Research Assistant

The Role

The Research Assistant, reporting to the MaryRuth’s Formulator within our Product Development, Innovation, & Management Team (PDIM), will work with the team to support scientific research, raw material discovery, and finished product ideation. This role will play a key role in front end research and raw material supplier communications, with extensive technical reading and summarization, coordination with internal and external teams, and database creation and management in order to move innovative product ideas forward. This is a full-time (40 hr/wk), hourly, non-exempt, remote position. The compensation range for this role is $9-10 USD/hour.

Responsibilities

• Daily research on raw materials and ingredients, reading through journal articles, published data, supplier information, clinical studies, and related material to gather and validate claims and determine viability.
• Disseminating information and research to diverse audiences in formats and styles that are appropriate and make sense given the receiving party’s relevant experience or understanding.
• Creating and maintaining a robust and up-to-date ingredient database for formulation and reference.
• Building effective, professional, and mutually-beneficial relationships with raw ingredient suppliers and co-manufacturers and communicating regularly with them as a PDIM team representative.
• Working with internal departments- Quality, Compliance, Project Management Office, eCommerce, Sales & Retail- to evaluate product ideas and development.
• Other responsibilities as assigned.
• Some travel (<5%) may be required on an as needed basis, with advance notice provided to the employee.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in STEM field (Biology, Chemistry, Nutrition, Mathematics, etc.) or equivalent experience required.
• 1-2+ years experience with US food and dietary supplement regulations (FDA 111, 114, 117) and basic understanding of fundamentals of nutrition science required.
• Experience within the CPG industry; VMS experience highly preferred.
• Very strong analytical, problem-solving, detail-oriented, and organizational skills required.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and reading comprehension skills in English, including with highly-technical and complex scientific research articles and publications.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a fast-paced environment.
• Comfort in being a self-starter, taking initiative, and working independently when required.
• Communicating complex topics to other scientific and technical stakeholders, and to lay populations.
• Adaptability and flexibility to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Google and/or Microsoft proficiency; at minimum, proficiency with Excel is strongly preferred.

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally or a negligible amount of force frequently to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body.
• This role involves sitting most of the time, but may also involve moving for brief periods of time.

Benefits Summary

• Competitive compensation, commensurate with experience.
• Sick time.
• Paid company holidays.
• Flexible vacation.
• Paid volunteer time.
• Medical Insurance.
• Government Mandated Leaves.

The Culture at MaryRuth’s

We are a fast-growing startup with a small, unified team that has a lot of fun and a big drive to change the world through our products. We are primarily an E-commerce, health-conscious company with a focus on creating vegan and organic vitamins and supplements for everyone.

We believe our work benefits from the diverse perspectives of our employees. As such, MaryRuth’s celebrates inclusion and is committed to equal opportunity employment.

MaryRuth’s is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, hair texture and hairstyles, pregnancy, childbirth, (or related medical conditions, including, but not limited to lactation), physical disability, mental and/or intellectual disability, age, military status or status as a Vietnam-era or special disabled veteran, marital status, registered domestic partner or civil union status, gender (including sex stereotyping and gender identity or expression), medical condition (including, but not limited to, cancer related or HIV/AIDS related), genetic information, or sexual orientation in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.