Ollie · 2 months ago
Food Scientist
United States
Full-time
Hybrid
Mid Level
3+ years expOllie is dedicated to improving the lives of pets and their owners by providing human-grade pet food. The Food Scientist will focus on recipe design and product nutrition, ensuring that the food meets nutritional standards and is scalable for manufacturing while collaborating with various teams to incorporate consumer insights into product development.
E-CommerceFood and BeveragePet
Responsibilities
Create and optimize recipes for dogs across life stages and needs (e.g., digestive, weight, skin/coat), balancing nutritional adequacy (AAFCO), palatability, texture, cost, and sustainability
Support the ingredient strategy: select proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and fibers; define functional roles, usage levels, and substitutes; maintain the Approved Ingredient List with Regulatory
Build and maintain finished-good, raw-material, and premix specifications (nutrients, functional targets, micro/chemical limits, sensory/texture KPIs)
Lead bench and pilot trials; design trial plans; and partner with co-manufacturers to scale formulas while preserving nutrition, sensory, and yield
Coordinate nutrition, digestibility, and shelf-life studies and translate results into detailed reports highlighting actionable formulation changes
Partner with FSQA to set critical-to-quality attributes and label-claim guardrails
Collaborate with Marketing/Insights to convert owner feedback and digital health screening signals into evidence-based formulation updates
Drive value engineering: right-size protein/mineral overages, optimize premix strategy, and evaluate co-products/novel inputs for cost and sustainability without compromising performance
Author tech docs (formula BOMs, specs, change controls) and present results to cross-functional teams; maintain rigorous version control
Support claim substantiation with Regulatory (e.g., “natural,” nutrition adequacy statements) and ensure all formulations are claims-safe and compliant
Travel (up to 50%) to kitchens, pilot trials, and partners to execute formulation runs and verify in-spec manufacturing
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Animal Science, Nutrition, Chemistry, or related field; advanced degree preferred
3 to 4+ years in food product development or formulation (pet or relevant human foods such as meat/RTE/complex formulations); pet nutrition and/or meat science experience a plus
Demonstrated expertise in ingredient functionality (proteins, fats, fibers, hydrocolloids, micronutrients) and nutrient target setting for AAFCO compliance
Comfortable with experimental design and statistics (DOE), data interpretation, and translating technical findings for diverse audiences
Experience partnering with co-manufacturers to scale formulas; strong grasp of variability, yield, and cost drivers from a formulation standpoint
Collaborative, curious, and organized; able to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment and move from bench to launch efficiently
Passionate about Ollie's mission and eager to build evidence-based products that improve pets' lives
Benefits
Competitive salary and a stake in the company
Sponsored 401k program with employer match up to 4%
Comprehensive health coverage including medical, dental and vision
Unlimited vacation policy that you're encouraged to use
Paid parental leave
1-week paw-ternity leave for new dog parents
Free Ollie subscription
Company
Ollie
Ollie is a pet wellness brand that delivers freshly cooked, human-grade food tailored to each dog’s nutritional needs.
201-500 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Ollie has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (1)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$67.93MKey Investors
Alumni VenturesCanaan Partners
2024-04-02Series D· $21.35M
2020-03-31Series Unknown· $29.3M
2019-08-29Series Unknown· $0.28M
Leadership Team
Nick Stafford
CEO
Allison Stadd
Chief Marketing Officer
Recent News
2025-12-24
Canaan Partners
2025-12-24
Company data provided by crunchbase