Our Opportunity:

Chewy is looking for an Associate Director, Product Development and Formulation (Private Brands) to join our exciting and fast-paced Chewy Brands team in Plantation, FL. We're growing and if you are equally passionate about creating industry leading brands, this opportunity at Chewy might be a great match! In this role, you’ll lead the Research and Development Team responsible for creating innovation and driving growth for our consumable Chewy brands. The ideal candidate should have proven track record of developing pet food and treats, strong technical and nutritional skills, and ability to work in a fast-paced product development environment with cross functional teams.

What You’ll Do:

• Create, design, and develop our private brand pet food and treat products by collaborating with cross-functional team members (Product Platform, Quality Assurance, Supply Chain, Category Management, Regulatory and Marketing) as well as our manufacturing partners.
• Lead the creation and execution of a multi-million-dollar new product pipeline in support of our Platforms and win / play / show framework.
• Use strong business skills to appropriately scope the technical development of pet products as well as drive innovation for the company.  
• Manage and communicate technical complexity and project updates with external partners and within inter-departments.
• Oversee a team that will develop new processes to identify innovation and key R&D components to launch products customers and pet parents will love.
• Deliver project success with the agreed upon metrics including cost, aesthetics, technical feasibility, commercial feasibility, and consumer acceptance.
• Demonstrate the ability to troubleshoot and resolve various project challenges with the support of cross-functional team members.
• Develop, Manage, and track the R&D Budget as well as make necessary changes throughout the year to ensure company financial goals are met.
• Develop relationships with thought leaders (suppliers, universities, etc.) in pet food and treats space that will lead to innovative products and delighting our customers.
• Provide necessary inputs into product renovation projects and support with adequate resourcing from the R&D team.
• Ensure commissioning process is successful during launch of new products.
• Accountability will include formulation analysis, sourcing and recommending ingredients, interpreting nutritional results, setting up and interpreting feeding study results, evaluating statistical analysis, assessing process integration and co-packing feasibility, ensuring products are developed within nutritional regulatory and QA/Food Safety guidelines, ensuring product stability, and conducting shelf-life testing.

What You’ll Need

• This position requires a BS/MS degree in a science field (e.g., Food Science, Meat Science, Animal Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Packaging, etc.) or equivalent experience in the industry.
• Depending on degree type/level, required minimum relevant experience will range from 8 to 15 years.
• Strong professional and academic networks in the field of pet food or human food.
• Knowledge of USDA, FDA and AAFCO regulations as they relate to standards of identity, ingredients, nutrition labeling and label claims.
• Strong scientific knowledge of meat science principles as they relate to meat processing: kibble manufacturing, wet food manufacturing, treat manufacturing – freeze dried, jerky, biscuit, dehydrated, etc.
• Department/functional management experience
• Multi-functional team leadership and project management with excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to drive process improvement.
• Demonstrated integrity, maturity, professionalism, and sensitivity Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook)
• May be required to travel up to 40%. 

Bonus:

• Consumer product goods, e-commerce or retail experience preferred.