Senior Director, Research & Development – Healthcare Nutrition (Dysphagia Focus)

Lyons Magnus is fast-growing leader in beverages, ingredients, and healthcare nutrition solutions. The Lyons Health Labs division is committed to improving quality of care and patient outcomes through the power of science-based, wholesome and delicious nutrition. Our portfolio serves patients across acute care, long-term care, and home settings, and we are rapidly expanding our healthcare presence to better reach and provide the highest level of care for our healthcare providers, caregivers, and patients.

At Lyons Health Labs, we believe in the power of nutrition to elevate quality of care. We’re looking for driven, entrepreneurial, individuals who are motivated not only by business growth, but also by the mission to make a real impact on patients’ lives.

The Senior Director of R&D will lead the strategic direction and execution of innovation for the healthcare nutrition portfolio for Lyons Health Labs, with a primary focus on dysphagia and related swallowing disorders. This role is responsible for advancing clinically relevant, evidence-based nutrition solutions designed to improve patient safety, outcomes, and quality of life. The position oversees end-to-end product development, scientific and clinical substantiation, and claims strategy, ensuring alignment with clinical, regulatory, and commercial objectives. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in healthcare nutrition, texture-modified foods and beverages, and dysphagia management, along with a strong understanding of clinical practice standards (e.g., IDDSI framework).

Hours: 8:00am to 5:00pm

Schedule: Monday through Friday

Location: Walton, KY

Travel Requirements: 25%

Work environment: In office

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Product Development Leadership (Healthcare Nutrition Focus)

• Lead the full lifecycle development of healthcare nutrition products, including thickened liquids, texture-modified foods, oral nutritional supplements, and hydration solutions for dysphagia patients.
• Ensure all products meet clinical requirements for safety, efficacy, palatability, and compliance with IDDSI standards.
• Drive formulation strategies that balance nutritional adequacy, sensory acceptance, stability, and ease of use in clinical and homecare settings.
• Collaborate with Operations and Quality to ensure scalable, compliant manufacturing processes (including consistency in viscosity and texture).
• Build a robust innovation pipeline addressing unmet needs in dysphagia, malnutrition, and related conditions (e.g., oncology, geriatrics, post-acute care).

Claims Development and Regulatory Alignment

• Lead the development of clinically relevant, evidence-based claims (e.g., swallowing safety, hydration support, nutritional adequacy, compliance with IDDSI levels).
• Partner with Regulatory and Medical Affairs to ensure claims meet requirements for healthcare nutrition, including FDA (e.g., FSMP considerations where applicable), global regulatory bodies, and healthcare institution standards.
• Establish rigorous internal processes for claims substantiation, documentation, and audit readiness.
• Translate clinical and scientific evidence into clear, defensible claims for healthcare professionals and caregivers.

Scientific and Clinical Evidence Strategy

• Define and execute the scientific roadmap supporting the dysphagia and healthcare nutrition portfolio.
• Design and oversee clinical studies, real-world evidence generation, and usability studies focused on:
• Swallow safety and aspiration risk reduction
• Patient compliance and acceptance
• Nutritional outcomes and hydration status
• Ensure alignment with clinical guidelines and frameworks (e.g., IDDSI, ASPEN, ESPEN).
• Identify evidence gaps and prioritize research investments to strengthen product differentiation.
• Build and manage collaborations with hospitals, long-term care facilities, speech-language pathologists (SLPs), dietitians, and academic partners.

Clinical and External Engagement

• Serve as a scientific leader and external ambassador in the field of dysphagia and healthcare nutrition.
• Engage with key opinion leaders (SLPs, RDs, physicians) to inform product design and validation.
• Support clinical education initiatives and contribute to publications, white papers, and conference presentations.
• Monitor emerging science, clinical practices, and regulatory changes impacting dysphagia management.

Innovation and Patient-Centric Design

• Drive patient- and caregiver-centered innovation, focusing on ease of preparation, consistency, taste, and adherence.
• Incorporate human factors and real-world use conditions (hospital, LTC, homecare) into product design.
• Identify opportunities for differentiation through format innovation, ingredient technology, and delivery systems.

Team Leadership and Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Build and lead a high-performing R&D team with expertise in formulation science, clinical research, and regulatory science.
• Partner closely with Regulatory, Quality, Marketing, and Commercial teams to ensure successful product launches and lifecycle management.
• Establish clear goals, KPIs, and development pathways for the R&D organization.
• Act as a key advisor to executive leadership on healthcare nutrition strategy and innovation.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Demonstrated experience in dysphagia-related (e.g., thickening systems, texture-modified nutrition) or other medical nutrition product development.
• Strong understanding of healthcare nutrition regulatory pathways (including FSMP considerations, FDA, EFSA, etc.) and claims substantiation requirements.
• Strategic and patient-centric mindset with strong clinical orientation.
• Ability to translate complex clinical and scientific data into actionable product strategies.
• Strong cross-functional leadership and stakeholder management skills.
• Results-driven with high accountability and operational discipline.
• Excellent communication skills with both scientific and commercial audiences. and ability to effectively work, influence, problem solve and communicate at all levels of the organization.
• Proven track record in people leadership (developing, coaching, mentoring, directing) with demonstrative team-building and collaboration skills.
• Strong business acumen with an ability to mesh business needs with technical competencies.
• Must have the ability to adapt to change with proven ability to accelerate the performance of R&D teams.
• Ability to develop both long-range plans that address key business and technical needs and short-term operational projects that support customer needs.

Required Qualifications:

• BS Degree required in Food Science, Nutrition Science or related field.
• Advanced degree Preferred in Nutrition Science, Food Science, Clinical Nutrition, or related field.
• 12+ years of R&D experience in healthcare nutrition, clinical nutrition, or specialized dietary products.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Deep knowledge of dysphagia management and IDDSI framework.
• Expertise in formulation challenges related to viscosity, stability, and sensory performance.
• Ability to lead clinical research and product commercialization in regulated environments.
• Experience designing and interpreting clinical and real-world evidence studies.