Senior Manager, Product Development

AG1; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 115,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% remote (excluding Laboratory posi

Unlimited PTO

Paid holidays

Telecom stipend

Stock options

Job summary

AG1 seeks a Senior Manager, Product Development in the Chicago area to lead end‑to‑end formulation and innovation for new formats and platforms. You will own the platform, drive stage‑gate readiness, and partner with flavor houses and contract manufacturers to scale products from concept to commercialization.

The role demands hands‑on lab work, strong cross‑functional leadership, and a strategic mindset to define formulation direction and prioritization.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of product development experience in the beverage or CPG industry.
• Based in the greater Chicago area.
• B.S. in Food Science or related field; Master’s degree a plus.
• 5+ years as a food scientist with RTD/beverage processing experience.
• Strategic decision‑maker with ownership of formula direction and resourcing decisions.
• Experience representing a function to senior leadership and partnering with contract manufacturers.

Responsibilities

• Lead product development and end‑to‑end innovation for new platforms, from formulation to commercialization.
• Own the Innovation Brief system and ensure its accuracy and evolution.
• Lead desirability, viability, feasibility evaluations for new concepts and prioritization across the pipeline.
• Own readiness at key stages within the Stage-Gate process.
• Drive material and formulation modifications to improve quality, stability, and cost.
• Partner with flavor houses and contract manufacturers to translate formulations to production scale.
• Own sensory and stability validation for all formulations on your platform.
• Develop and improve the platform’s innovation processes (Stage‑gate, Innovation Brief, DVF).
• Collaborate with Manufacturing to align development, pilot, and scale‑up.

Skills

Product development

Food science

Leadership

Strategic decision‑making

Cross‑functional leadership

Lab work

Education

B.S. in Food Science

Master’s degree (preferred)

Job description

At the heart of AG1 lies a commitment to our mission to empower people to take ownership of their health. Since 2010, we've dedicated ourselves to bringing Foundational Nutrition to people around the world.

Our ethos is deeply rooted in science, with an unwavering dedication to continuous improvement. We leverage and contribute to the latest research to deliver a powerful, straightforward solution for optimal health to our customers. We harness the finest ingredients so that every scoop of AG1 gives you the nutrients you need with the simplicity you want in a daily routine.

Likewise, our organization puts the same energy into creating an environment that is a reflection of the cultural values that define who we are and how we work together. These seven values— One Spectacular Life, Customer Obsessed, Radical Ownership, High Performance, Courage, Amazing Humans and Continuous Pursuit of Excellence —are a representation of the high standards we set, and hold ourselves accountable to, when it comes to building our global team.

THE ROLE

AG1 is looking for a Senior Manager, Product Development to join our growing Product Developmentteam in the Chicago market as the business continues to evolve and expand into new innovations and platforms. Reporting to the VP, Product Development, this role will serve as the development expert for owning formulation, innovation, and continuous improvement from concept through commercialization for new formats and platforms.

This person drives the innovation strategy, owns the frameworks that govern how the platform runs, and represents the platform independently in front of cross-functional and executive stakeholders. This is a hands‑on, lab-close role for someone who wants to build a platform from the ground up.

