R&D Sr Formulator - Nutritional Bars

MAC Incorporated; Santa Fe (NM); On-site; USD 94,000 - 114,000; Full time

Job summary

MAC Incorporated in Santa Fe Springs, CA seeks an R&D Senior Formulator to lead the development of nutritional bars from concept through commercialization. The role will serve as the organization’s lead formulation expert, managing a portfolio of 25–40 concurrent projects while collaborating with Operations, QA, Regulatory, Procurement, Sales, and customers.

The ideal candidate has 8+ years of formulation experience in dietary supplements or functional foods, with significant extrusion expertise

Qualifications

• BS degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or related field; MS preferred.
• 8+ years of formulation experience in dietary supplements, nutraceuticals, functional foods, OTC, or related environments.
• Proven ability to lead 25–40 concurrent projects across R&D pipeline.
• Experience with extrusion processes for nutritional bars.
• Strong knowledge of cGMP, HACCP, SQF, and 21 CFR Parts 101 & 111.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical authority for nutritional bar formulation programs from concept to commercialization.
• Architect and own comprehensive formulation strategies across stability, rheology, and ingredient interactions.
• Design and govern company-wide stability programs and validation reports for leadership.
• Lead raw material evaluation and substitution strategy at a platform level and publish technical guidance.
• Own end-to-end pilot and commercial scale-up, tech transfer packages, and manufacturing trials.
• Review and approve new product formulas for Master Manufacturing Records and manufacturing readiness.
• Manage 25–40 concurrent projects and provide strategic direction across the pipeline.
• Lead customer-facing technical discussions and build relationships with key accounts and customers.
• Lead sensory studies and translate insights into differentiated formulations.
• Mentor Formulator I/II and drive best practices in Nutritional Bar development.
• Drive innovation through benchmarking, trends, and white-space initiatives.
• Dedicate 15–20% of time to market-driven Nutritional Bar innovation.

Skills

Formulation expertise

Nutritional bars

Extrusion processes

Regulatory knowledge (21 CFR Parts 101

Project leadership

Mentoring

Education

BS in Food Science or related field

MS preferred

Tools

ERP/MRP systems (NetSuite)

Monday.com

Data analysis tools

Job description

R&D Sr Formulator – Nutritional Bars Santa Fe Springs, California

Job Ref: 41416

Nutritional Bars- R&D Senior Formulator:

This is a senior-level, onsite R&D role based near the Santa Fe Springs area that will serve as the organization's lead formulation expert, with a primary focus on nutritional bars. The position is responsible for driving product development from concept through commercialization, leading complex formulation projects, supporting innovation initiatives, and serving as a key technical resource across cross-functional teams and customer-facing activities.

Some of the primary requirements and highlights discussed include:

• 8+ years of formulation experience within dietary supplements, nutraceuticals, functional foods, OTC products, or related manufacturing environments.
• Significant experience developing and commercializing nutritional bars, particularly utilizing extrusion manufacturing processes.
• Expertise in formulation science, stability studies, scale-up activities, technical transfers, ingredient functionality, and shelf-life validation.
• Strong understanding of food safety and regulatory requirements, including cGMP, HACCP, SQF, and 21 CFR Parts 101 and 111.
• Experience managing multiple projects simultaneously while driving innovation, cost optimization, and continuous improvement efforts.
• Ability to provide technical leadership, mentor junior formulators, and collaborate effectively with Operations, QA, Regulatory, Procurement, Sales, and customers.
• Proficiency with data analysis, documentation systems, ERP/MRP platforms, and AI-enabled tools to support R&D efficiency and decision-making.

Additionally, the compensation range for the position is $94,000–$114,000 base salary, along with a 5% bonus opportunity, and the role requires approximately 10–15% travel.

