product updates.
• Design experiments to evaluate formulation variables and optimize performance.
• Lead supplier onboarding, tech transfer, and plant trials for new products.

Skills

Product development

Analytical skills

Presentation skills

Team collaboration

Education

Master in Food Science

Job description

About Liquid I.V.

This job description indicates in general the nature and levels of work, knowledge, skills, abilities and other essential functions expected of the role. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required. It is not intended to limit or in any way modify the right of any supervisor to assign, direct, and control the work of employees under his/her supervision. Ability to competently perform all the essential duties of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, demonstrated commitment to the company’s mission, and the ability to work productively as a member of a team or work group are basic requirements of all positions at Liquid I.V.

We are committed to building an inclusive culture of belonging that not only embraces the diversity of our people but also reflects the diversity of the communities in which we work and the customers we serve. We know that the happiest and highest performing teams include people with diverse perspectives that encourage new ways of solving problems, so we strive to attract and develop talent from all backgrounds and create workplaces where everyone feels seen, heard, and empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to work.

Liquid I.V. is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex including sexual orientation and gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

About our Team:

We are a world-class team of innovators and passionate change-makers, looking to develop transformative hydration solutions and make a meaningful impact on the world around us.

At Liquid I.V., we are committed to building an inclusive culture of belonging that not only embraces the diversity of our people but also reflects the diversity of the communities in which we work and the customers we serve.

Our team members enjoy a flexible and inclusive working environment, a highly collaborative and innovation-forward culture, generous benefits and perks that empower employees to champion their wellbeing every day, as well as an infinite supply of Liquid I.V. for extraordinary hydration.

About the role:

Liquid I.V. is looking for a highly motivated, innovative, out-of-the-box thinker to join our R&D Product Development team as the Associate Principal Scientist, Product Development. Reporting to the R&D Director, Product Development, this role will execute innovation, core expansion and continuous improvement projects. The R&D Associate Principal Scientist will be an integral member of the LIV R&D team and will have cross-functional collaboration within all levels of the business.

The ideal candidate is both hands-on formulator and a technical leader with expertise in beverage product development. They are highly technical in their product development approach and are not only capable of designing/executing experiments independently, but to also communicating their findings to both technical and non-technical business partners.

Functions and duties of this role include, but not limited to:

• Lead creative development of innovation flavors as part of core portfolio expansion while ensuring stable and quality formulation
• Deliver "product superiority" measures with innovation, fuel for growth and business resilience projects
• Independently plan and execute stability studies for new and existing formulations. Analyze data to make recommendations for product and process updates
• Lead development of raw material & finished product specifications in collaboration with quality assurance
• Design and execute experiments to evaluate formulation variables, optimize product performance, and generate data-driven recommendations for product development decisions
• Lead commercial readiness, including ownership of ingredient onboarding, co-manufacturer onboarding, tech transfer process, plant trial planning, on-site plant trial execution, and post-trial outcomes that capture objectives, results, risks, decisions, and next steps
• Apply food science knowledge to troubleshoot technical issues and provide recommendations
• Support implementation of step changes in PD capabilities as outlined in function growth strategies and collaborate with R&D LT members to implement continuous improvement in our processes and systems
• Identify and execute continuous improvement initiatives (in collaboration with marketing, sales, supply chain and external partners) across product portfolio to improve efficiencies
• Collaborate with scientific affairs and sensory science partners to deliver robust science-based formulations
• Monitor and maintain on-time delivery of critical project milestones, lead internal communication with cross-functional partners as it relates to product briefs, formula evaluation and other deliverables
• Ensure 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.

Qualifications:

The successful candidate will have the following qualifications:

• Master’s degree in food science or related field highly desired.
• 6+ years of progressive growth experience working in food or supplement CPG. Start-up experience, a plus.
• Consumer focused product developer with a strong record to create innovative products for leading brands.
• 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 market, as well as scale up and product commercialization.
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to create both scrappy & detailed experiments, collect and interpret data, draw valid conclusions, and propose solutions.
• Experience and proficiency in executing strong co-development agreements with external partners with scope in: IP protection, negotiations, cost structure, and SOW development.
• A poised technical leader with the ability to influence and has strong oral/written presentation skills.
• Strong working knowledge of R&D program management.
• Agile and adaptable to change and demonstrates ability to be self-motivated and to motivate others amidst aggressive business objectives and priority shifts.

What We Give:

• 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!

Work Environment:

• This role is HYBRID (El Segundo, CA) 2 days onsite a week with flexibility for industry events + Travel 20%-30% of the time. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.

The compensation band for this position is $116,100 -145,100 annually. The exact salary is determined by various factors including experience, skills, education, geographic location, internal company equity, and budget. The listed range is applicable only to the annual base salary and does not include additional perks, benefits, or applicable bonus eligibility comprising the total compensation package.

This job description indicates in general the nature and levels of work, knowledge, skills, abilities and other essential functions expected of the role. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required. It is not intended to limit or in any way modify the right of any supervisor to assign, direct, and control the work of employees under his/her supervision. Ability to competently perform all the essential duties of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, demonstrated commitment to the company’s mission, and the ability to work productively as a member of a team or work group are basic requirements of all positions at Liquid I.V.

We are committed to building an inclusive culture of belonging that not only embraces the diversity of our people but also reflects the diversity of the communities in which we work and the customers we serve. We know that the happiest and highest performing teams include people with diverse perspectives that encourage new ways of solving problems, so we strive to attract and develop talent from all backgrounds and create workplaces where everyone feels seen, heard, and empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to work.

Liquid I.V. is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex including sexual orientation and gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

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