Product Manager - Pet Food/CPG

Note: This is not a role for a technology product manager

 About Auner and the Role

Auner is building a house of cat-only brands for the modern cat parent. Our first brand will be launched in February-March 2027, followed by a line of supplements & treats. We are a funded startup based in Scottsdale AZ with a remote team, backed by operators in pet health.

We are hiring a Product Manager to own our product portfolio from formula to finished goods. For your first 180 days, the job is one thing: launching our new product line - 3 SKUs. Supplements and future lines come into scope after that. You will turn recipes into launch-ready products: formulation, palatability testing, packaging, manufacturing, and the timeline that ties them together. You will report to the Exec team and work daily with our manufacturing partners, our formulation lead, and our consulting veterinarians.

What You Will Own

Portfolio and roadmap

• Own the product line: multiple recipes, bag sizes, and launch sequencing.
• Keep one source of truth for every SKU: formula version, cost, specs, packaging, and status.
• Bring product decisions to the team with options, costs, and a recommendation.

Timelines and launch

• Build and run the critical-path plan for the late Q1 2027 launch, working back from ship date.
• Track every dependency across formulation, testing, packaging, labeling, and 3PL handoff, and flag slips early.
• Run the product section of the biweekly team meeting.

Formulation and testing

• Manage formulation work with our formulation lead and manufacturer, from first draft to locked formula.
• Design and run palatability studies, including fast in-home panels and outside testing partners, and feed results back into formulation.
• Coordinate nutritional adequacy, guaranteed analysis, and stability testing.

Manufacturing and supply

• Be the day-to-day contact with our manufacturing partner on production schedules, minimum order quantities, and costs.
• Manage first production runs, quality checks, and lot release.
• Source and qualify packaging suppliers.

Packaging and compliance

• Decide packaging structure: bag type, barrier, reseal, sizes, and shipping box.
• Own label content and regulatory compliance (AAFCO, FDA, and state feed registrations) with our veterinarian and legal counsel.
• Work with brand and design to get artwork from concept to print-ready files on schedule.

Your First 180-Days

By day 180, the product line has launched, is shipping to subscribers, and is improving from real customer data.

1. Days 1–30: audit where the current recipes stand, publish the launch critical path with owners and dates, update palatability panel, and decide the packaging structure.
2. Days 31–60: close palatability results into locked formulas, lock the bag and shipping box, and get label copy and guaranteed analysis approved.
3. Days 61–90: release print-ready artwork, confirm the first production run with our manufacturer, and test 3PL receiving and subscription shipping cycles.
4. Days 91–120: run first production, complete quality checks and lot release, get inventory into the 3PL, and launch.
5. Days 121–180: track reviews, palatability complaints, returns, and reorder rates, make the first formula or packaging improvements, and plan the second production run.

Your Experience

Required

• Product development or product management for consumer packaged goods (packaged food or pet food)
• At least one product taken from formula to shelf, working directly with a co-manufacturer.
• Hands-on knowledge of pet food or supplement regulation: AAFCO, FDA, and labeling.
• Experience running timelines across several outside partners at once: manufacturers, labs, packaging suppliers.
• Comfort with costing: cost of goods, minimum order quantities, and margin by SKU.
• Startup pace. You work without a big team around you and close loops yourself.
• Travel: 10-20%

Nice to have

• Cat-specific experience, especially palatability testing.
• 3-5+ years in product development or product management for pet food, pet supplements
• Multi-form pet food experience.
• Soft-chew supplement development, for the line that follows initial launch.
• Experience launching on DTC subscription and Amazon.
• A network of testing labs, packaging suppliers, and formulators you can call on.

Role Details

Reports to: Exec Team

Location: Remote, US. Scottsdale, AZ a plus. Some travel to our manufacturer and testing partners.

Type: Starts as a fractional or contract role, with a path to full-time after the February 2027 launch

Start: As soon as possible

Compensation: Competitive + equity grant

How to apply: Send your resume and a short note on a product you took from formula to launch