Premier Nutrition
Premier Nutrition Company (PNC) is one of the fastest-growing companies in the proactive wellness space showing clear leadership in the category of protein shakes and powders. We make the brands Premier Protein and Dymatize, and are part of our publicly traded holding company, BellRing Brands (NYSE: BRBR).
We have a simple, yet powerful, formula for our success, which we’ve been nailing since our founding in 1997. We start with an organization powered by our company purpose—Changing Lives with Good Energy. Then our purpose-driven people are given the support and autonomy to develop and grow. Next, we are super-intentional about designing a culture where everyone feels like they truly connect and belong, which is one of our five company core values. Purpose-driven, connected employees deliver amazing business results. And winning companies with remarkable people and thriving cultures attract and retain top talent, so the cycle becomes self-reinforcing or what we call our regenerative culture.
We don’t mind sharing our formula, since we believe the world would be a better place if more workplaces treated adults like adults and gave them the platform to do the best work of their lives—alongside some truly amazing colleagues. Why don’t more companies do this? It takes deep-in-your-bones conviction to your people, products, and purpose to pull it off. It also takes resisting the urge to try to control people, and instead, trusting them to make the right decisions. The result of our vibrant culture speaks for itself: We were certified as a Great Place to Work™ for the 9th year-running in 2025. And we currently rank #8 on Fortune Magazine’s Best Workplaces in our category and were in the top 12 for each of the last 7 years.
We have a long list of ways we take care of our people, but here are some crowd-pleasers that our employees often say they love most: Year-round ½ day Fridays, in-office massages, free lunches & snacks, dogs in the office, culture of belonging celebrations, engaging in-office events like bring your kids to work day, 6% 401k match after 1 year, generous paid family leave regardless of gender, all positions bonus-eligible, company-wide volunteer days, company-matched charitable donations, no employee handbook, no dress code, coaching conversations instead of performance reviews, and walking meetings.
PNC seeks individuals who will flourish in this type of work environment and will add to our culture and help build this high-growth company for the next phase in our amazing journey. Does this sound like you? Then read on… We believe in the power of mindset, and specifically what we call the Challenger Mindset. Do you take smart, bold risks, display relentless hunger, and see yourself as a builder? We’re looking for individuals who choose action over analysis paralysis—those who start before they feel completely ready, make calculated moves based on the best information available, and build momentum through decisive action rather than perfect planning. You should have an insatiable drive that keeps you agile and forward-thinking, always challenging assumptions, seeking new opportunities, and focusing on long-term impact over short-term wins. Above all, you’re a builder—someone who transforms the status quo, finds smarter, simpler, faster ways to get things done, and inspires others to do the same.
The role you’re interested in… The successful candidate is a well-versed R&D people leader who guides team members and shepherds various types of product development projects and initiatives with tight alignment across the organization.
This position is a mid-level position, is a key member of the Research and Innovation (R&I) Leadership Team and will directly lead a team of managers and scientists (3+) at various levels (e.g. associate scientist to principal scientist with PhD) and works closely with R&I cross‑functional partners and third‑party resources.
This position will have direct and indirect responsibility for ensuring successful execution of several key projects. This position will also be instrumental in streamlining R&I activities at PNC and capturing technical expertise within R&I organization.
This position works with limited supervision and has accountability for significant decisions made jointly with senior leadership in R&I and other functions.
The work environment… So, what’s it like to work here? If you’re based in the greater Bay Area, you’ll walk into our Emeryville office each Tuesday morning and start the in‑person portion of our hybrid work week at our weekly all‑company meeting and find close to 200 of your colleagues sitting on sofas, beanbag chairs, or the floor excitedly talking through the week ahead and watching a newer teammate tell their personal life and career journey followed by a quick update on any hot topics that might be relevant to the week ahead.
We are a dynamic, HYBRID workplace so every employee who lives within 100 miles of our offices is expected to come in Tuesday through Thursday. We are very intentional about connecting in person for things like innovation, impromptu collaboration, having respectful challenges to get to better decisions, leadership role‑modeling, and culture building. Great work cultures are built on stories about what great looks like in practice, and great stories during virtual meetings just don’t happen. The expected pay scale for this role is $185k to $195k, which may vary based on relevant experience, qualifications, geographic area (if applicable), and internal equity for the role.
