Head Of Nutrition & Research

Who We Are

Spot & Tango is an innovative pet health & wellness brand that delivers personalized meal plans on a subscription basis - over a 100 million meals served to date! Our recipes are made with only real, human-grade ingredients, while our innovative Fresh Dry process locks in peak freshness and nutrient integrity without the inconvenience or high cost of a frozen diet. We have lofty goals (to make every dog in the country healthier, and every pet parent happier!) and we are looking for the right people to help us get there. This is an exciting opportunity to join a VC-backed, high-growth, e-commerce startup and have an outsized impact in an extremely fast-paced environment. Plus, you get to think about dogs all day!

The Role

We are seeking a Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist or PhD in Animal Nutrition to join Spot & Tango as our in-house authority on pet nutrition and nutritional research. In this role, you will serve as a strategic and hands-on leader across our product development, research, customer education, and veterinary outreach initiatives. You'll be instrumental in shaping the future of our offerings-ensuring they're not only innovative, but also rooted in clinical rigor and nutritional excellence. This is a high-impact position that bridges science and storytelling, bringing pet parents evidence-backed solutions in a friendly, accessible way. You'll work cross-functionally with product, operations, marketing, and CX teams to elevate Spot & Tango's nutrition credibility and continue building trust with our growing community of customers, veterinarians, and partners.

Who You Are

You are a mission-driven nutrition expert who's passionate about helping pets live longer, healthier lives through better food. You combine scientific rigor with real-world experience, and you excel at translating complex nutritional insights into practical solutions. You're collaborative, articulate, and energized by working across disciplines in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment. Most importantly, you believe that better nutrition is one of the most powerful tools we have to improve pet wellness-and you're excited to join Spot & Tango in making that vision a reality.

Responsibilities:

• Lead clinical research efforts in collaboration with research institutions to support product claims and demonstrate the health benefits of offerings across our portfolio-including meal plans, dental chews, supplements, and future innovations aimed at improving pet health.
• Analyze and publish research findings into whitepapers to establish Spot & Tango as a thought leader in pet health and nutrition. Translate those results into actionable insights for both internal teams and informative content for our customers and the broader community of pet parents.
• Drive nutrition-forward R&D across the product portfolio by working cross-functionally with Operations and Innovation teams to develop new products and optimize existing formulations, ensuring nutritional excellence and regulatory compliance (e.g., AAFCO).
• Support educational content development for customers across channels, including email, social media, blog, and an internal FAQ resource for the Customer Experience team, providing trustworthy, evidence-based guidance from a nutritionist's perspective.
• Build relationships with the veterinary community, acting as a trusted liaison between Spot & Tango and veterinary professionals to strengthen credibility and expand our reach.
• Represent Spot & Tango in the broader scientific and veterinary communities through participation in industry panels, conferences, and seminars-and occasionally in press and media appearances-as a subject matter expert and advocate for pet health.

Qualifications:

• Board Certification by the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (DACVIM - Nutrition), or a PhD in Animal Nutrition, preferably with a focus on companion animals
• Proven track record leading clinical research and/or feeding trials that result in first author peer-reviewed journal publication(s)
• Experience collaborating with pet brands on formulation R&D and familiarity with AAFCO
• Comfortable in a fast-paced startup environment and excited to collaborate across teams
• Strong written and oral communicator, experience in public speaking, media interviews, or thought leadership a plus
• Passionate about pet health and proactive in promoting preventive, nutrition-based care
• Dog lover!