Director of Nutrition Science

Director of Nutrition Science Company: GreenChoice, PBC Location: Hybrid in San Diego, CA or Remote (USA) Employment Type: Full-Time (Contract-to-Hire option available) Experience Level: 8+ years About GreenChoice GreenChoice, PBC is a leading food health intelligence company serving grocery retailers, healthcare, and technology partners. We give our partners instant access to evidence-based food health scores and verified attribute data on over 1 million food products — powering personalized nutrition guidance, regulatory compliance, and healthy food benefits at scale. Our award-winning shelf-edge and e-commerce tools meet shoppers' changing health needs in-store and online, and we've guided over 10 million healthier purchases to date. Google named GreenChoice one of the three "Best Apps for Good" in the U.S. We work with Stanford University School of Medicine, are a member of the Tufts Friedman School Food & Nutrition Innovation Council, an FMI Tech Finalist, and a Progressive Grocer GenNext Honoree. Learn more at www.greenchoice.co. The Role We're hiring a Director of Nutrition Science to own the science behind GreenChoice's food health scoring and dietary attribute systems — and to be our scientific voice in the market. This is a leadership role at a pivotal moment for the company. You will own the definition of food health at GreenChoice: leading our scientific direction, making the evidence-based judgment calls that shape our products, and representing that science to retailers, healthcare partners, and the broader nutrition community. You'll work directly with the CEO, Head of Engineering, Principal Data Scientist, and Science Advisory Board — and you'll be expected to lead and execute. You'll thrive here if you want to step fully into ownership of a scientific function, make decisions independently and decisively, and build your profile as a recognized authority in food and nutrition science. What You'll Own Scientific direction and standards. Own our health, nutrition, processing, and ingredient-safety scoring methodologies — and set the standards for how we evaluate food across them. Scoring algorithms and attributes. Lead updates to our scoring systems based on the latest Dietary Guidelines, peer-reviewed research, and regulatory standards. Define new attributes (e.g., GLP-1 friendly, heart healthy) including criteria, thresholds, and citations. Evidence-based judgment. Resolve the corner cases, outliers, and trade-offs that rule-based scoring inevitably surfaces — and make the call, backing it with a defensible scientific rationale. Implementation-ready outputs. Produce concise documentation (criteria, thresholds, rules, citations) that our engineering and data science teams can implement directly and that our partners can trust. Scientific authority and thought leadership. Represent GreenChoice publicly as a scientific voice — speaking at conferences, contributing to panels, co-authoring peer-reviewed work with our data science team and academic partners, and building our credibility in the food-health space. Sales and partnership support. Serve as our subject-matter expert in consultative enterprise conversations (e.g., healthcare and retail partners), and provide strategic guidance on product, positioning, and roadmap. Who You Are Required MD, PhD or Master's in Nutrition Science, Public Health, or a closely related field (PhD strongly preferred — this role sits at the table with leading nutrition scientists and you must hold your own there) 8+ years in nutrition science, nutrition research, nutritional epidemiology, food as medicine, healthcare, health technology, food health retail, food data, or applied program development Demonstrated ability to translate complex nutrition research into clear, defensible rules, criteria, and guidance — and to own those decisions rather than route them back to others Strong familiarity with nutrition/health scoring systems and labeling programs (e.g., NOVA, Food Compass, Nutri-Score, Guiding Stars, OptUP) Comfort making evidence-based decisions under ambiguity, without constant data science support Strong command of relevant regulatory frameworks (FDA, USDA, AHA, etc.) Excellent communication — able to brief partners, write citations, and present findings concisely and credibly A plus Registered Dietitian (RD) Experience designing or refining item-level nutrition or health scoring algorithms Experience in startups, innovation programs, or applied research Proficiency with data and statistical analysis Comfort and interest in public-facing thought leadership (speaking, writing, social) Compensation & Benefits Competitive full-time salary (commensurate with experience) Meaningful equity (stock options) Top-of-the-line health, dental, and vision insurance PTO, holidays, and a trust-based sick policy 401(k) option Flexible, remote-friendly schedule Professional development and conference travel, with opportunities to speak and represent GreenChoice on stage Direct work with the CEO, Head of Engineering, Lead Data Scientist, and Science Advisory Board Why Join Join a mission-driven team with a collaborative and inclusive culture. This is a chance to have a real-world impact on how millions of people eat and live healthier, more sustainable lives. This is an opportunity to own the scientific foundation of a product already in use by partners nationwide — and to grow into a recognized authority at the intersection of nutrition science, food health, retail, healthcare, and food data. GreenChoice is profitable, growing quickly, and bootstrapped, which means we build deliberately and the work you own has direct, visible impact. As the company continues to grow, this role will grow with it.