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Santa Ana, California, United States
Onsite
We are looking for a Food Scientist with deep product formulation experience to join our Product Development team, someone who has personally developed and launched canned or liquid beverage products through a co-manufacturer to retail shelf and who understands the distinct science, validation requirements, and quality standards that commercial scale production demands. This role owns formulation for RYZE's innovation pipeline (new products and formats) and renovation pipeline (reformulating and improving what's already on shelf) across all current and future formats: RTD beverages, powdered instant, and whatever comes next. It reports directly to the Senior Director of R&D and works closely with Regulatory, Quality, Ops, and the Lab Team in Santa Ana.
Responsibilities will include:
Lead formula development across RYZE's innovation projects (new products and new formats) and renovation projects (reformulating, improving, or extending existing SKUs), from concept through co-manufacturing qualification and commercial production
Own formulation science across formats, including liquid beverage chemistry (emulsification, pH buffering, pasteurization kill steps, headspace management, ambient vs. cold chain stability) and powdered/instant formulation (solubility, moisture control, blend uniformity, shelf stability)
Lead or support the co-manufacturing qualification process for any format in play: technical evaluation, formula alignment, line troubleshooting, and QC standards
Support ingredient sourcing for RTD-specific inputs in partnership with Supply Chain
Serve as the go-to technical resource across the portfolio, flexing between formats as innovation and renovation priorities shift; this role is not siloed to a single product type
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 across all formats are aligned with claim substantiation requirements before formulation work begins
Partner with Marketing and the founders during brief development to ensure ingredient levels and format decisions are commercially viable and scientifically sound
Contribute to RYZE'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
Required:
Proven track record of personally owning a product end to end through a co-manufacturer to retail shelf, including hands on floor time during production runs, fill line troubleshooting, and QC alignment with external manufacturing partners (not advisory, not supporting)
Minimum 3 years of experience in food or beverage product formulation, preferably beverage, moving fluidly between new product innovation and renovation of what's already on shelf
Deep technical knowledge of formulation science in at least one commercial format (liquid beverage, powdered/instant, or comparable), with the ability to learn and apply the science of additional formats as the portfolio grows
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
Comfortable operating at the intersection of science, regulatory requirements, and commercial constraints: knows when a decision needs deliberate process and rigor versus when it can move fast, and can say this needs more rigor without slowing everything down
Energized by building things that don't exist yet, including the systems and processes around them, not just the formulas
Strong opinions about quality standards, with the patience to document them so they outlive any individual on the team
Works independently and with cross-functional teams to get new products across the finish line
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 affecting active ingredient dosage levels in functional beverages
Experience working in a cross-functional environment where NPD, Quality, and Regulatory have defined decision rights, with comfort building those structures in a scaling organization
Multi-format experience (e.g., RTD beverage plus powdered instant, or beverage plus bars/gummies/other formats), reflecting the breadth this role requires
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS 🌟
Low-ego, team-first: The best idea wins, no matter whose it is
Self-starter: You see what needs doing and get after it, no waiting for direction
Comfortable in ambiguity: Fast pace and shifting priorities energize you rather than rattle you
Builder at heart: You're energized by a fast-moving environment where you help create the processes and playbooks, not just follow them
Mission-driven: You genuinely care about wellness and are excited to help build RYZE's next chapter