Natural Product Research Specialist

Lazarus Naturals is on a mission to make quality hemp-based CBD accessible to everybody. It's why we own our manufacturing process from start to finish - beginning at our hemp farms in Central Oregon to our extraction, formulation, and packaging - all to deliver safe, effective CBD at an affordable price. We provide a 60% Assistance Program to veterans, individuals with disabilities, or those experiencing income challenges, because we believe everybody should be able to experience the benefits of CBD regardless.

Cycling Frog is normalizing the consumption of casual use THC products. We are on a mission to make THC convenient, affordable, and fun by making a sessionable THC beverage the same price as a beer or soda. We want to change the way THC is consumed and viewed by our society by focusing on lower potency ready-to-drink beverages that can easily fit into anyone’s lifestyle. Under the Federal Farm Bill, we are allowed to sell these low potency THC products across all 50 states via the internet and anywhere you can grab a beer.

We are seeking a strategic and research-driven Natural Product Research Specialist to help drive innovation in the food, beverage, and dietary supplements industry and support the product development process. This role will lead product ideation, ensure scientific integrity behind health claims, and translate complex research into consumer-ready content.

This position reports to the Senior Manager, Product Portfolio.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Lead conceptualization and development of product design for new dietary supplement products.
• Champion a research-informed product vision and strategy, ensuring product design aligns with business strategy and product quality standards.
• Review, evaluate and interpret scientific literature for product health claims and benefits, dosing specifications, and best ingredient forms. Ensuring functional products contain efficacious ingredients at scientifically validated inclusion levels, based on active ingredient profiles and corresponding research that directly supports consumer-facing functional claims.
• Translate technical research documents supporting active ingredient functionality into customer friendly content such as labeling, blogs, product pages, point-of-purchase, etc, that clearly explain in common language product benefits and scientific backing.
• Collaborate and share insights with R&D to develop and document functional ingredient specifications and outline product specification standards.
• Lead sourcing efforts for new and existing active ingredients in partnership with R&D and Purchasing. Vet new raw material suppliers to ensure ingredients meet the specifications required to support making functional claims, factoring in the cost, quality, flavor, and vendor reliability to support our product goals and standards.
• Prepare reports comparing product specifications and functional inclusion levels against market and consumer trends.
• Conduct research on customer feedback and industry trends to inform portfolio strategy and support the development of competitive, high-functionality products.
• Proactively monitor developments in the CBD / cannabis and natural medicine industries to identify opportunities for product differentiation, category growth, and innovation
• Stay current with emerging scientific research in natural medicine, nutrition, and cannabis.
• Ensure product claims are substantiated and validated on an ongoing basis.
• Collaborate with PLM / Brand / Sales / Marketing teams to ensure product positioning and intended uses are communicated and aligned with technical capabilities.

Requirements

Physical / Functional Requirements :

Benefits

This is a full-time role based in Portland, Oregon. Please note, we will not consider applicants outside the immediate area.

Interested parties are encouraged to include a cover letter detailing why you think you could be a great fit, along with an updated resume. Thanks, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Veterans strongly encouraged to apply.

Lazarus Naturals is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating a diverse environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. For individuals with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation, please reach out to hr@lazarusnaturals.com