Director of Science and Innovation
Industry: Privately Held Supplement Company — Nutraceutical Industry.
United States · Science & Innovation · Retained Search · Director
The Challenge — Finding a scientific leader to drive innovation and education across a lean team
A small, privately held supplement company specializing in nutritional products designed for improved absorption needed a Director of Science and Innovation to lead scientific strategy, product innovation, and education across a lean team.
- Strong scientific background with experience interpreting and conducting clinical studies, plus the ability to communicate complex science with credibility
- Proven leadership in product development from concept through commercialization, including formulation, R&D project management, and preferred experience with liposomal delivery systems
- Ability to create technical product documentation and build scientific education and training programs for internal teams, customers, retailers, and wholesale partners
- Cross-functional leadership experience partnering with R&D, Regulatory, Quality, Marketing/Creative, and executive leadership to launch innovative products and support strategic initiatives
Our Approach — A highly confidential, network-driven search built on nutraceutical specialization
This was a highly confidential search requiring the client’s identity to remain hidden until candidates were invited to interview—a specialty of ours and added value we bring to every engagement. We applied our proprietary search process and deep nutraceutical industry network:
- Scoured our proprietary database of pre-vetted talent
- Actively headhunted top performers on LinkedIn who matched the exact scientific, formulation, and leadership requirements
- Tapped our existing industry network and ran targeted LinkedIn marketing to generate quality referrals
- Presented a curated shortlist of the top 8 candidates, evenly split between director-level and manager-level talent, giving the client clear visibility into both available caliber and the depth our team could deliver
The Result — A precision hire now advancing the company’s science and innovation agenda
The client was initially drawn to another strong candidate but, after careful consideration, determined the role required deeper clinical trial experience and more exacting scientific expertise—leading them to the candidate who ultimately received the offer. The selected candidate was ecstatic about the opportunity, moved quickly through each interview stage, accepted an excellent offer, and signed immediately. She joined the team excited to contribute and is now advancing the company’s science and innovation agenda.
Outcome: This search exemplifies our ability to execute confidential, precision searches in the nutraceutical sector—leveraging proprietary sourcing, industry networks, and rigorous evaluation to identify and place high-caliber scientific talent that drives product innovation and long-term growth.