Based in Boulder, CO, Purely Elizabeth is a high-growth natural foods company focused on creating products using elevated, nutrient-rich ingredients. Their award-winning products include granola, oatmeal and cereals.  Founded in 2009 by Elizabeth Stein, a certified holistic nutrition counselor, the company is dedicated to helping consumers thrive on their wellness journey. 

Purely Elizabeth is seeking a Senior Food Scientist to join our innovation team and lead R&D efforts for Purely Elizabeth within the breakfast category. This role will work closely with the Senior Innovation Manager on the development and formulation of new products focused on protein and functional ingredients. This person will create lab-scale prototypes, execute benchtop trials, and scale up processes to pilot and production levels. They will also establish and ensure quality standards, conduct shelf-life studies, sensory evaluations, and nutritional analysis of all new products. The ideal candidate will possess strong project management, analytical, and creative skills with a high attention to detail and data integrity. Strong abilities to collaborate, communicate, and multitask are critical.

This is a hybrid role based in Boulder, CO that requires no less than 2 days per week in the office.

ROLES + RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead product development from bench-top prototype to pilot plant to co-man plant trials to scale-up production levels and commercialization.
• Analyze nutritional labels to identify target levels of fiber, vitamins, fat, sugar, or protein.
• Identify, evaluate, and collaborate with suppliers for protein sources and functional ingredients.
• Provide technical expertise to assist with the development and review of formulations for current and future products with a focus on protein application.
• Utilize formulation software to create and update formulations.
• Work with Finance to develop costing and BOM for new product development.
• Provide technical sales support for innovation presentations for Sales and customer reviews including creating product samples.
• Independently conduct shelf-life studies, sensory evaluations, and nutritional analyses of new products.
• Maintain detailed records of all product formulations, experiments, and testing results.
• Work closely with Quality, Operations & Manufacturing to develop and set food quality and safety standards.
• Identify ways to make food production more efficient, including processing, manufacturing, and packaging.
• Ensure products meet federal, state, and local food safety and labeling regulations.

REQUIREMENTS

• 5+ years experience working in a food science centric role with a CPG brand required, preferably shelf-stable products. 
• BS in Food Science required.
• Experience conducting shelf-life studies, sensory evaluations, benchtop work, plant line trials, production scale-up, and nutritional analyses of new products.
• Advanced understanding of food systems, ingredient interactions, and functionality. 
• Extensive knowledge of shelf-stable protein sources and incorporation in food products.
• Familiarity with food regulatory requirements.
• Strong sense of urgency and project management skills, effectively prioritizing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong organizational & communication skills, able to manage cross-departmental communication with a positive mindset.
• Thinks creatively, analytically, and holistically to explore problems and generate solutions.
• Ability to lead technical trials, analyzes data to define critical issues, and makes recommendations.
• Passion for innovation and challenging the status quo.
• Detail and action orientated, highly motivated, resourceful, and can work in a dynamic business environment.
• Growth mindset, always seeking to learn and evolve knowledge and skills.
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Annual salary with the opportunity to earn an annual bonus.
• Three weeks paid time off.
• One month of holiday time off.
• Health, dental, and vision insurance plans with a significant employer contribution towards employee premium.
• Voluntary additional coverage such as life and AD&D, critical illness, accident, short- and long-term disability, legal services, and more.
• 401k plan with a dollar-for-dollar company match up to 3%.
• Half-day Fridays in Summer and Winter.
• Quarterly team build events.
• Twice annual in-person all-team summit.