Product Development; PD Scientist* (On-site

Lief Labs is a premier formulation and product development innovator and manufacturer of dietary supplements. Our in‑house product development and R&D team creates the best‑tasting and cutting‑edge supplement formulations. Lief also houses a state‑of‑the‑art, full‑service Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) manufacturing facility, which offers custom solutions for many supplement categories. Lief collaborates with entrepreneurial firms to help them build premier brands.

Our turnkey solutions allow us to engage in seamless partnerships that help brands with scalability and sustainable growth.
Lief Labs is in the Santa Clarita Valley (Valencia, CA.)

The Product Development Scientist plays a key role in the design, development, reformulation, documentation, and technical support of dietary supplement products. This position supports core Product Development responsibilities, scientific literature review, paper formulation design & quoting, claims substantiation while also providing structured, low‑risk support to Regulatory Affairs. The role prepares technical documentation, maintains compliance‑related records, assists with label verification, supports raw material document management, and responds to technical product inquiries.

The Product Development Scientist applies scientific and technical principles to create high quality formulations while ensuring accurate documentation and adherence to internal and external requirements.

Product Development Responsibilities

• Design and develop new product formulations for dietary supplements, nutritional supplements and food products, that are scientifically substantiated and considering factors such as ingredient compatibility, stability, solubility, and bioavailability.
• Ensure the efficient and timely Formulation Design and Pricing of product formulations.
• Stay abreast of market trends to develop innovative scientifically supported product offerings, that are Lief stock formulations and/or customer requested products.
• Requests, maintains, manages and reviews all technical documentation for all materials.
• Evaluate and select appropriate raw materials (active ingredients and excipients) for use in formulations based on scientific understanding, quality and regulatory requirements.
• Reformulate as needed to optimize existing formulations to enhance product stability, efficacy, manufacturability and/or improved pricing.
• In collaboration with R&D Formulation Scientists, generate appropriate technical documentation including Supplements Facts and Nutrition Facts Sheet, TBD codes, Raw Material Specifications and Finished Product Specifications.
• In collaboration with Formulation Scientists and Quality personnel, ensure that formulated products and specifications meet quality standards and regulatory guidelines.
• Ensure the proper analysis of documentation for the creation of internal product codes, specification of raw materials in accordance with departmental standard operating procedures.
• Work closely with R&D Formulation Scientists, Quality Personnel, external vendors to obtain all necessary data and documentation to product certifications, 3rd party and internal certifications.
• Stay updated with the latest developments in formulation science and technological advancements in the pharmaceutical or nutraceutical industry. Incorporate innovative approaches into formulation strategies.
• Responsible for improving and ensuring compliance associated with change control/revisions of technical documentation.
• Ensure the creation and optimization of SOPs/Job Aids/Work Instructions for the department.

Regulatory Support Responsibilities

These duties support Regulatory Affairs but do not involve regulatory interpretation or decision‑making.

• Gather supplier compliance documents and certificates for raw material when not on file.
• Perform initial formula checks based on Product Development Requests based on compliance criteria (e.g., Non‑GMO, Gluten‑Free, Organic, Vegan).
• Review Label Proofs using the criteria established on Dietary Supplement Label Review Checklist which include:
  • Statement of Identity
  • Net Quantitiy
  • Supplement Facts Panel
  • Ingredient Statement
  • Aller…