Senior Innovation Scientist

Senior Innovation Scientist Oats Overnight Inc
• Phoenix, AZ, US

Oats Overnight is on a mission to build a generational CPG brand. Since 2016, our high-protein, drinkable oatmeal has reached over a million customers through direct-to-consumer, and we’re now scaling with all major nationwide retail and club partners. Our goal: become a household brand by leveraging speed, storytelling, and strategy.

We are vertically integrated: we develop, manufacture, and fulfill everything in-house. This operational control allows us to engage customers directly into the R&D process, an initiative where we were first-to-market in CPG. It also makes our brand tangible and real: our factory, our team, and our product pipeline are all part of the narrative.

This is an exciting stage — we are emerging as a significant omni-channel brand and launching new products to capture significant market share across verticals. We want you to help us get there.

Every teammate here has equity because we’re building something big, and everyone plays an important role. If you’re excited about building a brand that does things differently, this is that opportunity.

We are not accepting candidates from third-party recruiters or agencies for this role — direct applicants only.

We are looking for a Senior Food Scientist – Innovation to provide technical expertise and lead the development and review of formulations for current and future products. This role will collaborate with cross-functional teams to create new products from concept to commercialization. The Sr. Food Scientist will evolve and improve nutritional quality, flavor, and texture of our current and future food products, and will help the company stay at the forefront of new developments and product innovations.

To be successful, this person will interpret and apply scientific methodologies to develop new, great-tasting food formulations, translate consumer insights into innovative product opportunities, and align business objectives with clear project goals. The ideal candidate will be a team player who thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and enjoys mentoring and collaborating with others.

• Lead the design, development, and optimization of new product platforms with a focus on RTM (ready-to-mix) applications.
• Apply advanced design of experiments (DOE) methodologies to evaluate ingredient performance, interactions, and consumer impact.
• Drive ingredient functionality innovation, leveraging emerging technologies, novel proteins, fibers, flavors, and natural sweetener systems.
• Partner with sourcing, operations, and suppliers to identify and qualify new ingredients and technologies that expand product opportunities.
• Lead scale‑up readiness efforts, partnering with operations and manufacturing to ensure seamless transition from bench to pilot to plant.
• Champion value‑engineering by identifying opportunities for cost reduction, process simplification, and ingredient efficiency while protecting taste, nutrition, and quality.
• Translate sensory and analytical data into actionable insights to drive continuous improvement.
• Deliver high‑level technical presentations that communicate complex scientific results, opportunities, and risks to stakeholders across R&D, operations, and leadership.
• Mentor junior scientists in experimental design, technical problem‑solving, and innovation best practices.
• Stay current on trends, technologies, and emerging science to anticipate and shape future product platforms.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Experience:
  
  Minimum 5+ years in the food industry focusing on product development or applications science (RTM or beverage powder product experience strongly preferred). 7+ years preferred for highly technical or leadership-focused roles.
• Education:
  
  Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Nutrition, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related discipline. Master’s or Ph.D. preferred.
• Proven expertise in ingredient functionality across proteins, fibers, flavors, and sweetener systems.
• Experience in flavor development and application, especially in complex powder and RTM systems.
• Proficiency with DOE…