Food Scientist, RTD Beverage

About the role

This role is part of the Product Development team at a high-growth functional beverage brand. The Food Scientist will own RTD formulation from concept through co-manufacturing qualification and commercial production, including validation and quality standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead formula development for the company's 2027 RTD product launch — from concept through co-manufacturing qualification and commercial production
• Own formulation science for liquid beverage formats: emulsification, pH buffering, pasteurization kill steps, headspace management, and ambient vs. cold chain stability
• Assist with the RTD co-manufacturing qualification process — technical evaluation, formula alignment, fill-line troubleshooting, and QC standards
• Support ingredient sourcing for RTD-specific inputs in partnership with Supply Chain
• Design and implement formal ingredient validation protocols for both RTD and powdered formats — including backup supplier qualification checklists that meet retail audit standards
• Partner with Quality and Sensory to build written sensory specifications for all retail-bound SKUs, creating objective pass/fail gates that can be used without your direct involvement
• Support third-party lab testing programs — defining what gets tested, interpreting results, and working with Regulatory and Quality on action thresholds
• Contribute to formula change review triggers — helping define when a formula adjustment requires regulatory review before it ships
• Work with Regulatory to ensure active ingredient dosage levels in RTD and powdered formulas are aligned with claim substantiation requirements before formulation work begins
• Partner with Marketing and company leadership during brief development to ensure ingredient levels and format decisions are commercially viable and scientifically sound
• Contribute to the company's stage-gate process — building the technical documentation that allows projects to advance through gates with confidence
• Support backup ingredient reformulation decisions with science-backed validation data, working cross-functionally with Quality and Regulatory before product ships

Requirements

• Minimum 3–7 years of experience in beverage formulation
• Proven track record of personally developing and launching a canned or liquid beverage product through a co-manufacturer to retail shelf — not advisory, not supporting — you owned it
• Deep technical knowledge of liquid beverage chemistry
• Hands-on co-manufacturing experience — you have been on the floor during production runs, troubleshot fill-line issues, and built QC alignment with external manufacturing partners
• Experience developing sensory specifications and validation protocols that hold up at commercial production volume
• Bachelor's degree or higher in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, or a related field

Strongly Preferred

• Experience with functional ingredients — adaptogens, mushroom extracts, nootropics, botanical ingredients — and the formulation challenges they create in liquid matrices
• Background at a better-for-you, functional, or natural beverage brand that has successfully scaled through Target, Whole Foods, Kroger, or Costco
• Familiarity with structure/function claim requirements and the regulatory considerations that affect active ingredient dosage levels in functional beverages
• Experience working in a cross-functional environment where NPD, Quality, and Regulatory have defined decision rights — and comfort building those structures in a scaling organization
• Experience with powdered instant beverage formats is a plus, but secondary to RTD expertise