Gummy Formulator/Product Development Specialist in Sarasota, Florida at HE Gummy USA Inc

Company: Gummy USA
Job Title: Production Manager
Location: Sarasota, FL
Job Type: Full-Time
Reports To: Director of Research and Development

About Gummy USA:
Gummy USA is a fast-growing nutraceutical and pharmaceutical gummy manufacturer committed to precision dosing, innovation, and high-quality production. Our patented technologies and strategic partnerships have positioned us as leaders in the health and wellness industry, serving domestic and international markets. We are dedicated to excellence, compliance, and scalability, delivering value to consumers, partners, and communities alike.

Job Summary:
We are seeking an experienced Gummy Formulator to develop, optimize, scale, and support the manufacturing of high-quality gummy products across the nutraceutical, dietary supplement, functional wellness, OTC, and related health-product categories.

The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with pectin and gelatin gummy systems, active ingredient incorporation, flavor and color development, texture optimization, stability, and commercial-scale manufacturing. This position will work closely with R&D, Quality, Regulatory, Production, Procurement, and Operations to move products efficiently from concept and benchtop formulation through validation and full-scale production.

Key Responsibilities:
• Develop new pectin- and gelatin-based gummy formulations from concept through commercial production.
• Reformulate or match existing products based on customer specifications, nutritional targets, sensory characteristics, and cost requirements.
• Determine appropriate concentrations and processing parameters for:
o Vitamins and minerals
o Botanical and herbal extracts
o Amino acids
o Functional ingredients
o Nutraceutical actives

• OTC/homeopathic ingredients where applicable and under appropriate regulatory oversight.
• Develop and optimize sugar, low-sugar, sugar-free, vegan, and clean-label formulations.
• Optimize gummy characteristics including taste, texture, chew, appearance, potency, pH, Brix, water activity, moisture, set time, and shelf stability.
• Develop flavor systems capable of masking difficult or unpleasant-tasting active ingredients.
• Conduct benchtop trials and transition successful formulations into pilot and commercial-scale production.
• Establish appropriate cooking temperatures, solids levels, depositing parameters, drying/curing conditions, and finishing processes.
• Troubleshoot production issues including sticking, sweating, crystallization, poor setting, inconsistent texture, active degradation, flavor changes, and weight/potency variation.
• Work directly with manufacturing personnel during scale-up and initial production runs.
• Develop and maintain formulation records, master formulas, batch instructions, specifications, SOPs, and R&D documentation.
• Coordinate stability testing and evaluate product performance throughout shelf-life studies.
• Work with Quality and Regulatory personnel to ensure formulations and manufacturing processes comply with applicable cGMP and FDA requirements.
• Evaluate new ingredients, pectins, gelatins, sweeteners, flavors, colors, coatings, processing aids, and active ingredients.
• Work with Procurement to identify reliable ingredient suppliers and alternative raw materials.
• Identify opportunities to improve yield, throughput, consistency, ingredient utilization, and manufacturing cost.
• Protect proprietary formulas, manufacturing processes, customer information, and company intellectual property.

Qualifications

Required/Preferred:
• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Science, Chemical Engineering, Nutrition, or related discipline preferred; significant relevant formulation experience may substitute for formal education.
• 3+ years of hands-on gummy, confectionery, supplement, or related formulation experience preferred.
• Demonstrated experience developing commercial gummy formulations.
• Strong knowledge of pectin and/or gelatin hydrocolloid systems.
• Understanding of pH, Brix, water activity, solids, temperature, acidification, gelling behavior, drying, and stability.
• Experience working with vitamins, minerals, botanical extracts, functional ingredients, and high-load actives strongly preferred.
• Experience scaling formulations from laboratory batches to commercial manufacturing equipment.
• Knowledge of dietary supplement and food cGMP requirements.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving capabilities.
• Excellent documentation and organizational skills.
• Highly Desirable Experience

Experience with any of the following would be particularly valuable:
• High-potency or high-active-load gummies
• OTC or pharmaceutical dosage-form development
• Homeopathic products
• Creatine and sports-nutrition formulations
• Probiotic or digestive-health products
• Sugar-free gummy systems
• Natural flavors and colors
• Stability and shelf-life programs
• High-speed gummy depositing equipment
• Continuous or automated dosing/depositing systems
• Technology transfer and manufacturing scale-up

Key Performance Expectations

Success in this position will be measured by the ability to:
• Develop commercially viable formulations quickly and accurately.
• Successfully transition laboratory formulas to full-scale manufacturing.
• Consistently achieve potency, weight, texture, flavor, and stability specifications.
• Reduce formulation and manufacturing problems.
• Improve production yield and cost efficiency.
• Maintain accurate and complete formulation documentation.
• Support rapid development of innovative products for customers and company-owned brands.

Ideal Candidate:
The ideal candidate is not simply a laboratory formulator. We are seeking someone who understands how to create a great gummy and how to manufacture it successfully at commercial scale.

This individual should be comfortable working directly on the production floor, solving formulation and process challenges in real time, and helping build a best-in-class gummy manufacturing operation.

Confidentiality:
This position will have access to proprietary formulations, manufacturing processes, customer information, and intellectual property. Execution of appropriate confidentiality, invention-assignment, and intellectual-property agreements will be required.