Senior Product Development Technologist in Phoenix, Arizona at Precision Science Inc

Precision Science is seeking an experienced Senior Product Development Technologist. This role is responsible for the development of new products, the optimization of existing products, and the onboarding of transfers. The candidate should be comfortable formulating with natural raw materials, understand the importance of ensuring the manufacturability of a formulation, and be able to work effectively and cross-functionally across our Operations, Supply Chain/Purchasing, Quality Assurance, Quality Control, Account Managers, and Accounting/Finance groups.

This positions comes with benefits, paid time off, holiday pay and 401 match.

KEY DUTIES OF RESPONSIBILITIES:

Product & Formulation Development
•Lead formulation and process development strategies for nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and supplement products, including soft chews, pellets, powders, and emerging delivery formats.
•Identify, evaluate, and implement new ingredients, technologies, and manufacturing approaches to support innovative product offerings.
•Translate customer requirements, product briefs, consumer insights, and market opportunities into formulation strategies that achieve target dose delivery, sensory attributes, stability, and manufacturability.
•Develop and evaluate prototypes through bench, pilot, and commercial-scale development activities.
•Analyze product attributes including texture, water activity, moisture, pH, color, stability, and sensory characteristics to establish product performance and scalability.
•Create comprehensive technical data packages supporting development decisions, scale-up, validation, and commercialization.
Process Development & Technical Excellence
•Design and execute Design of Experiments (DOE) studies to identify critical material attributes (CMA), critical quality attributes (CQA), and critical process parameters (CPP).
•Establish robust operating ranges and process controls to improve manufacturing consistency and scale-up reliability.
•Develop and maintain CPP/CQA/CMA strategies for soft chew, pellet, and powder manufacturing programs, including parameter rationale, monitoring requirements, and process capability expectations.
•Apply statistical methods, process capability analysis (Cpk/Ppk), data mining, and other analytical approaches to identify opportunities for process improvement.
•Support troubleshooting activities by applying scientific principles, structured problem solving, and root cause analysis.
Commercialization & Stage-Gate Leadership
•Establish and govern technical standards for product development stage gates, including required deliverables, acceptance criteria, risk assessments, and escalation pathways.
•Evaluate technical readiness and provide recommendations for advancement, modification, or discontinuation of development programs.
•Define validation strategies and acceptance criteria across development lifecycle stages.
•Partner with Operations and Quality teams to establish continued process verification (CPV) expectations and ensure manufacturing readiness.
•Lead product stability strategies including risk assessment, study design, acceptance criteria, and interpretation of results to support commercialization decisions.

Cross-Functional Collaboration
•Partner with Quality, Regulatory, Manufacturing, Procurement, Supply Chain, and Account Management teams to resolve technical challenges and ensure successful product commercialization.
•Establish alignment between bench, pilot, and commercial-scale development expectations, including sampling strategies and technical translation requirements.
•Develop strategic partnerships with suppliers, technical experts, and industry organizations to advance innovation opportunities and product platforms.
•Provide technical leadership during customer meetings, commercialization reviews, and leadership forums.

Knowledge Management & Team Development
•Build organizational knowledge through technical reports, development summaries, presentations, and standardized documentation practices.
•Establish and promote product development best practices, systems, and decision-making frameworks.
•Mentor scientists and engineers in formulation development, DOE methodology, process understanding, documentation practices, and regulated product development.
•Elevate team capability through coaching, technical guidance, and knowledge sharing.

Quality Systems & Risk Management
•Champion documentation accuracy, change control discipline, and risk-based decision-making throughout product lifecycle activities.
•Develop and review risk assessments, identify mitigation strategies, and ensure alignment across technical and operational teams.
•Ensure development activities meet applicable cGMP expectations and regulatory requirements.

People Leader Responsibilities
•Assist in the selection process for recruiting new R & D team members; including screening resumes and participating in the interviews.
•Train, coach, develop, and provide performance management for assigned employees.
•In coordination with the Development Director, provide technical direction, project guidance, and on-the-job training for team members.
•Support employee development through coaching, feedback, and career growth discussions.
•In coordination with the Development Director, address team concerns and facilitate effective communication.
•Provide feedback for the performance evaluations.
•Ensure R & D team members follow company safety, quality, and compliance expectations.
•Other duties as assigned by management.

QUALIFICATIONS:
•Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, or related scientific discipline. Master’s degree preferred.
•Minimum of five (5) years of experience in product development, formulation science, process engineering, or related technical functions.
•Demonstrated experience applying statistical analysis, experimental design, data analysis, modeling, or data mining techniques to solve complex technical problems.
•Experience developing and commercializing products in a regulated manufacturing environment.
•Experience commercializing products under FDA, USP, NASC, NSF, OTC-monograph, or NDA-related requirements preferred.
•Experience with formulation and scale-up activities in a cGMP manufacturing environment preferred.
•Experience leading technical teams and mentoring product development scientists or engineers preferred.
•Experience developing nutraceutical, dietary supplement, pharmaceutical, or functional food products preferred.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS:
•Advanced knowledge of soft chew, pellet, powder, and dietary supplement manufacturing processes and ingredient functionality.
•Proficiency with Microsoft Office, ERP/database systems, project management tools, stage-gate methodologies, and formulation software such as Concept5 and/or ESHA Genesis.
•Ability to interpret nutritional, formulation, manufacturing, and analytical data to make evidence-based recommendations.
•Strong business acumen with the ability to balance technical feasibility, customer needs, consumer expectations, manufacturing capability, and commercialization risk.
•Demonstrated leadership in innovation, technical problem solving, and cross-functional collaboration.
•Ability to establish systems, standards, and processes that improve organizational effectiveness.
•Strong project management skills including prioritization, risk management, critical path planning, and execution in a fast-paced environment.
•Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including technical documentation, reports, presentations, and customer-facing discussions.
•Ability to analyze complex technical information, define problems, collect and interpret data, establish conclusions, and recommend solutions.
•Strong mathematical and statistical foundation, including probability, statistical inference, ratios, percentages, and process capability concepts.
•Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot manufacturing challenges and implement practical solutions.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS :
•Typical work in a pilot lab, and manufacturing environment where you will have exposure to powders (dust), water/moisture, odors, and noise.
•Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
•Must be able to lift and carry 30 pounds at times.
•Hand dexterity and strength.

WORK ENVIROMENT:
•Typical work in a pilot lab, and manufacturing environment where there is exposure to powders (dust), water/moisture, odors, and noise.
•Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
•Must be able to lift and carry 30 pounds at times.
•Work in all seasons within a dusty environment evaporative cooling system.
•No allergies to raw materials such as ie... wheat, soy, alfalfa, antibiotics or peanut butter.