Senior Manager, Innovation

JOB SUMMARY

ONNIT is doubling its launch cadence in 2027 and expanding into new categories, and we need a dedicated owner for the pipeline. In this role, you'll lead our innovation pipeline end to end, from spotting promising ingredients to launching products customers love. You'll bridge R&D and Brand. You don't need to be a scientist, but you do need to be fluent in both the evidence behind an ingredient and the commercial case for a product. 

• Reports to: Chief Marketing Officer, in close partnership with the Chief Operating Officer
• Team: Individual contributor leading cross-functional project teams 
• Scope: Supplements and functional nutrition: new ingredients, formats, flavors, categories, and hero-product renovations 
• Location: Remote (U.S.); NYC, LA, or Austin preferred. Travel up to 25% 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Discover what's next 

• Own the ingredient opportunity map. Prioritize the ingredients most likely to shape Total Human optimization, starting with our core need states (cognition and focus, energy, sleep and stress, recovery) and extending to adjacent ones (gut health, hormonal health, longevity). 
• Separate signal from hype. Track emerging clinical research, branded and patented ingredients, and new delivery technologies, and run ONNIT's trend radar with clear recommendations for leadership each quarter. 

Define where we play next 

• Expand our format and flavor range. Evaluate new form factors, from gummies, chews, and stick packs to ready-to-drink and functional foods, and set taste targets with R&D and flavor-house partners, ensuring daily products are ones people look forward to. 
• Make the case for new categories. Recommend which categories ONNIT enters as part of our 2027 expansion, and in what order, informed by consumer evidence and regular competitive teardowns. 

Build on credible evidence 

• Lead evidence reviews. Assess dose, delivery, bioavailability, safety, and study quality, and hold the line on clinically meaningful doses with formulators and scientific advisors. 
• Build compliance in from day one. Partner with Regulatory and Legal on regulatory pathway (including New Dietary Ingredient requirements), claims and substantiation, and third-party certifications like NSF Certified for Sport where they matter to our athletes. 
• Turn science into a story people trust. Create a science brief for every launch covering approved claims, the evidence behind them, and a plain-language story. 

Own the roadmap and drive concepts to launch 

• Build a balanced roadmap. Turn brand strategy into a rolling 12–18-month roadmap that balances line extensions and hero-product renovations with bigger bets, supporting our goal to double launch cadence in 2027. 
• Run a right-sized stage-gate. Quick-turn gates for extensions and renovations, a fuller path for new ingredients, formats, categories, and monthly pipeline reporting that recommends stopping projects early when the case doesn't hold. 
• Lead cross-functional launch teams. Drive approved concepts to launch with R&D, Operations, Quality and Procurement, owning COGS, margin, and timeline targets and making sure formula, packaging, labeling, and supply are ready ahead of each channel's timeline, including retail sell-in windows. 

Prove the case and co-lead go-to-market 

• Stay with every launch past the handoff. Co-lead go-to-market with Brand on positioning, naming and the launch story; equip sales, retail partners, and athletes to talk about each product credibly, and track performance at 30, 60, and 90 days. 

QUALIFICATIONS

• 8+ years in CPG innovation, NPD or R&D, with multiple products taken from concept to launch 
• Experience in supplements, functional or sports nutrition, or a closely related category 
• Strong scientific literacy. You can read a clinical study, judge its quality, and explain what it does and doesn't prove, including on safety (a degree in nutrition, food science, biology, chemistry, or a related field is a plus, not required) 
• Working knowledge of how supplements are made and regulated, including formulation, cGMP, DSHEA, claims substantiation, and NDI requirements 
• A track record of launching quickly while protecting quality, safety, and claims integrity 
• Proven ability to lead through influence, aligning cross-functional partners and leadership around a clear recommendation  
• Commercial judgment. You can build a business case and co-lead a launch, and you care whether a product sells, not just whether it's interesting   

Nice to have: Experience in nootropics, performance, recovery, sleep, or longevity; launches across TTS, DTC, Amazon, and retail; ready-to-drink or functional food experience; a fast-moving or early-stage environment.