At the beginning of 2026, we will move into our massive modern 133,000 square foot headquarters in Emeryville, California, complete with spacious personal workspaces, gym with rock‑climbing wall, a café, free onsite parking, tons of greenery, and many transportation options.
You’re excited about this opportunity because your time will be filled with… R&I Leadership: 50% of your time
Driving projects successfully to completion through leadership on setting project expectations, aligning on project plans and timelines, performing risk assessments, and developing risk mitigation and contingency plans, identifying proper workload balance, and ensuring ability to pivot as needed.
Responsible for growth and development for direct reports through thoughtful conversations, coaching in the moment and building and overseeing development and/or stretch plans for each direct report. Balancing the WHAT (technical) with the HOW (good energy and radical candor approach).
Ensure PNC values are embraced in daily activities along with opportunities to connect in the work, learn and collaborate. Build strong network and connections at various levels in organization with cross‑functional partners.
Key leader in R&I, active contributor in R&I Leadership Team.
R&I Projects: 30% of your time
Strategic Projects and Project leadership:
Initiates, develops and/or oversees workstreams for assigned Product Development projects (innovation, renovation, technical services).
Responsible for project execution against internal and external standards and deliverables through collaboration with brand, project management, sourcing and other parties.
Enlist appropriate resources (internal or external) for prototyping, robust DoE for Product Development, technical feasibility assessments, testing/validation plans and timely troubleshooting.
Identifies, communicates, and ensures alignment on risk management and contingency plans.
Captures learnings and shares knowledge through effective communication e.g. reports, SOPs, training material.
Build PNC PD expertise and excellence to support current activities and building the future in these areas:
Product Development processes (prototyping, robustness testing, shelf life validation,…)
Robust network of external experts and key vendors as strategic partners for PNC R&I team
Identification of improvement opportunities, constraints, hurdles, or gaps and acting upon them and/or providing recommendations to leadership
Driving thought leadership and staying on top of relevant trends through individual research, seminars and maintaining a network of professional, business, and industrial contacts.
The daily stuff that everyone does but few quantify: 20% of Time
Attending meetings and presentations
Participating in company‑wide activities and events galore
Impromptu conversations with colleagues
Administrivia like email, calendaring, expense reports, and other non‑value‑added work
What are we looking for?
Ability to explain complex technical subject matters to non-technical team
Ability to apply technical know-out to real world problems
Managing ambiguity and ability to quickly pivot, drive progress amid uncertainty, guide and bring along and align with team members across the team and organization
Strong collaborative skills and ability to work well in teams
Possess curiosity, creativity, and alternative thinking to develop better or new solutions
Education:
BS degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering or similar field required
Advanced degree (MS, Ph.D.) in a related field is preferred.
Experience:
7 + years in Food industry, which includes substantial experience in R&D, Manufacturing/Scale-up/Commercialization, R&I IT tools and workflows, Project Management, and formal R&D leadership role.
3 + yrs experience in UHT protein RTD
Skills: Required:
Communicate technical details to business to drive decision making
Execute projects within timelines by providing solutions to problems and managing risk
Demonstrated ability to work effective in team environment through excellent interpersonal, influencing and communication skills (both written and verbal)
Ability to excel in dynamic fast paced business environment, demonstrated ability to self-motivate and manage multiple priorities
Travel- 20%
Preferred:
Demonstrated experience in DoE and statistical analysis.
So, if after reading through this long list you’re thinking—I’m not sure I meet 100% of these requirements, should I still apply? YES—if you embody a growth mindset, see challenges as opportunities to develop, and find innovative ways to get the real work that matters done, you sound like our kind of candidate!
