Sr Director, Product Development
fairlife, LLC, Chicago, IL, United States
fairlife, LLC is a Chicago-based nutrition company that creates great-tasting, nutrition-rich and dairy products to nourish consumers.
With over $3B in annual retail sales, fairlife’s portfolio of delicious, lactose-free, real dairy products includes: fairlife® ultra-filtered milk ; Core Power® High Protein Shakes, a sports nutrition drink to support post-workout recovery; fairlife® nutrition plan™ , a nutrition shake to support the journey to better health.
A wholly owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola company, fairlife, LLC has been recognized by both Fast Company and Nielsen for its industry leading innovation.
To learn more about fairlife and its complete line of products, please visit fairlife.com.
Job Purpose
The Senior Director of Product Development will lead the end-to-end innovation, formulation, and commercialization of high protein, milk-based beverages. This role is responsible for translating consumer insights, nutritional science, and business strategy into scalable, differentiated products that win in the marketplace. The position provides strategic and technical leadership across R&D, product design, process development, and cross functional execution. This leader will serve as the technical authority for dairy based protein beverages, ensuring products meet targets for nutrition, sensory performance, quality, regulatory compliance, and cost, while accelerating speed to market.
Responsibilities
Product & Innovation Leadership
- Own the product development strategy for high protein milk-based beverages, aligned with portfolio, growth, and brand objectives.
- Lead the creation of differentiated formulations and drive innovative pipelines from concept through launch, including renovation, line extensions, and breakthrough platforms.
- Apply consumer insights, sensory science, and nutrition trends to guide product design.
Technical & Scientific Excellence
- Serve as subject-matter expert in dairy chemistry, protein functionality, stabilization, and shelf-life optimization.
- Lead formulation development addressing challenges such as viscosity, sedimentation, flavor masking, heat stability, and protein solubility.
- Oversee bench‑top, pilot, and commercial scale‑up activities, ensuring technical feasibility and manufacturing robustness.
- Ensure compliance with food safety, regulatory, and labeling requirements (FDA, USDA, global as applicable).
Cross‑Functional Leadership
- Partner closely with Marketing, Operations, Quality, Procurement, Regulatory, and Supply Chain to ensure seamless commercialization.