JOB SUMMARY

The R&D Senior Formulator is the company’s highest individual-contributor formulation authority, responsible for architecting and delivering innovation across the full product development lifecycle - from early-stage concept through commercial launch and lifecycle management. This role owns the most technically complex and strategically significant formulation programs, drives platform-level innovation, and serves as the principal scientific resource for cross-functional leadership, key customers, and external partners. The Senior Formulator mentors and elevates the entire R&D team, champions data-driven decision-making and AI-enabled workflows, and shapes the technical direction of the company’s product portfolio. Mastery of formulation science, regulatory compliance, process engineering, and customer-facing technical leadership are all defining expectations of this role. Focus emphasis and development to elevate the company’s nutrition bar business to new levels. This is an onsite/in-office position.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO)

• Serve as the primary technical authority for company’s most complex, high-value, and strategically critical formulation programs across all product platforms - nutritional bars (primary focus), soft chews, dragées, and/or pan-coated forms, from concept through commercial scale.
• Architect and own comprehensive formulation strategies leveraging expert-level command of water activity control, pH and buffering chemistry, rheology, emulsification, hygroscopicity management, coating science, and multi-component ingredient interaction to deliver products that are stable, consumer-acceptable, and commercially robust at scale.
• Design and govern company-wide stability programs: author accelerated and real-time study protocols, develop Arrhenius-based degradation kinetics models and overage strategies, and issue authoritative validation reports with label claim risk assessments for senior leadership and customer stakeholders.

• Lead raw material evaluation and substitution strategy at a platform level; anticipate and resolve formulation risks upstream in the development cycle and publish technical guidance documents for use by the broader R&D team.
• Own end-to-end pilot and commercial scale-up execution for flagship programs; author complete technical transfer packages, lead manufacturing trials, product costing and cost optimization, resolve scale-dependent process and formulation challenges, and establish critical process parameters that become manufacturing standards.
• Review, approve, and champion new product formulas for conversion to Master Manufacturing Records (MMRs); serve as the final technical authority for formula accuracy, compliance, and manufacturing readiness at handoff.
• Assume senior project ownership across a portfolio of 25–40 concurrent projects; provide formulation strategy direction across the full pipeline and resolve escalated technical blockers impeding commercialization milestones.
• Serve as company’s principal R&D customer-facing Nutritional Bar technical expert; independently lead complex technical discussions, deliver innovation presentations, and build long-term technical relationships with key accounts and prospective customers.
• Lead the design, execution, and statistical interpretation of consumer and trained sensory panel studies; translate insights into differentiated formulation solutions and publish panel methodologies for team-wide adoption.
• Provide structured mentorship, technical coaching, and career development guidance to R&D Formulator I and II scientists as related to Nutritional Bar development and commercialization; review experimental designs, documentation, and results, and establish formulation best practices across the department.
• Drive company’s innovation agenda: lead competitive benchmarking, consumer trend synthesis, and white-space identification; develop and present differentiated innovation proposals and concept prototypes to R&D and Sales leadership.
• Dedicate 15–20% of time to proactive, market-driven Nutritional Bar innovation—including platform extensions, novel ingredient evaluation, concept prototyping, value engineering, and internal innovation pipeline development.
• Champion and model the use of digital tools, automation, and AI platforms (e.g., Claude) across the R&D function; develop scalable AI-enabled workflows that measurably accelerate speed-to-market, elevate documentation quality, and enhance data-driven decision-making.
• Establish and maintain meticulous formulation records and project data within company systems (Monday.com, ERP/MRP, SkuSafe); lead continuous improvement of R&D data architecture, nomenclature standards, and knowledge management practices.
• Serve as the department’s primary scout for emerging raw material science, supplier innovations, and ingredient technologies; evaluate, qualify, and introduce novel materials that expand company’s technical platform capabilities and/or deliver cost savings.
• Lead and represent R&D in cross-functional collaborations with Regulatory, QA, Procurement, Operations, and Sales on 21 CFR Parts 101 and 111 compliance, third-party certifications (NSF, USP, Informed Sport), novel ingredient safety dossiers, and supply chain risk mitigation.
• Provide technical thought leadership and change leadership within R&D; model and advance a culture of scientific rigor, continuous improvement, and organizational accountability.

Food Safety Responsibilities

• Every employee is responsible for food safety.
• Ensure all projects comply with SQF, GMP, HACCP, and pre-requisite programs.
• Embed food safety risk assessments into the project risk register and proactively communicate emerging risks.

• Incorporate Food Defense and personnel hygiene considerations into facility-impacting project plans.
• Report food safety concerns immediately to the SQF Practitioner, Quality Manager, or Plant Management.
• Serve as the department’s food safety subject matter expert; develop and deliver food safety training for junior R&D team members and support cross-functional readiness for SQF audits.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education & Certification

• BS degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a related field required. Master’s degree in a related discipline is strongly preferred.
• SQF Practitioner certification or food safety certification (PCQI, HACCP) preferred.

