Director of Research & Development

WB Blends — Nutraceutical Manufacturer; Spanish Fork (UT); On-site; USD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

WB Blends is a fast-growing dietary supplement contract manufacturer in Spanish Fork, Utah, seeking a Director of Research & Development to lead formulation strategy and product innovation across liquid, capsule, and powder categories.

You will guide scalability, regulatory compliance, and customer-aligned commercialization while partnering with Sales, Quality, Regulatory, and Operations to deliver new revenue opportunities.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of R&D or formulation experience in nutraceutical, dietary supplement, or related cGMP manufacturing.
• Experience scaling formulations from bench to production, including tech transfer to manufacturing.
• Leadership experience: 3+ years managing R&D or technical teams.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Sales, Quality, Regulatory, Procurement, and Operations.
• Customer-facing roles, including client meetings or technical sales support.
• Advanced computer skills, including Microsoft Office and formulation documentation systems; ERP experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead formulation strategy and the innovation roadmap across liquid, capsule, and powder categories.
• Lead, coach, hire, and develop the R&D team; track innovation ROI, SKU performance, and new product launch success.
• Scale formulations from bench to pilot to commercial production; assist in tech transfer to Operations with master formulas and specs.
• Ensure formulations meet regulatory, stability, and manufacturing requirements; support Supplement Facts panels and third-party certifications.
• Travel with Sales to support client meetings and product pitches; act as a senior technical expert in customer conversations.

Skills

R&D leadership

Formulation

Liquid formulations

Tech transfer

Cross-functional collaboration

Client facing

Project management

cGMP knowledge

People leadership

English fluency

Education

Bachelor's in Chemistry/Biochemistry/Food Science

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

WB Blends is a fast-growing dietary supplement contract manufacturer located in Spanish Fork, Utah, just outside of Provo. We have over 250k sqft across 4 facilities. We attribute our explosive growth a great company culture and committment to the success of both the company and the team members. If you are seeking a new opportunity with room to grow, want to be part of a driven and collaborative team, and want to enhance your skillset in the dietary supplement industry,

Position Overview

The Director of Research & Development (R&D) is responsible for leading formulation strategy, product innovation, and commercialization across the organization. This role drives the development of new liquid supplement products, including vitamin and mineral suspensions, herbal formulations, and tinctures, as well as capsule and powder products, while ensuring scalability, manufacturability, regulatory compliance, and alignment with customer objectives.

The Director of R&D works cross-functionally with Sales, Customer Success, Quality, Regulatory, Procurement, and Operations to bring new products to market, support client interactions, and develop proactive product concepts aligned with business growth. As a contract manufacturer, our R&D function is customer-facing by design: this role is a technical partner to our accounts and a visible driver of new revenue. The position carries high visibility across the organization and is accountable for innovation throughput, successful commercialization, and the technical credibility of WB Blends in the market.

Details

• Department: R&D
• Status: Salary (exempt)
• Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday, 8 hours per day

Essential Job Functions

• Lead formulation strategy and the innovation roadmap across liquid, capsule, and powder categories, maintaining current knowledge of formulation technologies, delivery systems, and ingredient trends.
• Lead, coach, hire, and develop the R&D team; track innovation ROI, SKU performance, and new product launch success; and create an atmosphere of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Develop and formulate liquid products including mineral suspensions, vitamin suspensions, tinctures, and herbal blends, addressing suspension stability and dispersibility, viscosity, pH and preservative systems, and taste.
• Develop and formulate capsule and powder products, including blend uniformity, flow, and dosage-form feasibility.
• Assess technical feasibility, manufacturability, certification constraints, and target cost of goods at project intake to prioritize the project portfolio against the size of the opportunity.
• Own the development and sample tickets, including request prioritization, turnaround commitments, and documented evaluation against specification and cost targets.
• Scale formulations from bench to pilot to commercial production, and assist in the technical transfer package to Operations (master formula, specifications, etc.).
• Troubleshoot formulation challenges and provide technical solutions during scale-up and production, including settling, separation, viscosity drift, flavor and color instability, flowability, and yield issues.
• Work cross-functionally with Quality, Regulatory, and Operations to ensure formulations meet regulatory, stability, and manufacturing requirements, and to support Supplement Facts panels, claim substantiation, and third-party certification programs.
• Travel with Sales to support client meetings, on-site flavor sessions, and product pitches; serve as the senior technical expert in customer conversations and translate customer goals into scalable, manufacturable formulations.
• Support new business by developing and pitching proactive product concepts to new and existing clients.
• Manage flavor supplier relationships, ingredient sourcing, and technical qualification of ingredients and suppliers; design to cost-of-goods targets and oversee the flavor and ingredient library to prevent dead inventory.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Food Science, Nutrition, or a related scientific field required.
• Advanced degree preferred but not required.

Experience

• 7+ years of R&D or formulation experience in dietary supplement, nutraceutical, food/beverage, or related cGMP manufacturing environments.
• Strong experience in liquid supplement formulation, including suspensions, tinctures, and herbal products, as well as capsule and powder products.
• Demonstrated experience scaling formulations from bench to commercial production, including tech transfer to manufacturing.
• Leadership experience: minimum of 3+ years managing, mentoring, or directing R&D or technical teams.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Sales, Quality, Regulatory, Procurement, and Operations.
• Experience in customer-facing roles, including client meetings, product pitches, or technical sales support.
• Advanced computer skills, including Microsoft Office and formulation documentation systems; ERP experience preferred.

Knowledge and Skills

• Working knowledge of 21 CFR Part 111 cGMP for dietary supplements, including specification setting, master manufacturing records, and batch records.
• Understanding of DSHEA, dietary supplement labeling and Supplement Facts requirements, allergen labeling, and structure/function claim boundaries.
• Familiarity with third-party certification and audit programs relevant to contract manufacturing (cGMP audits, NSF, sport certification, organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, Kosher, Halal).
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with a strong customer-facing presence.
• Ability to translate technical concepts into viable product offerings and to explain technical outcomes to non-technical audiences.
• Strong project management skills and the ability to manage multiple development timelines simultaneously.
• Strong leadership skills; ability to motivate, train, develop, and evaluate team members.
• Strong business acumen with an understanding of cost, margin, and product-market fit.
• High attention to detail and strong organizational skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Complete fluency in English; additional language skills are a plus but not required.