Research & Development (R&D) Manager - Herbalist

Welcome to Apothékary™ , where Nature is Medicine™. We harness the intelligence of nature by creating clean, effective herbal remedies that target the root cause of health imbalances like helping to ease stress, support the gut, strengthen immunity, boost energy, and sharpen mental focus. Our herbal formulas feature traditional herbs from several medicinal modalities including Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Japanese Kampo, and Western herbalism. We believe in getting to the root cause of health issues and herbs can be a great place to start your journey and promote wellness for the long-term. 

We were founded in early 2019 by Shizu Okusa, a serial entrepreneur in the wellness industry and named E&Y’s Entrepreneur of the Year 2021. After leaving an intense finance career, she became inspired to live a more balanced lifestyle and revisit her Japanese roots and passion for herbal medicine. Shizu set out to help others regain their holistic health using traditions she grew up with and ones she learned along the way.

Why work with us?

1. You will get the chance to be an early team member at a fast-growth health & wellness startup disrupting the intersection of food and medicine – preventative healthcare rooted in herbal medicine
2. We are growing fast (100x growth in two years, over $16M in capital raised, and quadrupled the size of the team)
3. We’re a tight-knit, passionate team, where you'll learn a ton and have ownership over your responsibilities.
4. Work with a seasoned second-time founder and executive team

The role:

We are seeking a dedicated and experienced R&D Manager with expertise as an herbalist to lead the development and innovation of our herbal product line. This role will focus on researching, formulating, and ensuring the quality and efficacy of products that align with our mission of providing natural and effective herbal remedies. The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of herbal medicine, product development, and regulatory compliance in the dietary supplement or wellness industry.

This experienced individual will report directly to the Head of Operations & New Product Development and serve as the primary point of contact with current and new co-manufacturers. They will also work closely with the company Founder and the marketing team to develop product narratives. This is a highly visible and impactful role that requires strong analytical skills, excellent communication abilities, and a keen ability to think strategically and execute effectively.

Responsibilities:

R&D and Product Formulation:

• Spearhead the research, formulation and development of products in line with business, brand objectives and market opportunities
• Utilize traditional herbal medicine principles and modern scientific methods to ensure Apothékary standards of product efficacy, quality, safety, sustainability whilst meeting regulatory requirements
• Be at the forefront of industry trends, scientific research, and consumer preferences to identify and recommend new opportunities for product innovation or improvement on existing formulations
• Own the new product development process from creation to launch including but not limited to product roadmap, Go-To-Market lead times, sampling rounds and formulation approvals, and sourcing for vendors
• Point of contact and manage relationships with co-manufacturers; collaborate with co-manufacturers on the commercialization and technical specifications of formulations, sourcing of sustainable, high-quality ingredients, address production quality, consistency, and capacity issues to ensure product quality and supply stability
• Negotiate with existing and new co-manufacturers for price quotes and formulate and new/existing formulations to meet margin requirements
• Continuously improve and enhance products and formulations; lead efforts to enhance product attributes such as taste, texture, nutritional content packaging, and shelf life
• Problem solve quality issues by providing R&D expertise: root-cause analysis and rework / recuperation recommendations
• Create educational product briefs for Marketing and Ops hand off, including supporting research articles on claims, the herbs and ingredients chosen, and founding content structure for future Marketing assets and copy
• Point of contact and liaison with contract research organizations to design clinical trials and consumer perception studies to substantiate product claims
• Design and conduct consumer perception questionnaires/studies to assess effectiveness and use results to summarize insights and strategies
• Maintain detailed records of research, testing, and product development processes
• Lead and mentor a high performing R&D team including the Product Development and Quality Specialist
• Foster a culture of innovation, continuous learning and improvement, and uphold high degree of ethics and integrity

Regulatory Compliance:

• Ensure all products, packaging, labelling and claims comply with FDA, FTC, USDA, DSHEA, and other relevant regulatory standards and sign off on all labeling of products
• Stay abreast of evolving regulations and industry standards and continuously ensure Apothékary products remain compliant
• Ensure complete documentation on raw materials, formulations, process parameter, QC and 3rd party tests, and all labeling requirements
• Verification of cGMP certification, shelf life of new ingredients, ingredient substitution, and production standards of new and current co-manufacturers
• Grow and build out our claims substantiation dossier
• Maintain and apply for new product certifications in line with company initiatives (non-GMO, GFCO, organic, B-corp, etc.)
• Work closely with quality assurance teams to develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) and maintain quality control

Cross-Functional Collaboration:                                                                               

• Advise and work with the Marketing, Creative, and Digital teams to ensure all product claims satisfy Marketing needs and key benefits while balancing language to meet FDA minimums
• Act as subject matter expert in our products and advise/support the Customer Success team with incoming customer inquiries

• Review/write educational research-based content for our blog (and possibly other outlets) on health and herbalism topics
• Support content creation team on content creation and overall strategy
• Create recipes based on current trends for new and existing products 
• Create training materials and hold online internal and external training sessions for onboarding new retail customers. 
• Reviewing and summarizing product feedback from customers

Requirements

Ideal candidate:

• Bachelor or Master’s degree in Herbal Science/Medicine, Botany, Pharmacognosy, or a related certification in herbalism, nutrition, or other alternative health modalities
• Minimum 5 years experience in herbal product development and formulation in the dietary supplements or wellness industry
• Demonstrated expertise in herbal formulation and ingredient knowledge of traditional and modern herbal practices and processing technologies
• Strong knowledge of FDA and cGMP regulations in the dietary supplement space
• Strong leadership and project management abilities
• Excellent verbal and written skills, ability to work efficiently with all levels of the company and able to effectively present technical information to technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills with external partners including brand partners, co-manufacturers and vendor relations
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, timeline-focused team environment
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Proficient with Microsoft Office and Google Suite or related software

Bonus points:

• Registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild
• Experience at a high-growth, fast-paced startup
• Entrepreneurial mindset

Time and Location:

The role is full-time and fully remote. For this position you must be available during a portion of our core hours between 9am - 5pm ET with some flexibility depending on your preference/time zone. While some flexibility will be allowed, this role will work closely in collaboration with our Head of Operations and other team members who work primarily during those hours.

This position is available to start immediately. Note that job responsibilities may change based on the company’s evolving needs. 

Apothékary is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team where everyone can thrive and contribute to our shared mission. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. 

Benefits

Compensation:

• Full-time (40 hours per week)
• Salary range: $80,000 - $90,000
• Comprehensive health, dental and vision plans 
• Monthly paid Mental Health Days in addition to PTO
• Monthly Apothékary product stipend