Senior Director of Research & Development

Company:

Elevate Health Sciences

The Senior Director of Research & Development (R & D) is a critical position that provides strategic direction, and leadership, to current and new product development for Elevate Health Sciences. The person in this role is an experienced project director of the development of dietary supplements within a Contract Manufacturing Organization. They have excellent communication skills and the ability to build strong internal/external relationships to provide the highest level of customer service.  Additionally, they have strong “hands-on” exposure in the formulation and development of dietary supplements, specifically in two piece and softgel capsules, powders, and other nutritional supplement categories.  
 
Your responsibilities will include: 

• Leads and supports Elevate’s innovation program through strong understanding of industry trends and client portfolios. 
• Interact with multiple Lines of Business within the company to translate our strategic vision into successful R&D products that positively impacts portfolio growth and the customer experience.  
• Evaluates and proposes target development objectives to executive leadership through assessment of market trends and opportunities.  

• Establishes, maintains, and reports development metrics and KPIs of project status. 
• Advances technical expertise and knowledge within the Research & Development department to support new product development. 
• Identify current trends and create new platforms that are commercially viable and meet future needs to create differentiation for our customers. 
• Leads a cross-functional team of innovators on key projects and new product development. 
• Engages customers and internal team members to clearly define desired product attributes and requirements. 

• Creates, reviews, and submits project proposals and quote formulations as requested by sales. 
• Coordinates research activities with a cross-functional team to evaluate stakeholder requirements. 
• Works closely with sales, supply chain, quality, and production teams to ensure successful product runs from quote to pilot to full batch run. 
• Develops, manages, and owns the execution of Elevate’s product innovation portfolio, from concept through commercialization. 
• Identifies, assesses, and researches potential applications for new ingredients materials, manufacturing processes, and technologies to expand Elevate’s capacity and improve the customer experience. 

• Ensures new product development fits with existing manufacturing capabilities in collaboration with Operations to develop new processes where required to ensure successful scale up and production of products. 
• Defines process tolerances for new products (raw materials, in-process, and stability) for product reliability and manufacturability, based on current science and robust data evaluation. 
• Ensures compliance with applicable standards based on business/project requirements. 

This list of duties and responsibilities is not all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities, as management may deem necessary from time to time. 

 
Qualifications: 

• Authorized to work in the United States (verified through E-Verify) 
• Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, engineering, food sciences, or similar life science, with preference for advanced degree(s) preferred. An equivalent combination of education and/or experience may be considered. 
• Minimum 7 years product development experience in nutritional supplements, or pharmaceuticals, particularly development of capsules and powders preferred. 
• Minimum five years leadership experience preferred. 

• Excellent written and oral proficiency in English 

Skills Required: 

• Demonstrated track record of successful product development, experimentation, and problem solving, with a preference in effervescent product development. 
• Must have a strong drive to understand unknowns, comfortable challenging status quo, and prone to ask questions. 
• Ability to identify and implement innovative solutions to overcome product and formula limitations using scientific methodology and robust data assessment. 

• Strong experience with blend uniformity, physical characterization of powders and materials, material agglomeration and milling technologies. 
• The technical acumen to distinguish possible raw materials interactions and reactions. 
• Strong understanding of US and international regulations and dietary supplement cGMPs.  
• Ability to translate complex concepts and information into an easy-to-understand manner to external and internal teams. 
• Demonstrated drive to identify improvement opportunities in products, processes and people.  

• Ability to provide strong rational and supporting case for proposed improvements. 
• Strong negotiator with ability to identify and understand critical value drivers for development activities. 
• Record of successful Scientific publications and achievements (conference presenter, patents, etc.) preferred. 
• Experience working with sustainable packaging and natural/clean ingredients. 
• Strong personal presence with excellent leadership, communication, interpersonal and relationship building skills. 

Elevate Health Sciences provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Elevate Health Sciences complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities.  

Elevate Health Sciences is dedicated to being an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer!  

Our Benefits & Perks:

You will be part of an engaged, inclusive, global community that values family, giving back, beauty, and sustainability. We offer competitive benefits to eligible employees with comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage; supplemental life, voluntary short-term, and disability insurance; free access to therapists; a health savings account and 401k. You'll also be empowered to prioritize what's important to you through our vacation policy.