About the role

Aplyr's Quick Take

This role is about leading quality, regulatory, and R&D efforts for OLIPOP's innovative soda products. You'll be responsible for ensuring product compliance and driving research initiatives, making it a senior-level individual contributor position with a focus on health-oriented beverage development.

Good fit

Ideal candidates have extensive experience in quality assurance and regulatory affairs within the food or beverage industry, preferably at a senior level. A passion for health and wellness, along with a collaborative working style, will help you thrive here.

Worth noting

The position is remote, which may appeal to those seeking flexibility. However, the high salary range suggests they are looking for a highly experienced candidate, which could be a barrier for some applicants.

ABOUT OLIPOP

At OLIPOP, we’re on a mission to positively impact consumer health at scale. And we’re doing it through something simple: soda. But not just any soda, a new kind of soda: one that’s delicious, refreshing, and actually good for you.

This mission is deeply personal for our CEO, Co-Founder, and Formulator, Ben Goodwin. Like many of us, Ben grew up consuming the Standard American Diet: lots of soda and processed foods that prioritized convenience over nutrition. But at 14, he took his health into his own hands. After making significant changes to his nutrition and exercise, he lost 50 pounds and saw a transformation in his energy, mood, and emotional clarity.

Those changes sparked a deep curiosity about the connection between nutrition and health. Ben became a relentless student of the gut microbiome and the ways it supports overall wellness. The more he discovered, the more passionate he became about finding credible, science-backed ways to make consumer health accessible to everyone.

The mission was clear. The vehicle? Less so. After exploring the possibilities, Ben landed on an unexpected yet familiar choice: soda. It was something he loved as a kid, and he knew millions shared that same nostalgia. But this wouldn’t be just any soda. With most Americans falling short on daily fiber, Ben set out to create a version with more fiber and less sugar, one that was perfectly balanced. The result? A deliciously refreshing soda with 6 to 9 grams of fiber and 2 to 5 grams of sugar, delivering science-backed benefits without sacrificing the classic taste people crave.

In 2018, the first OLIPOP cans hit the shelves, bringing Ben’s vision to life with a functional soda that anyone could enjoy. And by reimagining soda, we’re also reshaping culture. That means creating products that support health for all and building a business grounded in humanistic values: empathy, integrity, and a belief in better for everyone. From the ingredients we source to the culture we foster, we’re committed to proving that business (and beverage!) can be a force for good, and that soda has the power to bring people together.

So join us, and let’s write a new American soda story together. One we can all feel good about. One OLIPOP at a time.

THE ROLE

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 willestablish 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

RESPONSIBILITIES

Product Quality Assurance Systems: End-to-end ownership of quality management systems, food safety protocols, product testing and release processes, and manufacturing quality standards across all production facilities and co-manufacturing partners.
Regulatory Compliance Governance: Complete accountability for regulatory strategy, compliance frameworks, ingredient and labeling governance, claim substantiation, and regulatory submissions across all markets and product categories.
New Product Development Pipeline: Strategic direction and operational oversight of the innovation pipeline from concept through commercialization, including technical feasibility, formulation development, pilot production, and scale-up to commercial manufacturing. This role also works closely with our founder who formulates all innovation and renovation at Olipop.

Quality Leadership

Set and steward the enterprise quality and food safety strategy by owning company‑wide quality systems, product release standards, supplier compliance, and data‑driven continuous improvement, ensuring consistent delivery of safe, compliant, and high‑quality products at scale.
Lead enterprise quality risk management and capability building by serving as the executive decision‑maker during quality incidents and recalls, cultivating a strong quality culture across internal teams and partners, and providing strategic oversight of the OLIPOP Lab to build scalable quality and testing capabilities.

Regulatory Strategy & Governance

Set and steward the company’s regulatory vision and risk posture by advising executive leadership on regulatory risks, growth tradeoffs, and go‑to‑market decisions; providing oversight of the regulatory roadmap across products and markets; and serving as the executive authority on labeling, claims, and high‑impact or ambiguous matters.
Enable strong regulatory leadership and execution at scale by coaching and elevating the Regulatory team, guiding governance frameworks and audit readiness, monitoring the evolving regulatory landscape, representing the company externally, and providing executive direction to support domestic and international expansion.

R&D Leadership

Define and lead the enterprise R&D strategy by aligning the innovation portfolio to company growth and brand priorities, setting governance for prioritization, stage‑gate decisions, and risk tolerance, and providing executive oversight from concept through commercialization.
Ensure technical excellence and scalable innovation by setting clear product and technical standards, guiding R&D leaders on feasibility and manufacturability, building external innovation partnerships, and structuring and resourcing the R&D organization to deliver near‑term launches while building long‑term capabilities.

People Leadership & Organization Design

Build and lead a high‑performing technical organization by designing scalable structures, developing top talent across Quality, Regulatory, and R&D, establishing clear operating rhythms and governance, and ensuring strong cross‑functional alignment with Operations, Supply Chain, Commercial, and Finance.
Own strategic resourcing and technical leadership at the enterprise level, including budget and headcount decisions, priority tradeoffs, and serving as the technical voice in executive discussions to support near‑term execution and long‑term scale.

QUALIFICATIONS

12+ years of progressive leadership experience in quality, regulatory, and/or R&D roles within the food, beverage, or consumer packaged goods industry. Demonstrated success building and leading technical organizations through periods of growth and transformation.
Deep expertise in food safety management systems including HACCP, FSMA preventive controls, SQF/BRC certification, and FDA/USDA regulatory requirements. Experience managing regulatory compliance for multi-site manufacturing operations.
Proven track record leading new product development from concept through commercialization including formulation, pilot production, scale-up, and launch execution. Experience with both internal manufacturing and co-manufacturing models.
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.

Skills & Tags

go rust ai ios data product design marketing

Aplyr's read

OLIPOP is redefining soda with a focus on gut health and natural ingredients, attracting employees passionate about wellness and innovation.
Synthesized from recent postings & public sources

What's promising

•OLIPOP is at the forefront of the functional beverage trend, appealing to health-conscious consumers.
•The company offers diverse roles, from marketing to R&D, providing varied career paths.
•OLIPOP's rapid growth in the beverage sector suggests strong market demand and expansion opportunities.

What to watch

•The niche focus on gut health may limit appeal to traditional soda consumers.
•Competition in the health beverage market is intense, posing sustainability challenges.
•Limited public information about company culture and employee satisfaction.

Why OLIPOP

•OLIPOP combines traditional soda flavors with prebiotic and botanical ingredients for a unique product.
•The company emphasizes research and development, highlighting a commitment to product innovation.
•OLIPOP's branding leverages nostalgia while promoting modern health benefits, setting it apart in the market.

Aplyr’s read is generated by AI from public sources. Was it useful?

About OLIPOP

OLIPOP

drinkolipop.com

View company

OLIPOP is a beverage company that specializes in creating healthier alternatives to traditional soda, focusing on gut health and using natural ingredients.