Entry-Level Nutritionist
The Entry-Level Nutritionist will support the development and evaluation of pet food nutrition programs and formulations, collaborating with quality, production, and procurement teams to ensure products meet nutritional and regulatory standards. This role offers early-career professionals exposure to formulation development, ingredient analysis, and quality monitoring within the pet food industry, fostering growth in a cross-functional team environment.
About Careertakes
👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Scientific & QA.
Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.
What You'll Do
This early-career Nutritionist role supports pet food and feed product development across formulation, ingredient evaluation, and quality support. You'll work closely with cross-functional teams (quality, production, procurement) and contribute to nutrition programs and documentation.
- Support development, evaluation, and implementation of nutrition programs and pet food formulations
- Analyze feed ingredients and interpret nutritional and ingredient specifications
- Assist with formulation development and use of feed/pet-food formulation tools
- Conduct industry research on ingredients, trends, and regulatory changes
- Support quality monitoring and ensure products meet nutritional standards and regulatory requirements (including AAFCO guidance)
- Maintain accurate nutritional documentation and specifications
- Collaborate with production and procurement on ingredient sourcing and manufacturing support
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Animal Nutrition, Animal Science, Food Science, or a related field
- Foundational knowledge of animal nutrition principles and feed formulation
- 3–5 years of relevant experience (entry-level to early-career candidates with applicable internship/industry experience encouraged)
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Ability to interpret nutritional data and ingredient specifications
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills; able to work independently and in teams
Preferred Skills
- Experience in the pet food, feed, or animal nutrition industry (pet food formulation, QA, or R&D)
- Familiarity with pet-food or feed-formulation software/tools
- Understanding of pet food manufacturing processes and ingredient sourcing
- Working knowledge of regulatory requirements related to animal feed and nutrition (including AAFCO guidelines)
- Strong attention to detail and experience maintaining technical documentation
- Interest in emerging ingredients and innovations in pet nutrition
Compensation & Location
- Salary: $70,000 - $90,000 per year (listed range)
- Primary location: Naperville, IL — role supports product development and operations for manufacturing sites (includes collaboration with teams in Mishawaka, IN)
- Employment type: Full-time
How Careertakes Helps
Careertakes follows third-party recruiting best practices: we screen candidates for fit, provide timely status updates, and route qualified applicants directly to our client’s hiring team. If you move forward, final interviews and hiring decisions are made by the confidential client.
Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency
Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.
If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.
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