Scientist - Nutrition

What We Offer

• Hybrid
  
  Work Schedule:
  
  Enjoy flexibility with 3 days in-office and 2 days remote.
• Competitive Compensation & Benefits:
  Receive a generous 401(k) match with immediate vesting.
• Generous Paid Time Off:
  Enjoy up to 34 paid days off annually.
• Paid Leaves:
  Parental leave, Bereavement leave, and Military leave.
• Comprehensive Health Coverage:
  Includes Medical, Dental, Vision, Healthcare FSA, and Mental Health EAP, basic Life insurance and Disability Insurance.
• Tuition Reimbursement & Career Growth:
  Access to tuition reimbursement and other learning and development opportunities.
• Employee Perks:
  Volunteer opportunities, fun employee events, and more!

Are you passionate about improving the lives of companion pets through science and innovation? Join our team as a Scientist I in Nutrition and play a hands‑on role in developing nutritious, high‑quality treats for dogs and cats.

In this role, you'll contribute to the creation of a wide range of pet products—from jerky and soft chews to kibble and wet treats—designed to support pet health, happiness, and overall well‑being. Under general supervision, you'll be involved in every stage of product development, including raw material selection, formulation, manufacturing processes, quality control, and safety assurance— to deliver safe, nutritious, and highly palatable products.

This is an exciting opportunity for an early‑career scientist to grow their expertise in pet nutrition while making a meaningful impact!

This position is located at our Secaucus, NJ corporate headquarters, and has the flexibility to work a hybrid schedule.

Research & Development (R&D) Execution, Formulation, & Quality

• Collaborate with the Product Development team to execute R&D projects and assist with managing timelines and maintaining documentation for ingredients, formulations, and final products using formulation software.
• Support the establishment of product specifications based on R&D findings and quality objectives.
• Participate in supplier engagements to verify manufacturing parameters, observe production runs, and support compliance with product quality and specifications.
• Coordinate sensory evaluations and nutritional analyses at external institutions to ensure product quality. Collect and analyze experimental data to drive formulation development and decision‑making.
• Accurately record fundamental biological test results and maintain comprehensive documentation for all experiments, ensuring precise data entry.
• Conduct and record supervised experiments, ensuring all lab equipment is operated and maintained according to standard protocols. Provide technical feedback and support during the development and validation of new test methods.
• Coordinate the evaluation of stability testing to determine product shelf life.
• Maintain data integrity by collecting and meticulously maintaining all relevant project and experimental data.

Specialized Expertise & Compliance

• Understand ingredient characteristics and their impact on product performance and quality. Select ingredients, design formulations, and prepare handmade prototypes and evaluations in the lab to develop optimal products that align with the concept.
• Apply practical knowledge of AAFCO/FEDIAF regulations (have a basic understanding to be able to make pet products based on regulatory standards, limits, and meeting the needs of cats and dogs) and support the team to follow these compliance requirements.
• Stay abreast of nutritional, food science, and manufacturing technologies through literature searches, technical meetings, industry conferences, and training sessions, applying new insights to product development and sharing findings with the team.

Marketing & Commercial Linkage

• Coordinate Home Use Tests (HUTs), including managing logistics and sample preparation for consumer studies.
• Assist the Consumer Research team with surveys and data collection efforts related to product testing.
• Support competitor product analysis by analyzing competitor products to benchmark our offerings and identify market opportunities.

Project Support & Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Work effectively within the R&D team throughout the…