Sr. Scientist (Innovation & Core Expansion)

Liquid I.V.; El Segundo (CA); Hybrid; USD 103,000 - 154,700; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision insurance (

401k with company match

PTO and holidays

Wellness programs

Employee Assistance Program

Monthly tech and wellness reimburse

Infinite Liquid I.V. supply

Job summary

Liquid I.V. is seeking a Senior Scientist to join the R&D team. Reporting to the R&D Sr.

Manager, Product Development, you will drive both innovation and core expansion projects across the full product development lifecycle, collaborating with Marketing, Manufacturing, and QA to deliver scalable, market-ready solutions. You will lead flavor development, support external partnerships, perform stability studies, and assist in transferring formulations to manufacturing sites.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3–5 years of relevant work experience.
• Strong planning, organizational, and project management skills.
• Knowledge of food science, dietary supplements, and product commercialization.

Responsibilities

• Lead product development projects within innovation and core expansion teams through full lifecycle, including concept ideation, prototype development, specs, scale‑up, and post‑launch support.
• Engage external partners and internal teams to drive innovation sessions and identify opportunities.
• Lead flavor development and ensure stable, high‑quality formulations for new and existing products.
• Deliver product superiority measures and support transfer of formulations to manufacturing sites.
• Plan and execute stability studies and analyze data to guide updates to product/processes.
• Provide technical support to manufacturing sites to troubleshoot formulation issues and minimize downtime.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to implement continuous improvement across core portfolio.

Skills

Project management

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Teamwork

Multi-tasking

Education

Bachelor’s in food science

Bachelor’s in food engineering

Bachelor’s in other engineering with R&D

Tools

MS Office

Job description

About Liquid I.V.

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.

About the role:

Liquid I.V. is looking for a highly motivated, innovative, out-of-the-box thinker to join the R&D team as a Senior Scientist. Reporting to the R&D Sr. Manager, Product Development, this role will support both innovation and core expansion teams and work cross-functionally within all levels of the business.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to independently lead product development projects within innovation and core expansion teams through the full product development lifecycle, including concept ideation with Marketing, prototype development, specification creation, scale‑up support, and post‑launch/in‑market support to ensure successful commercialization.
• Support innovation initiatives by engaging external partners, including suppliers, third‑party organizations, and internal teams, to facilitate innovation sessions and identify emerging opportunities to drive continuous growth of the LIV portfolio.
• Lead the creative development of new flavors as part of innovation projects and core portfolio expansion while ensuring stable and quality formulations.
• Deliver product superiority measures with innovation, fuel for growth and resilience projects.
• Partner with technical commercialization function to ensure successful transfer and execution of product formulations and specifications at various manufacturing sites.
• Plan and execute stability studies for new and existing formulations. Analyze data to make recommendations for product and process updates.
• Lead technical evaluation and qualification of alternate raw material suppliers to reduce cost and mitigate business risk.
• Provide technical support to manufacturing sites to troubleshoot formulation and quality issues to minimize downtime and product loss.
• Support implementation of step changes in PD capabilities as outlined in function growth strategies.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional team to identify and execute continuous improvement initiatives across core portfolio to improve efficiencies.
• Work closely with marketing, insights, and sensory teams on consumer focus groups to understand product landscape and consumer needs to be addressed.
• Ensure the final product meets efficacy, cost, sensory, and aesthetic requirements in accordance with the brand’s strategy and goals.
• Travel as necessary to represent the 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:

• Preferred educational requirements: Bachelor’s degree in food science with experience in Food Engineering, Bachelor’s degree in food engineering with experience in R&D, or Bachelor’s in other Engineering Fields with significant food/R&D experience.
• Minimum of 3‑5 years of relevant work experience.
• Excellent planning, organizational, and project management skills.
• Strong working knowledge of food science, dietary supplements, health and nutrition, food manufacturing processes, quality assurance principles, ingredient supply market, and market research practices, and product commercialization.
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to define problems, collect and interpret data, draw valid conclusions, and propose solutions.
• Highly innovative and creative.
• Excellent written and oral technical communication skills.
• Strong organizational and teamwork skills, ability to multi‑task.
• Ability to work in a fast‑paced setting under tight deadlines.
• Knowledgeable in Microsoft Office.

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:

• Hybrid office environment (El Segundo, CA) with flexibility to travel up to 20% of the time.

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.

The compensation band for this position is $103,000‑$154,700 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.

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.