Associate Product Manager Research

About Lyka:

Lyka was founded in 2018 by Anna Podolsky, inspired by her dog, Lyka, who was suffering from chronic health issues despite being on “premium” kibble. Together with Gabriel Guedes (COO) and Dr. Matthew Muir (Integrative Veterinarian), they built Lyka from the ground up with one core belief: better food can radically improve a pet’s healthspan and quality of life.

Lyka’s meals are vet-formulated and gently cooked from real food ingredients. Delivered via a flexible subscription model, Lyka meals have driven remarkable improvements for tens of thousands of customers, supporting gut health, reducing intolerances, improving energy and mobility, and even promoting hair growth.

What began as home-cooked meals has since scaled into one of Australia’s fastest-growing consumer companies, a vertically integrated, tech-enabled brand that is transforming pet health nationwide.

Lyka now operates from two offices, Sydney (HQ) and Melbourne, with three state-of-the-art food production facilities (two in Sydney, one in Melbourne) and a growing national footprint.

At Lyka, we’re not just selling pet food—we’re pioneering a new standard of wellness for pets. With strong product-market fit, deep customer love, and a track record of rapid growth, we’re now entering our most ambitious chapter yet: building a generational brand and category-defining business with global impact.

The Role:

Are you an adept strategist with a background in top-tier management consultancy or high growth start-up, looking to work in the business of science? If your expertise is complemented by a strong scientific foundation, potentially highlighted by a Masters or PhD, and you're driven to apply your skills within the pet wellness industry, this pivotal role is designed for you.

At Lyka, the Associate Product Manager (Research) plays a critical role in bridging scientific innovation, commercial outcomes, and operational delivery. You will oversee end‑to‑end management of research partnerships, grant acquisition, project governance and study execution. Working closely with universities, CROs, external collaborators and internal stakeholders, you’ll drive Lyka’s evidence‑generation strategy, ensuring projects are well‑designed, commercially aligned and delivered on budget and on time.

This is an ideal role for someone who thrives at the intersection of science, business, and project management; combining strong organisational capability with passion for research translation. Your role will be instrumental in navigating our mission towards doubling pets' lifespans.

What you will do:

• Translate our research strategy into a research portfolio using prioritisation framework.
• Partner with our R&D and professional affiliate partnership team to shape research programs around clear commercial objectives.
• Manage operations and day-to-day of our NFP research organisation include delivering on our marketing plan, managing PR, and preparing Board papers. ****
• Operationalise research and translate
• Develop and manage relationships with universities, global research organisations and industry collaborators such as pet wellness and insurance companies and veterinary clinics.
• Lead contracting, scoping and negotiation processes for new research collaborations.
• Translate scientific opportunities into commercially viable projects aligned with Lyka’s strategic priorities.
• Oversee IP considerations, data ownership, publication rights, and commercialisation pathways.
• Create portfolio-level project plans, timelines, charters and risk registers; ensure adherence across stakeholders.
• Lead cross-functional project teams to ensure key milestones and deliverables are met.
• Maintain structured reporting to research leadership, executives, and Boards.

Requirements:

What we are looking for:

• Experienced: You have 2-4 years experience in a top-tier management consultancy, high growth start-up or similar.
• Science Background or Interest: You may have an educational foundation in science or a keen interest in science.
• Writing expertise: Possess outstanding written communication skills, ensuring clarity, precision, and effectiveness in conveying complex ideas and findings.
• Entrepreneurial spirit: You possess an entrepreneurial mindset with a strong sense of ownership and drive.
• Bilingual in business and science: You have strong communication and interpersonal skills, with an ability to talk with both sides of the business.

Benefits:

• Work in a fast-growing start-up, experiencing what goes on behind the scenes to sustain hyper-growth for a start-up with a physical product!

• Growth and Development – Lyka is growing extremely quickly, which means you will have the opportunity to experience different challenges every day and progressively acquire more responsibilities as our facility and team expand. We provide an annual L&D budget for you to continue your personal development.
• Work for a sustainability-focused company – we care about the health of our dogs and our planet. We’re proud to be Australia’s only carbon-negative and plastic-negative pet wellness company and we’re always looking at ways for us to improve sustainability practices.
• Be part of a diverse top-talent team, coming from widely different backgrounds and geographies.
• Up to 18 weeks of paid parental leave top-up
• Wellbeing assistance and tools to take care of your mental and physical wellbeing so you can do your best work
• Pupper parent support to care for your furry friends – flexible arrangements for new pets, pet-friendly offices, discounts, and financial allowance for dog training and care to help them live their best life!

We are committed to building inclusive and diverse teams

Lyka is an equal-opportunity employer devoted to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity and inclusion. We celebrate diversity, are devoted to creating an inclusive environment for all staff and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of application.