Position Title: Director of Research & Development

Position Overview:

The Director of Research & Development will lead R&D, formulation development, innovation, and commercialization initiatives across a diverse portfolio of dietary supplements and functional wellness products, with a strong emphasis on liquid, and Ready-to-Drink (RTD) formulation development.

This individual will serve as a scientific and technical leader supporting customer innovation, ingredient strategy, formulation development and commercialization initiatives while partnering cross-functionally with Operations, Quality, Regulatory, Procurement, and Commercial teams, The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in liquid formulation development, ingredient functionality, and manufacturing scale-up within a fast-paced contract manufacturing environment.

Key Responsibilities:

·       Lead R&D, formulation development, and innovation initiatives across liquids, RTD beverages, powders, capsules, tables, gummies, stick packs, softgels, and other dietary supplement dosage forms.

·       Serve as a scientific and technical leader supporting customer innovation, ingredient strategy, formulation development, and commercialization initiatives.

·       Partner directly with customers and commercial teams to support product ideation technical consultations, ingredient selection, formulation strategy, and innovation pipeline development.

·       Provide scientific leadership related to ingredient functionality, formulation performance, stability, considerations, bioavailability, flavor systems, and emerging wellness trends.

·       Drive the development and optimization of liquid and RTD formulations, including flavor systems, taste masking, emulsification, stability, preservation systems, pH management, viscosity optimization, and sensory performance.

·       Lead bench-top, prototype creation, pilot trials, process validation, scale-up activities, and commercialization efforts while ensuring manufacturability and operational scalability.

·       Collaborate cross-functionally with operations, quality, regulatory, procurement, and commercial teams to ensure formulations meet FDA 21 CFR Part 111 requirements, cGMP standards, customer specification, and quality expectations.

·       Support customer-facing technical discussions, innovation presentations, commercialization planning, and technical problem-solving initiatives.

·       Lead troubleshooting initiatives related to formulation performance, manufacturing challenges, ingredient interactions, product stability, and process optimization.

·       Evaluate emerging ingredient technologies, scientific research, beverage trends, and customer market opportunities to support strategic innovation initiatives and customer product development opportunities.

·       Oversee formulations documentation, technical records, validation activities commercialization support documentation, and stability study coordination.

·       Support supplier collaboration and ingredient qualification initiatives, including raw material functionality, sourcing considerations, and technical assessments.

·       Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives focused on speed-to-market, product quality, innovation scalability, operational efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

Required Qualifications:

·       Bachelor’s degree in food science, Chemistry, Nutrition, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical Engineering, or related scientific discipline required, advanced degree preferred.

·       7+ years of progressive experience in product development, R&D, formulation, innovation, or technical leadership within the dietary supplement, nutraceutical, beverage, or functional wellness industries.

·       Strong hands-on experience with liquid and/or RTD formulation development within a regulated manufacturing environment.

·       Experience with beverage systems including flavor technologies, emulsions, sweetener systems, preservation systems, pH management, and stability optimization strongly preferred.

·       Deep understanding of FDA 21 CFR Part 111 regulations, cGMP requirements, and quality systems within dietary supplement manufacturing.

·       Proven experience supporting formulation scale-up, commercialization, and technology transfer activities.

·       Strong expertise across multiple dosage forms including liquids, powders, gummies, capsules, tablets, stick packs, and softgels.

·       Experience partnering directly with customers and commercial teams in a technical or innovation-focused capacity.

·       Strong communication and presentation skills with the ability to interface effectively with customers, suppliers, and executive leadership.

·       Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities within a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

·       Experience within a dietary supplement contract manufacturing (CMO/CDMO) environment strongly preferred.

·       Background supporting customer-facing technical innovation, commercialization, or strategic product development initiatives.

·       Experience with functional beverages, sports nutrition, wellness beverages, hydration products, or beauty-from-within formulations.

·       Familiarity with flavor houses, ingredient suppliers, and beverage processing/manufacturing technologies.

·       Experience supporting high-growth, fast-paced manufacturing organizations with complex product portfolios.

Additional Details:

·       Competitive base salary plus performance-based incentives.

·       Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.

·       PTO

·       High-visibility leadership opportunity with strong influence across innovation, commercialization, and product strategy.

·       Corporate Office Located in Tampa, Florida.