Dairy R&D Method Development Scientist | Project Lead

fairlife LLC; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage (

Paid Time Off

Parental leave

401(k) with employer match

Tuition reimbursement

Life insurance

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Wellness reimbursement

Job summary

fairlife, LLC, a Chicago-based nutrition company, seeks an Associate Scientist to own method development and project execution. This role emphasizes independent scientific decision-making, benchtop lab work, and collaboration with QA, Supply Chain, Plant Operations, and Marketing.

You will design experiments, optimize analytical protocols, mentor junior technicians, and drive cross-functional knowledge transfer across R&D and manufacturing networks in a fast-paced food science environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's in Food Science or Dairy Science.
• 1–3 years in food/beverage R&D or manufacturing labs.
• Experience with method development and SOPs.
• Hands-on with lab instruments (rheology, physical chemistry, compositional analysis).

Responsibilities

• Design, setup, and execute experiments with scientific rigor.
• Develop and validate new analytical methods.
• Own projects end-to-end and communicate findings to stakeholders.
• Mentor junior technicians and transfer knowledge.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Scientific judgment

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Food/Dairy Science

Tools

Rheology assays

Physical chemistry testing

Analytical instrumentation

Job description

fairlife, LLC, a Chicago-based nutrition company, seeks an Associate Scientist to own method development and project execution. This role emphasizes independent scientific decision-making, benchtop lab work, and collaboration with QA, Supply Chain, Plant Operations, and Marketing.

You will design experiments, optimize analytical protocols, mentor junior technicians, and drive cross-functional knowledge transfer across R&D and manufacturing networks in a fast-paced food science environment.