Sr. R&D Procurement Specialist

About the role

We’re looking for an Sr. R&D Procurement Specialist to fuel Grüns’ innovation pipeline by finding, vetting, and delivering the very best ingredients — fast. This role sits at the intersection of science and sourcing, combining a curiosity for what’s next in nutrition with the rigor to evaluate ingredient efficacy, quality, and feasibility.

You’ll uncover novel and proven actives, build supplier partnerships, and critically assess clinical evidence (especially for branded ingredients) to ensure our formulations are both effective and defensible. This role collaborates closely with R&D, Product Development, Quality, Regulatory, and Operations, and reports directly to our Sr. Manager, R&D within the Product organization.

This is a remote HQ role — we operate in a fully remote, high-trust environment and meet bi-annually for energizing in-person offsites. Occasional travel to suppliers, audits, and industry events (e.g., SupplySide, NPEW) is expected.

In this role, you will:

Source & Scout

• Proactively identify ingredients (botanicals, minerals, vitamins, fibers, functional actives, flavors, excipients) with a focus on clinically supported, label-friendly, and gummy-compatible options.
• Build and maintain a competitive inventory of ingredients, capturing efficacy claims, standardization markers, and differentiation potential.

Evaluate the Science

• Critically assess clinical and preclinical data for candidate ingredients, evaluating study design, endpoints, dosage, and reliability.
• Summarize findings in clear, decision-ready briefs for Product and Brand to support innovation and claims.

Qualify & Negotiate with Suppliers

• Lead supplier due diligence, including quality questionnaires, certifications (GFSI), audit coordination, CoA review, and method validation (e.g., HPLC, ICP-MS).
• Review contaminant, micro, and allergen specs, and negotiate MOQ, lead times, and sample delivery for pilot and scale-up trials.

Enable Fast Formulation

• Partner with R&D to maintain a living ingredient portfolio considering cost, stability, sensory impact, and manufacturability.
• Support formulation timelines through proactive communication and data organization.

Operationalize & De-risk

• Build supply resiliency through multi-tier sourcing and vendor diversification.
• Collaborate with QA to ensure ingredient qualification, traceability, and acceptance criteria are met.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work with R&D on trials and V2 improvements, Ops on PO timing and inventory planning, and Brand on credible ingredient storytelling.
• Support CX with ingredient FAQs and claims accuracy.

We’re looking for someone who:

• 2-4 years of experience in ingredient sourcing, procurement, or ingredient science within CPG, nutraceuticals, or food-tech (gummy experience a plus).
• Hands-on experience with supplier qualification, audits, and sustainability questionnaires, and experience negotiating commercial terms.
• A Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Nutrition, Chemistry, Biology, or a related field.
• Strong understanding of clinical research methods (RCTs, meta-analyses, confidence intervals, power, bias, validity).
• Fluency in quality and analytical fundamentals – CoA review, potency/purity testing, stability, and shelf-life considerations.
• Excellent communication skills – able to translate scientific and technical detail into actionable insights for diverse teams.

Approach to the role:

• Scientifically curious: constantly learning and scanning the market for new, validated ingredients.
• Operationally sharp: builds structure, documentation, and repeatable systems for scale.
• Cross-functional collaborator: aligns science, product, and operations seamlessly.
• Quality-driven: never compromises on data integrity or sourcing standards.
• Strategic communicator: translates complex data into clear, confident recommendations.

At Grüns, we’re committed to providing a competitive total compensation package — grounded in market data that considers our size, stage, and industry. For this role, the base salary range is $80,000-$100,000, depending on experience.

Beyond base salary, we offer competitive equity packages and a comprehensive set of benefits designed to support your well-being, growth, and balance.