Sr. R&D Procurement Specialist

We're so happy you're here! Thank you for checking our job out and we hope to have the chance to meet you in our interview process! 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.

A bit about us... At Grüns, we believe that foundational nutrition should be simple and convenient for everyone. We're dedicated to bringing comprehensive and real nutrition to you through our gummies, formulated from 60 nutrient-dense and whole-food ingredients. Simply enjoy a grab-and-go snack pack of gummies daily whenever fits best in your schedule and wherever life takes you. Like you, we were disappointed. There’s an infinite number of “nutrition” companies, all focused on what’s best for them — not what’s best for you. Hundreds of products to sell you on, low-quality ingredients, and small nutrient doses. We’ve seen it all. So we decided it was time to fix it. No more choking on and popping pills like a pharmacy. No more clean-up and disgust from gross powders. And no more cobbling together handfuls to dozens of supplements. Grüns is comprehensive nutrition, made convenient and delicious. What we care about... Autonomy: Only the best work at Grüns. We’re all confident, independent leaders. We are proactive. We find opportunities for improvement. Don’t ask; just do. When our actions impact other areas of the organization, we communicate with those functional leaders to ensure connectivity. Growth: We love to take on new challenges, learn new things, and express interest in new functions. “I’ve never done this before” is not an excuse; it’s an opportunity. Community: We care deeply about each other. We’re good humans and provide support wherever we can. We care, not just professionally but personally as well.

Compensation & Perks:

• For every role, we aim to have highly competitive compensation and opportunity for impact and career growth.

Everyone at Grüns works hard, but we believe in wellness and balance too. We have super strong benefits coverage -- for you and your family, generous PTO, free Grüns subscriptions, and a few more perks centered around health and well-being that we can't wait to tell you about!