Hybrid Manager – Beverage Innovation

at Mood

• Job title: Manager – Beverage Innovation
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Mid level, Senior
• Salary: $100,000 - $170,000 per year
• Degree requirement: Bachelor's Degree
• Location requirements: Hybrid, New York City, United States

About the role

• Head of Beverage R&D overseeing product lifecycle from concept to commercialization. Driving innovation while ensuring product quality and market competitiveness.

Responsibilities

• Own the full beverage R&D lifecycle from concept through commercialization.
• Constantly scan the market to identify opportunities for Mood to be a market leader in new beverage concepts.
• Develop new beverage products including formulation, prototyping, and iteration.
• Run hands-on formulation work yourself or in partnership with formulation houses, testing, sampling, and refinement to achieve target taste, onset, stability, and consistency.
• Lead scale-up from benchtop to production with co-manufacturers.
• Continuously improve current formulations to enhance taste, mouthfeel, onset time, bioavailability, and shelf stability.
• Identify cost optimization opportunities without compromising product quality.
• Prevent production issues and ensure rigorous adherence to best-in-class manufacturing standards.
• Analyze consumer feedback, reviews, and behavioral data to inform product improvements and new product concepts.
• Track competitive products across beverages, alcohol, functional drinks, and other beverage categories.
• Translate insights into clear product opportunities in our innovation pipeline.
• Ensure all products meet potency, safety, and quality standards.
• Own shelf-life testing, stability programs, and formulation documentation.
• Partner with Compliance to ensure regulatory alignment across markets.
• Manage relationships with co-manufacturers, labs, ingredient suppliers, and flavor houses.
• Source and evaluate new ingredients, technologies, and partners.
• Manage production runs, tech transfers, and ongoing manufacturer performance.
• Ensure partners meet quality, cost, and timeline expectations.
• Partner with Supply Chain, Sales, and Marketing to bring new products to market successfully.
• Support forecasting, inventory planning, and launch readiness.
• Contribute to packaging, pricing, and positioning decisions.
• Ensure products are built for real-world distribution, including DSD and retail environments.
• Create repeatable R&D processes, documentation, and SOPs.
• Establish formulation standards and testing protocols.
• Help define what “best-in-class” beverage quality looks like at Mood and raise the bar over time.

Requirements

• 5-10+ years of hands-on beverage R&D or product development experience.
• Strong formulation experience (emulsions, flavor systems, functional ingredients, or similar).
• Experience taking products from concept to commercial production.
• Experience working with co-manufacturers and scaling formulations.
• Strong understanding of shelf stability, QA, and product performance.
• Experience in regulated categories (THC, cannabis, alcohol, supplements, etc.) preferred.
• Ability to operate both strategically and tactically without support infrastructure.
• High ownership mentality with a bias toward action and execution.
• Strong problem-solving skills and comfort troubleshooting in real time.
• Degree in Food Science, Chemistry, or related field preferred.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation and benefits.