Senior Manager, Product Development (Food Science/CPG)

Location: Chicago, IL area; hybrid arrangement with onsite work at the laboratory outside Chicago 2 days per week on average, or more frequently as business needs require.

Base salary: $115,000–$135,000 per year, plus performance bonus and stock option allocation for eligible roles.

Company

hirify.global develops science-based foundational nutrition products designed to support customers’ health and wellness.

What you will do

• Lead product development and innovation for new platforms from formulation through commercialization, owning platform direction, prioritization, and readiness.
• Own and evolve the Innovation Brief, desirability/viability/feasibility, Stagegate, and related innovation systems.
• Drive material and formulation changes to improve product quality, stability, cost, and new product opportunities.
• Partner with flavor houses, contract manufacturers, and Manufacturing to develop flavor systems and translate formulations through pilot, scale-up, and commercial production.
• Own sensory and stability validation to ensure quality and shelf-life standards before launch.
• Share tools, best practices, and learnings with other platform leads and represent Product Development independently with senior and executive stakeholders.

Requirements

• 7+ years of product development experience in the beverage or CPG industry, including substantial hands-on formulation experience.
• Based in the greater Chicago area and comfortable working in a hands-on, lab-based environment.
• BA/BS in Food Science or a related field.
• 5+ years as a food scientist with Ready to Drink (RTD) or beverage processing experience.
• Experience making strategic decisions on formula direction, prioritization, and resourcing trade-offs.
• Experience representing a function independently before senior leadership or executive stakeholders.
• Experience partnering with contract manufacturers and flavor houses to take products from concept to commercial scale.
• Strong knowledge of sensory evaluation and stability testing methodologies.
• Experience building or owning innovation frameworks and processes, such as Stagegate systems and prioritization frameworks.
• Strong cross-functional leadership skills and credibility operating as a peer among functional directors.
• Builder’s mindset, comfort with ambiguity, and willingness to define processes where none exist.

Nice to have

• Master’s degree in Food Science or a related field.

Culture & Benefits

• Mission-driven work focused on improving customers’ health and wellness.
• High-growth environment with direct impact on product and platform development.
• Collaborative culture centered on high performance, customer focus, ownership, courage, and continuous improvement.
• Paid holidays, company-wide reset and reflect days, and unlimited PTO based on the country of residence.
• In-person team meetups, hirify.global products and branded swag, and a monthly telecom stipend for eligible team members.
• Benefits and insurance provided as required by law based on the country of residence.