Director of Technical Enrichment

REPORTS TO
CEO / Co-Founder

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Collaborate with OLIPOP’s leadership team on identifying technical development opportunities to support topline commercial initiatives, protect brand integrity, and enable our innovation pipeline. 
• Developing quarterly, annual & multi-year strategy roadmap to ensure OLIPOP’s leading scientific and claims position in the functional soda category.
• Building out and managing the Technical Enrichment Department, specifically internal team members or consultants with expertise ranging from clinical trials, healthcare, and food policy to registered dietitians.
• Oversee the food as medicine reimbursement strategic roadmap to increase OLIPOP’s accessibility, affordability & reimbursement across various policy or healthcare system initiatives.
• Co-developing healthcare practitioner and registered dietitian engagement program to increase OLIPOP’s adoption across private practice to hospital/healthcare system channels in these communities.
• Collaborate on OLIPOP claims and other regulatory initiatives with internal team members and external law firms.
• Identify, support preparation, and speak at various industry trade shows or retailer events communicating OLIPOP’s scientific and healthcare strategy to multiple stakeholder groups.
• Consult with marketing & PR teams to develop relevant scientific, health or technical content supporting OLIPOP’s core health values.
• Ensure accurate communication of key scientific concepts in media or conferences.
• Collaborate with supply chain and commercialization teams for new product development, including ingredient scientific diligence and claims substantiation.
• Lead in-vitro & human clinical trial programs spanning digestive and metabolic health, while ensuring we can develop OLIPOP’s beneficial health effects into claims, journal articles, white papers, media content, and other programming.
• Oversee our Scientific Advisory Board and develop a strategy for identifying gaps for additional globally recognized leaders to support scientific health or policy.
• Partner with our business insights team to identify and track our competitors to maintain our leading position in the functional soda category or potentially new product categories for development exploration.
• Embody servant leadership nurturing team members’ growth by overseeing departmental scorecards and other talent advancement programs.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Ph.D. in microbiology, nutrition, epidemiology, or biochemistry preferred. We will consider Master of Science degrees in nutrition, microbiome, digestive or a focus in metabolic health research.
• Requires at least five years of prior management or experience leading R&D teams and working cross-functionally to execute R&D strategy successfully.
• Excellent analytical, problem solving and scientific reasoning skills. You are systems-thinking yet methodical.
• Curious and passionate about understanding why prebiotic fiber and botanicals can truly help address multiple health conditions.
• Knowledge of regulatory and claims landscape related to microbiome, digestive or metabolic health.
• Experience running in-vitro and human clinical trial studies at a pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, or CPG company.
• Expertise in negotiating, managing and overseeing clinical research organizations (CROs) and other consultants to drive successful trial outcomes.
• Expertise in academic KOL relationship development, overseeing studies and negotiating legal agreements with top-tier academic institutions.
• Expertise in developing product innovation and claims substantiation roadmaps.
• Experience writing or overseeing manuscripts for publication in academic journals.
• Experience overseeing third-party labs, data analysis companies or other subject-matter-experts related to scientific research.
• Expertise in identification, development and data validation for novel product claims.
• Experience partnering with registered dietitians, nutritionists, or health coaching professionals for marketing, awareness and/or community-building.
• Familiarity with food as medicine legislation, initiatives and programs to support expansion of OLIPOP into reimbursement or other health insurance programs.
• Strong negotiation, verbal reasoning, scientific and technical knowledge.
• Prior experience working in retail channel-oriented business is preferred.
• Ability and willingness to help solve complex supply scenarios.
• Has an abundance of curiosity and a keen understanding of the “why.”
• Strong ability to build consensus while having the strength to have tough conversations in support of achieving key strategic objectives.
• Embodies our OLIPOP values - Commitment, humility, integrity, aspiration, and engaged empathy.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple high priority objectives.
• Exceptional leadership skills and ability to effectively communicate at all levels of the organization.
• This position is remote and requires approximately 25% travel.