Innovation Operations Manager

Take ownership of turning ambitious, unconventional product ideas into commercially viable opportunities. In this highly cross-functional role, you will investigate concepts beyond established product categories, connecting scientific research, technical feasibility, manufacturing capabilities, regulatory requirements, and market potential. You will lead innovation projects from initial evaluation through commercialization, building the business cases and partnerships needed to make informed investment decisions. Working closely with R&D, formulators, suppliers, and senior leadership, you will bring structure to uncertainty and keep initiatives moving toward clear outcomes. Success means not only identifying promising ideas, but also making timely, evidence-based decisions to stop concepts that are unlikely to succeed. This is a hands-on opportunity to shape a disciplined innovation function within a remote-first, globally distributed organization.

• At least 7 years of demonstrated success in project management, ideally involving product development, innovation, or exploration of new product categories.

• Professional experience in the dietary supplement, nutraceutical, food and beverage, consumer packaged goods (CPG), or pharmaceutical industries.

• Extensive knowledge of R&D and formulation processes, manufacturing capabilities, and relevant regulatory frameworks, including FDA requirements, DSHEA, and cGMP.

• Strong understanding of ingredients and their technical applications in dietary supplements.

• Hands-on experience with innovative product delivery formats, such as liposomal or encapsulation technologies, softgels, gummies, jellies, sprays, sachets, or functional beverages.

• Proven ability to manage several complex projects and competing priorities with excellent organizational skills.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate technical information for different audiences and influence senior stakeholders.

• Excellent analytical capabilities, with experience structuring feasibility assessments, interpreting data, and developing well-supported business cases.

• Proficiency with project management tools such as Asana, Monday.com, Smartsheet, MS Project, Jira, or similar platforms.

• Comfort working in ambiguous, early-stage environments and creating structure where processes and requirements are not yet defined.

• A proven track record of delivering outcomes, including personally taking at least one novel or first-of-its-kind product, format, or process from initial concept through commercial launch.

• Strong commercial judgment and the confidence to recommend discontinuing an initiative when the evidence does not support further investment, including when communicating with founders and senior executives.

• Practical financial modeling skills, including the ability to independently build COGS calculations, margin analyses, break-even models, and business cases using Excel or Google Sheets.

• Ability to critically assess scientific literature, supplier technical documentation, product specifications, and certificates of analysis, and to engage confidently with formulators and manufacturers.

• Availability to work remotely from within the United States, with required overlap with Eastern Time (EST) business hours.

• A bachelor's degree in business, science, engineering, or a related discipline is preferred; PMP or equivalent project management certification is an advantage.

• Experience commercializing ingredients or raw materials in B2B markets, including specification development, GRAS or NDI dossiers, toxicology and safety documentation, and ingredient customer support, is a plus.

• Experience with consumer hardware, devices, or wellness equipment, including sourcing, certification, and safety testing, is desirable.

• Previous experience implementing or managing formal stage-gate or phase-gate innovation processes is an advantage.