Select 5 Key Capabilities & Traits Important to Add to and Diversify your Current Team:
Thrive in ambiguity amid competing priorities
Connect & Belong
Play to Win
Creativity, exploration, & innovativeness
You will thrive here and may just do the best work of your life if…
You want to be an integral part of shaping and nurturing an amazing work culture
You can be flexible in your approach to challenges and abandon past practices if they don’t make sense or would lead to a poor outcome
You are comfortable being natural, casual, open, and even a bit playful at work
You don’t have a big ego and hate siloed thinking
You can be friendly, vulnerable, and self-deprecating in one moment, and deal with a challenging, delicate people‑related matter as a professional in the next
You can do periods of focused, deep work on projects to move the needle
This may not be your ideal next career move if…
You like a lot of structure, rules, and uniformity
You like hierarchy, command and control management
You want to build lots of processes, systems, governance, or policies and make a beautiful bureaucracy
Dealing with ambiguity or experimentation is not your jam
You try to resolve challenging interpersonal situations over instant messaging or passive aggression
You like managing from your house with your camera off and demonstrating excellence through email
You tend to chase whatever shiny object presents itself during the day instead of real results
Here’s the deal with our not‑so‑standard, um…standard interview process because we know you are the curious type, which is why you’re still reading this…
Quick 30 min phone chat with a high energy member of our Talent Acquisition team to do a quick overview of your background and answer any burning questions you have
Team interviews are kept to a minimum to foster a more efficient, candidate‑friendly process (too many interviewers yields little value and drags out the process for you—and who wants that, right?):
A short series of in‑person or video interviews in a 1:1 setting; these are usually with the hiring manager, one or two other team members, and a person from another team to get broader perspectives (note: we don’t do panel interviews because they don’t give interviewers a chance to ask you unique questions, and we assign interviewers different roles so we’re probing different capabilities)
A case study or job task to simulate what you’d actually be doing in the role (since your job is not actually to be interviewed for a living, why is that the thing companies rely on so much?) Yes, there will be a small panel for this one so you don’t have to do it more than once, and yes, they might ask you some kind yet probing questions at the end after the raucous applause stops.
Once your interview concludes, the team will meet for an in‑depth consultative process to ensure we are hiring the right person for the right job. Interviewers must come in with a strong yes or no vote beforehand to avoid groupthink with supporting reasons. The collective thoughts on your candidacy will be discussed in an environment of safety to challenge ideas respectfully, debate. and be open to all important qualifications of the candidates. A trained, disinterested bias blocker will be present to help mitigate bias so the team can make a sound hiring decision. The moment of truth arrives when the hiring manager makes the big decision. If you nailed the interviews and the case study was brilliant, guess what? The offer is all yours! And the ball is in your court. Will you accept? We sure hope so because this place is the real deal, and don’t just believe us—just ask the 92% of our people who said this is a great place to work in our most recent employee survey.
We strive to create an equitable and inclusive environment to contribute to the success of our organization. Premier Nutrition provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, status as a covered veteran and any other category protected under applicable federal, state, provincial and local laws.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
We have a simple, yet powerful, formula for our success, which we’ve been nailing since our founding in 1997. We start with an organization powered by our company purpose—Changing Lives with Good Energy. Then our purpose-driven people are given the support and autonomy to develop and grow. Next, we are super-intentional about designing a culture where everyone feels like they truly connect and belong, which is one of our five company core values. Purpose-driven, connected employees deliver amazing business results. And winning companies with remarkable people and thriving cultures attract and retain top talent, so the cycle becomes self-reinforcing or what we call our regenerative culture.
We don’t mind sharing our formula, since we believe the world would be a better place if more workplaces treated adults like adults and gave them the platform to do the best work of their lives—alongside some truly amazing colleagues. Why don’t more companies do this? It takes deep-in-your-bones conviction to your people, products, and purpose to pull it off. It also takes resisting the urge to try to control people, and instead, trusting them to make the right decisions. The result of our vibrant culture speaks for itself: We were certified as a Great Place to Work™ for the 9th year-running in 2025. And we currently rank #8 on Fortune Magazine’s Best Workplaces in our category and were in the top 12 for each of the last 7 years.
We have a long list of ways we take care of our people, but here are some crowd-pleasers that our employees often say they love most: Year-round ½ day Fridays, in-office massages, free lunches & snacks, dogs in the office, culture of belonging celebrations, engaging in-office events like bring your kids to work day, 6% 401k match after 1 year, generous paid family leave regardless of gender, all positions bonus-eligible, company-wide volunteer days, company-matched charitable donations, no employee handbook, no dress code, coaching conversations instead of performance reviews, and walking meetings.
PNC seeks individuals who will flourish in this type of work environment and will add to our culture and help build this high-growth company for the next phase in our amazing journey. Does this sound like you? Then read on… We believe in the power of mindset, and specifically what we call the Challenger Mindset. Do you take smart, bold risks, display relentless hunger, and see yourself as a builder? We’re looking for individuals who choose action over analysis paralysis—those who start before they feel completely ready, make calculated moves based on the best information available, and build momentum through decisive action rather than perfect planning. You should have an insatiable drive that keeps you agile and forward-thinking, always challenging assumptions, seeking new opportunities, and focusing on long-term impact over short-term wins. Above all, you’re a builder—someone who transforms the status quo, finds smarter, simpler, faster ways to get things done, and inspires others to do the same.
