Omaha Industries Formulation Manager
Omaha Industries is committed to assist their customers in the development of high-quality pet food products grounded in sound nutrition, ingredient integrity, safety, and performance. We are seeking a knowledgeable and results-driven Formulation Manager to lead the development, optimization, and maintenance of pet food diets for dogs and cats across freeze-dried, air-dried, raw, and gently cooked platforms.
This role is responsible for translating nutritional goals, ingredient capabilities, processing constraints, cost targets, and regulatory requirements into commercially viable pet food formulas that meet both the customers’ standards and expectations.
The Formulation Manager will lead formula design and optimization for complete and balanced pet food diets, toppers, and treats ensuring nutritional adequacy, ingredient functionality, palatability, manufacturability, label compliance, and cost competitiveness. This position partners closely with procurement, quality, operations, regulatory, marketing, and external suppliers to support innovation, product maintenance, reformulation, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Primary Responsibilities:
· Lead the formulation of complete and balanced formulations, toppers, and treats for dog and cat diets in alignment with nutritional targets, product strategy, and customer requirements.
· Develop and optimize formulas using ingredient nutrient matrices, least-cost formulation principles, and formulation software while maintaining performance, quality, and margin expectations.
· Ensure formulas meet applicable nutritional adequacy, ingredient, labeling, and safety requirements consistent with AAFCO guidance, FDA expectations, and FSMA-related manufacturing requirements.
· Translate product concepts into manufacturable formulas by partnering with operations and quality teams.
· Evaluate ingredients for nutritional contribution, functional performance, digestibility, palatability, availability, cost risk, and supplier consistency.
· Support new product development, product renovation, and reformulation projects, including responses to ingredient changes, cost pressures, supply disruptions, and regulatory updates.
· Create, review, and maintain formula records, nutrient specifications, ingredient standards, label inputs, and finished product targets to support commercialization and product lifecycle management.
· Interpret laboratory analyses, production, and feeding or palatability data to improve formula performance and resolve issues related to nutrient variation, texture, acceptance, kibble quality, or processing yield.
· Participate in plant trials, scale-up activities, and first production runs to validate formula performance and troubleshoot issues during commercialization.
· Work cross-functionally with procurement, quality, regulatory, operations, sales, and marketing to align formulas with business goals, claims support, and customer expectations.
· Monitor industry developments, ingredient innovations, regulatory changes, and competitive products to identify opportunities for technical improvement and innovation.
· Provide technical guidance to internal teams on pet nutrition, formulation decisions, ingredient functionality, and product performance.
referred Skills and Competencies:
· Demonstrated experience formulating pet food diets for dogs and cats within the pet food industry.
· Strong understanding of companion animal nutrition, nutrient requirements by species and life stage, and the principles of complete and balanced diet formulation.
· Hands-on experience with pet food formulation software, nutrient matrix management, formula optimization, and cost re-engineering.
· Knowledge of ingredient functionality, palatability drivers, digestibility considerations, premix design, and the effects of processing on formula performance.
· Working knowledge of dry extrusion, freeze-drying, air drying, raw, and gently cook processes along with commercialization requirements in pet food manufacturing.
· Familiarity with AAFCO, FDA, FSMA, ingredient review, labeling expectations, and state regulatory considerations relevant to pet food products.
· Ability to interpret laboratory data, production results, guaranteed analysis targets, and technical documentation with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
· Strong project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
· Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work effectively across technical and commercial teams.
· Self-starter with sound judgment, problem-solving ability, and a continuous improvement mindset.
Education Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree in animal science, Animal Nutrition, Feed Science, Food Science, Chemistry, Biology, or a related scientific field required.
Advanced degree in Animal Nutrition, Companion Animal Nutrition, Animal Science, or a related discipline preferred.
Pay: $75,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
