Vice President, Quality Regulatory, R&D

OLIPOP PBC

. The Vice President, Quality, Regulatory & R&D is accountable for building and leading an integrated technical organization that protects consumers, ensures compliant and consistent product quality, and accelerates innovation from concept through commercialization.

Posted 5/7/2026full-timeRemote • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $220,000 - $250,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

The Vice President, Quality, Regulatory & R&D is accountable for building and leading an integrated technical organization that protects consumers, ensures compliant and consistent product quality, and accelerates innovation from concept through commercialization.
This Senior Leader role serves as the strategic leader for all quality assurance, regulatory compliance, and research and development activities across the organization.
The Vice President will establish and maintain systems that ensure product safety, regulatory adherence, and innovation excellence while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and technical excellence.
This role serves as the enterprise owner of OLIPOP’s technical risk posture and innovation credibility, acting as a trusted advisor to the CEO, executive leadership team, and Board on matters of product safety, regulatory risk, and long-term technical capability.

Requirements

What you’ll need

12+ years of progressive leadership experience in quality, regulatory, and/or R&D roles within the food, beverage, or consumer packaged goods industry.
Deep expertise in food safety management systems including HACCP, FSMA preventive controls, SQF/BRC certification, and FDA/USDA regulatory requirements.
Proven track record leading new product development from concept through commercialization including formulation, pilot production, scale-up, and launch execution.
Executive presence and business acumen with ability to influence cross-functional partners, present to boards and investors, and serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO and executive team on technical matters.
Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Engineering, or related technical field with advanced degree (MS, PhD, MBA) preferred/ideal.
Experience in high-growth or private equity-backed food and beverage companies with exposure to rapid scaling, M&A integration, and building technical capabilities to support aggressive growth targets.
Expertise in emerging food categories including plant-based products, functional foods, clean label formulations, or sustainable packaging technologies.
Strategic Vision & Business Acumen: Ability to translate business strategy into technical priorities, make build-versus-buy decisions, allocate resources effectively, and balance short-term execution with long-term capability building.
Influence & Stakeholder Management: Executive presence to influence peers, manage up to CEO and board level, build trust with external partners, and represent the company with regulatory agencies and industry associations.
Change Leadership & Transformation: Proven ability to drive organizational change, implement new systems and processes, build change management plans, and lead teams through periods of growth and transformation.
Technical Excellence & Innovation: Deep technical expertise combined with curiosity about emerging technologies, ability to evaluate technical risks and opportunities, and commitment to continuous learning and innovation.
Talent Development & Culture Building: Track record of attracting and developing technical talent, creating inclusive and collaborative team cultures, providing effective coaching and feedback, and building organizational capability for long-term success.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Health insurance
Bonuses

ATS Keywords

✓ Tailor your resume

Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools

food safety management systemsHACCPFSMA preventive controlsSQF certificationBRC certificationFDA regulatory requirementsUSDA regulatory requirementsnew product developmentformulationpilot production

Soft Skills

executive presencebusiness acumeninfluencestakeholder managementchange leadershiptransformationtechnical excellenceinnovationtalent developmentculture building