Director of Animal Nutrition

Who We Are

The Farmer’s Dog was born from a mission to change the landscape of pet health, providing dogs and their humans with honest, smart, and simple care. We’re starting by radically improving the $90 billion pet food industry, replacing bags of highly-processed pellets with a personalized subscription service that sends complete and balanced, freshly-made dog food directly to customers’ doors. Our ultimate goal is to create innovative, delightful and personalized experiences across all aspects of pet care, and we believe our direct-to-consumer business model, holistic approach to growth, and dynamic culture uniquely position us to shepherd this backwards industry into the future. 

Join us as we continue to develop ways of bringing peace of mind to customers, health to their companions, and much-needed change to the way people feed and care for their pets.

#LongLiveDogs

What We Stand For and Where You’ll Come In

We have big ambitions, our mission requires us to completely reimagine how we care for our dogs and drive meaningful shifts in an industry that is desperate for change. We don’t believe this is possible by implementing “best practices” or operating how the rest of the industry operates. 

That’s why we are looking for a Director of Animal Nutrition to join our R&D team. In this role, you’ll be at the forefront of developing new products, improving our existing lineup, and streamlining manufacturing processes. You’ll also guide our product development through a clear stage-gate process. To succeed, you'll need to work well with diverse teams and external partners, all while driving innovation together. We’re looking for someone who thrives in a collaborative environment!

How You’ll Make An Impact

• Oversee the formula development of a robust pipeline of foods and treats by focusing on internal and external insights and constraints.
• Build, lead and develop a dynamic team dedicated to meeting deadlines and budget goals while delivering innovative, high-value products that align with market and customer needs.
• Manage budget expectations for products and ongoing improvement initiatives.
• Collaborate with internal and external teams to gain insights into market trends and customer preferences.
• Provide hands-on coaching/mentoring at trials from bench-top through scale-up.
• Create a technology roadmap for product & claims development to support long term product innovation.
• Manage product reviews, technical investigations, and enhancements in formulation and processes, while exploring new ingredient and processing technologies.
• Develop & lead product enhancement and maintenance initiatives 
• Partner with FSQ, Legal, and Regulatory to ensure compliance with labeling requirements, adhering to AAFCO, USDA, FDA, and FSMA standards.
• Maintain a strong focus on quality and food safety.
• Foster collaboration across departments and with third-party resources to drive successful outcomes.

We’re Excited About You Because

• You have an advanced degree in Animal Nutrition and/or related field, including a solid understanding of companion animal nutrition.
• You have 7 to 10 years of successful hands-on experience guiding product development - from concept to commercialization including formulation development.
• You bring a deep knowledge of methodologies and pre-commercialization product testing requirements.
• Your prior manufacturing experience including process development and ability to scale up foods.
• You have effectively led a product development function that drives quality and innovation, along with an entrepreneurial spirit and results orientation.
• Your have demonstrated leadership and people development skills
• You have a strong regulatory (i.e. AAFCO, FDA, etc.) as well as food safety knowledge.

Office Guidelines

The office is open and available for all Monday through Friday. We ask all team members to be in office a minimum of 2-3 days a week to build a collaborative and invested environment to foster our unique in-person culture we are proud to have. This office policy is subject to change at company discretion.

A Few of Our Best Benefits

• Dog-friendly office in Greenwich Village
• Market-competitive compensation and equity packages
• Comprehensive Healthcare, Dental, and Vision
• Company sponsored mental health benefit and coaching through Modern Health
• 12 week paid parental leave
• Competitive 401k plan with company match
• Flexible PTO
• Discounted fresh food for your pup
• Your pet interrupting video calls (and in-person meetings) is now a feature, not a bug

We commit to building a competitive compensation package and company environment for all individuals to thrive. We believe in competitive base compensation rooted in location specific market data and performance along with equity ownership in the company that allows every team member to build their personal wealth as the company grows, just as much as we believe in fostering a culture that supports our team members personally, professionally, and holistically. For this role the anticipated hiring base compensation range is $190,000 - $210,000 USD Annual and the compensation offered will include a robust market competitive package of base, bonus and equity. In addition to your base compensation offer you will also receive equity ownership in the company. More information about the value of this equity will be shared at the time of offer. This range is representative of NYC Market Data if you are applying to this role outside of the NYC area the range may change.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The Farmer's Dog, Inc. is an equal employment opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status or any other legally protected characteristic or status. For more information, please visit Know Your Rights.

#LI-Hybrid