What are the responsibilities and job description for the R&D Assistant- Pet Food Nutrition position at BrightPet?
Job Title: R&D Research Assistant
Department: Research & Development
Reports To: Director of Research & Development
Location: Dayton, OH
Job Summary
The R&D Research Assistant supports key initiatives within the BrightPet Nutrition Group across three primary areas: new product research, product formulation, and technical support. This role plays a crucial part in product innovation, ingredient evaluation, and cross-functional support for both branded and co-manufacturing product lines.
Essential Functions
- Assist the department manager in coordinating and managing R&D projects.
- Support the branded team in new formula development.
- Conduct packaging and labeling reviews for branded and co-manufactured products.
- Oversee daily operations of the R&D kitchen and ensure readiness for tabletop test runs.
- Collect raw ingredient and finished product samples for nutritional analysis as needed.
- Develop and validate internal ingredient requirements and verify nutritional standards.
- Develop and validate internal standards and specifications for finished products.
- Partner with the production team to build and improve critical control systems for formula fulfillment.
- Conduct process capability research with production teams to determine operational limits and improvement opportunities.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
- B.S. in Animal Science or related field.
- Companion Animal Nutrition Certificate required.
- Experience in pet food nutrition required.
- Familiarity with formulation software.
- Strong knowledge of pet food ingredients.
- Prior experience in technical services preferred.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Outlook.