Technical Skills

• Advanced benchtop and formulation expertise across nutritional bars (primary emphasis), soft chews, dragée, and pan-coated product platforms with demonstrated mastery of process-formula interaction at scale.
• Advanced instrumentation and lab testing acumen: applied expertise in water activity (Aw), pH chemistry, texture science, rheology, emulsion science, and complex multi-component ingredient interaction behavior.
• Advanced proficiency in stability study design, accelerated shelf-life modeling, and degradation kinetics; independent authorship of stability protocols and validation reports required.
• Deep knowledge of food safety and regulatory frameworks: 21 CFR Parts 101 and 111, cGMP, HACCP, SQF, and applicable third-party certification requirements (NSF, USP, Informed Sport, etc.).
• Strong documentation discipline and best practices across the full PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) process; capable of independently managing all formulation records with high accuracy.
• Advanced sensory evaluation competency including experimental design, panel management, and statistical interpretation of results.
• Proficient data analysis skills: ability to build analytical models, apply descriptive and inferential statistics, and generate clear reports and visualizations for stakeholder decision-making.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint); experience with ERP/MRP systems (e.g., NetSuite), SkuSafe, survey platforms, and Monday.com required. Active and effective use of AI tools (e.g., Claude) to accelerate R&D work.
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills. Bilingual in Spanish preferred.

Experience

• 8+ years of progressive, hands-on formulation experience in dietary supplements, nutraceuticals, functional foods, OTC, and/or confectionery manufacturing with significant experience formulating and commercializing Nutritional Bars via extrusion manufacturing techniques.
• Demonstrated track record of independently owning and delivering the most technically complex pilot and commercial-scale manufacturing programs, authoring complete technical transfer documentation, and establishing validated process standards.
• Demonstrated track record of managing 30-50 concurrent projects and commercializing multiple products from bench to market in a contract development or branded supplement manufacturing environment.

• Proven experience mentoring Formulator I and II scientists and elevating R&D team technical capability.
• Demonstrated leadership in innovation pipeline development, platform strategy, and cross-functional technical leadership with senior stakeholders and key customers.

Foundational Traits

• Adaptability: Adapt fluidly to shifting workload demands, evolving procedures, and technological advancements. Navigate uncertainty and setbacks with composure and pragmatism, maintaining project momentum.
• Resourcefulness: Proactively identify and mobilize internal and external resources to overcome technical and operational obstacles. Demonstrates creativity and strategic thinking in leveraging capabilities to solve novel problems.
• Customer Focus: Provide high-quality technical service to internal and external stakeholders with professionalism, attentiveness, and a solutions-oriented mindset. Anticipates downstream customer needs in early-stage formulation decisions.
• Teamwork: Actively collaborate with cross-functional peers, contribute formulation expertise to shared objectives, and foster a positive, knowledge-sharing team environment.
• Accountability: Demonstrate full ownership of formulation decisions, project outcomes, and technical deliverables. Use scientific rigor and data to drive results and keep commitments.
• Communication: Communicate formulation science clearly and compellingly to technical and non-technical audiences. Actively listen, provide and receive candid feedback, and foster transparent project dialogue.
• Initiative: Anticipate and address technical risks and operational issues before they escalated. Demonstrates independent judgment and decisiveness in advancing project goals.
• Attention to Detail: Applies rigorous accuracy to all formulation work, documentation, and data analysis regardless of complexity or volume. Error-proofing is embedded in daily practice.
• Passionate about formulation science; brings intellectual curiosity, creativity, and scientific rigor to all aspects of product development and company culture.
• Risk Tolerance: Comfortable operating with ambiguity and making data-informed decisions under uncertainty. Apply structured risk frameworks to guide formulation and project tradeoffs.
• Decisive and results-oriented; demonstrates strong ownership for project outcomes and proactively escalates obstacles with proposed solutions.
• Self-motivated and organized; independently manages complex, concurrent project portfolios with multiple stakeholders and shifting priorities.
• Innovation Mindset: Actively seeks new scientific approaches, novel ingredients, and emerging technologies to improve formulation performance and create competitive differentiation for the company.

TRAVEL

• Travel: 10-15%

REPORTING STRUCTURE

Reports to: VP, Manager, or Director of R&D