Given the collaborative and hands‑on nature of this role, the ideal candidate will be based in the Chicago area. The role offers a hybrid work arrangement, with the expectation of working onsite at the lab outside Chicago 2 days per week on average, or more frequently as business needs require.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Lead product development and innovation for new platforms end-to-end, from formulation through commercialization, owning the platform the way a P&L owner would own their business.
• Own the Innovation Brief system for your platform — accountable for its accuracy, completeness, and evolution as a tool, not just its upkeep on individual projects.
• Lead the desirability, viability, and feasibility evaluation process for new product concepts, shaping how ideas are assessed and prioritized across your platform's pipeline.
• Own readiness at key phases and milestones within the company's broader Stagegate process.
• Drive material and formulation modifications to improve product quality, stability, and cost, and to unlock new product opportunities.
• Partner with flavor houses to develop and refine flavor systems specific to designated platforms, in coordination with internal shared flavor expertise.
• Support relationships with contract manufacturers, ensuring formulations translate cleanly to production scale and that manufacturing partners are set up to execute against spec.
• Own sensory and stability validation for all formulations on your platform, ensuring products meet quality and shelf‑life standards before launch.
• Drive development and continuous improvement of your platform's innovation processes (stage gate, Innovation Brief, DVF) — you own these systems, not just recommend enhancements to them.
• Partner closely with Manufacturing to ensure tight alignment between development, pilot, and scale-up.
• Partnering with other platforms leads to sharing best practices, tools, and learnings across the broader Product Development organization.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• 7+ years of product development experience in the beverage or CPG industry, with substantial hands‑on formulation experience.
• Based in the greater Chicago area.
• BA/BS in Food Science or a related field; Master’s degree a plus.
• 5+ years as a food scientist with Ready to Drink (RTD)/beverage processing experience.
• Demonstrated experience operating as a strategic decision‑maker, not just a technical expert — comfortable owning formula direction, prioritization calls, and resourcing trade‑offs rather than escalating them upward.
• A track record of representing a function independently in front of senior leadership or executive stakeholders.
• Proven experience partnering with contract manufacturers and flavor houses to take products from concept to commercial scale.
• Strong grounding in sensory evaluation and stability testing methodologies.
• Experience building or owning innovation frameworks and processes (e.g., stage‑gate systems, prioritization frameworks), rather than only executing within them.
• Comfort operating in a hands‑on, lab‑based environment — this role is most effective sitting close to the lab given the iterative nature of development work.
• Strong cross‑functional leadership skills, with the credibility to operate as a peer among other functional directors.
• A builder's mindset — this role is establishing a new platform capability, so comfort with ambiguity and a willingness to define processes where none exists today is essential.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

• Competitive compensation and performance‑based incentive plans.
• A 100% remote working environment (excluding Laboratory positions), which has been implemented from day one.
• A strong company culture that is enforced through the hiring process to ensure values alignment and a highly collaborative team.
• A mission‑driven approach to everything that we do, with an overall goal to significantly improve our customers’ health and wellness.
• A high‑growth, dynamic environment with opportunities for your direct impact to be felt.
• Paid holidays, company‑wide reset and reflect days, and unlimited PTO (based on your country of residence).
• In‑person team meetups for optimal collaboration, team building and accelerating productivity.
• A work environment and culture that is based on high performance, productivity and continuous improvement.
• The opportunity to work with passionate, high‑growth, business‑minded colleagues who bring their all to our mission each and every day.
• Access to AG1 products and branded swag.
• Monthly telecom stipend to offset some of the costs of home internet/wifi for eligible team members.
• All other benefits and insurances as required by law, based on your specific country of residence.

AG1 is dedicated to providing equitable and competitive compensation & benefits packages. For this particular role, the base salary range is $115,000.00 - $135,000.00 and will ultimately be decided at the offer stage, based on an individual candidate’s level of skills and experience aligned with the needs of this role. Base salary is one component of total compensation for this position. We provide a competitive mix of base salary, performance bonus, and stock option allocation for eligible roles.

AG1 is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to inspiring fulfilling lives, starting with a focus on health and we believe this starts in the workplace. We do this by providing employees with a safe and welcoming work environment free of discrimination and harassment. We strive to create a diverse & inclusive environment where all team members can thrive, feel a sense of belonging, and make a difference in the world together. We do not discriminate based on age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, pregnancy, veteran status, disability, or any other status protected by law. We are an equal opportunity employer.

Pursuant to the Los Angeles Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Please review our Privacy Policy, including the Job Applicants section, to learn more about how we collect and use personal information in the application process: https://drinkag1.com/privacy .