The role you’re interested in… The successful candidate is a well-versed R&D people leader who guides team members and shepherds various types of product development projects and initiatives with tight alignment across the organization.
This position is a mid-level position, is a key member of the Research and Innovation (R&I) Leadership Team and will directly lead a team of managers and scientists (3+) at various levels (e.g. associate scientist to principal scientist with PhD) and works closely with R&I cross‑functional partners and third‑party resources.
This position will have direct and indirect responsibility for ensuring successful execution of several key projects. This position will also be instrumental in streamlining R&I activities at PNC and capturing technical expertise within R&I organization.
This position works with limited supervision and has accountability for significant decisions made jointly with senior leadership in R&I and other functions.
The work environment… So, what’s it like to work here? If you’re based in the greater Bay Area, you’ll walk into our Emeryville office each Tuesday morning and start the in‑person portion of our hybrid work week at our weekly all‑company meeting and find close to 200 of your colleagues sitting on sofas, beanbag chairs, or the floor excitedly talking through the week ahead and watching a newer teammate tell their personal life and career journey followed by a quick update on any hot topics that might be relevant to the week ahead.
We are a dynamic, HYBRID workplace so every employee who lives within 100 miles of our offices is expected to come in Tuesday through Thursday. We are very intentional about connecting in person for things like innovation, impromptu collaboration, having respectful challenges to get to better decisions, leadership role‑modeling, and culture building. Great work cultures are built on stories about what great looks like in practice, and great stories during virtual meetings just don’t happen. The expected pay scale for this role is $185k to $195k, which may vary based on relevant experience, qualifications, geographic area (if applicable), and internal equity for the role.
At the beginning of 2026, we will move into our massive modern 133,000 square foot headquarters in Emeryville, California, complete with spacious personal workspaces, gym with rock‑climbing wall, a café, free onsite parking, tons of greenery, and many transportation options.
You’re excited about this opportunity because your time will be filled with… R&I Leadership: 50% of your time
Driving projects successfully to completion through leadership on setting project expectations, aligning on project plans and timelines, performing risk assessments, and developing risk mitigation and contingency plans, identifying proper workload balance, and ensuring ability to pivot as needed.
Responsible for growth and development for direct reports through thoughtful conversations, coaching in the moment and building and overseeing development and/or stretch plans for each direct report. Balancing the WHAT (technical) with the HOW (good energy and radical candor approach).
Ensure PNC values are embraced in daily activities along with opportunities to connect in the work, learn and collaborate. Build strong network and connections at various levels in organization with cross‑functional partners.
Key leader in R&I, active contributor in R&I Leadership Team.
R&I Projects: 30% of your time
Strategic Projects and Project leadership:
Initiates, develops and/or oversees workstreams for assigned Product Development projects (innovation, renovation, technical services).
Responsible for project execution against internal and external standards and deliverables through collaboration with brand, project management, sourcing and other parties.
Enlist appropriate resources (internal or external) for prototyping, robust DoE for Product Development, technical feasibility assessments, testing/validation plans and timely troubleshooting.
Identifies, communicates, and ensures alignment on risk management and contingency plans.
Captures learnings and shares knowledge through effective communication e.g. reports, SOPs, training material.
Build PNC PD expertise and excellence to support current activities and building the future in these areas:
Product Development processes (prototyping, robustness testing, shelf life validation,…)
Robust network of external experts and key vendors as strategic partners for PNC R&I team
Identification of improvement opportunities, constraints, hurdles, or gaps and acting upon them and/or providing recommendations to leadership
Driving thought leadership and staying on top of relevant trends through individual research, seminars and maintaining a network of professional, business, and industrial contacts.
The daily stuff that everyone does but few quantify: 20% of Time
Attending meetings and presentations
Participating in company‑wide activities and events galore
Impromptu conversations with colleagues
Administrivia like email, calendaring, expense reports, and other non‑value‑added work
What are we looking for?
