Grüns is seeking an R&D Manager, Gummy to accelerate innovation, bring new gummy formulations to life monthly, improve product quality and consistency, scale the innovation engine, launch new categories, and build formulation agility across manufacturers.
Requirements
- 4+ years of product development experience, with 2+ years specifically in gummy formulation.
- Demonstrates technical skills in formulation development and production scale-up with experience collaborating with operations and co-manufacturers
- Track record masking minerals/botanicals/vitamins (e.g., magnesium, iron, zinc, ashwagandha), managing bitterness/astringency, sulfur/green notes, developing balanced flavor profiles.
- Has experience building an R&D lab from scratch (bonus points)
Responsibilities
- Create a scrappy lab near you to conduct benchtop experimentation and rapid prototyping
- Lead rapid formulation experiments to bring multiple innovation ideas to life and accelerate product development
- Collaborate with manufacturers to bring products to life through production runs and scale-up processes
- Drive V2 formulation updates post-launch based on customer feedback to increase quality and retention
- Adapt and expand formulations to work across multiple co-manufacturers, increasing supply chain resiliency
- Work cross-functionally with vendors, operations, quality, and brand teams to bring high-impact innovation to market
- Maintain organized work environment and equipment to support consistent experimentation and development
Other
- Excels as a collaborative communicator, working effectively with cross-functional teams and external partners
- Shows strong organizational abilities to thoughtfully maintain work environment and equipment
- Brings innovation vision to life autonomously through proactive research, rapid experimentation, and creative problem-solving
- Moves fast and thinks creatively, unafraid to test new approaches and iterate quickly
- Communicates effectively with vendors and cross-functional partners to negotiate and drive projects forward