Ability to explain complex technical subject matters to non-technical team
Ability to apply technical know-out to real world problems
Managing ambiguity and ability to quickly pivot, drive progress amid uncertainty, guide and bring along and align with team members across the team and organization
Strong collaborative skills and ability to work well in teams
Possess curiosity, creativity, and alternative thinking to develop better or new solutions
Education:
BS degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering or similar field required
Advanced degree (MS, Ph.D.) in a related field is preferred.
Experience:
7 + years in Food industry, which includes substantial experience in R&D, Manufacturing/Scale-up/Commercialization, R&I IT tools and workflows, Project Management, and formal R&D leadership role.
3 + yrs experience in UHT protein RTD
Skills: Required:
Communicate technical details to business to drive decision making
Execute projects within timelines by providing solutions to problems and managing risk
Demonstrated ability to work effective in team environment through excellent interpersonal, influencing and communication skills (both written and verbal)
Ability to excel in dynamic fast paced business environment, demonstrated ability to self-motivate and manage multiple priorities
Travel- 20%
Preferred:
Demonstrated experience in DoE and statistical analysis.
So, if after reading through this long list you’re thinking—I’m not sure I meet 100% of these requirements, should I still apply? YES—if you embody a growth mindset, see challenges as opportunities to develop, and find innovative ways to get the real work that matters done, you sound like our kind of candidate!
Select 5 Key Capabilities & Traits Important to Add to and Diversify your Current Team:
Thrive in ambiguity amid competing priorities
Connect & Belong
Play to Win
Creativity, exploration, & innovativeness
You will thrive here and may just do the best work of your life if…
You want to be an integral part of shaping and nurturing an amazing work culture
You can be flexible in your approach to challenges and abandon past practices if they don’t make sense or would lead to a poor outcome
You are comfortable being natural, casual, open, and even a bit playful at work
You don’t have a big ego and hate siloed thinking
You can be friendly, vulnerable, and self-deprecating in one moment, and deal with a challenging, delicate people‑related matter as a professional in the next
You can do periods of focused, deep work on projects to move the needle
This may not be your ideal next career move if…
You like a lot of structure, rules, and uniformity
You like hierarchy, command and control management
You want to build lots of processes, systems, governance, or policies and make a beautiful bureaucracy
Dealing with ambiguity or experimentation is not your jam
You try to resolve challenging interpersonal situations over instant messaging or passive aggression
You like managing from your house with your camera off and demonstrating excellence through email
You tend to chase whatever shiny object presents itself during the day instead of real results
Here’s the deal with our not‑so‑standard, um…standard interview process because we know you are the curious type, which is why you’re still reading this…
Quick 30 min phone chat with a high energy member of our Talent Acquisition team to do a quick overview of your background and answer any burning questions you have
Team interviews are kept to a minimum to foster a more efficient, candidate‑friendly process (too many interviewers yields little value and drags out the process for you—and who wants that, right?):
A short series of in‑person or video interviews in a 1:1 setting; these are usually with the hiring manager, one or two other team members, and a person from another team to get broader perspectives (note: we don’t do panel interviews because they don’t give interviewers a chance to ask you unique questions, and we assign interviewers different roles so we’re probing different capabilities)
A case study or job task to simulate what you’d actually be doing in the role (since your job is not actually to be interviewed for a living, why is that the thing companies rely on so much?) Yes, there will be a small panel for this one so you don’t have to do it more than once, and yes, they might ask you some kind yet probing questions at the end after the raucous applause stops.
Once your interview concludes, the team will meet for an in‑depth consultative process to ensure we are hiring the right person for the right job. Interviewers must come in with a strong yes or no vote beforehand to avoid groupthink with supporting reasons. The collective thoughts on your candidacy will be discussed in an environment of safety to challenge ideas respectfully, debate. and be open to all important qualifications of the candidates. A trained, disinterested bias blocker will be present to help mitigate bias so the team can make a sound hiring decision. The moment of truth arrives when the hiring manager makes the big decision. If you nailed the interviews and the case study was brilliant, guess what? The offer is all yours! And the ball is in your court. Will you accept? We sure hope so because this place is the real deal, and don’t just believe us—just ask the 92% of our people who said this is a great place to work in our most recent employee survey.
We strive to create an equitable and inclusive environment to contribute to the success of our organization. Premier Nutrition provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, status as a covered veteran and any other category protected under applicable federal, state, provincial and local laws.
#J-18808-Ljbffr