Full-Time

Quality Manager

Ultra Pouches

Ultra Pouches

11-50 employees

Nicotine-free oral nootropic pouches for focus

Compensation Overview

$90k - $115k/yr

+ Equity

Frankfort, KY, USA

In Person

Bachelor's

Category
Engineering Management (1)
Required Skills
Supply Chain Management
GMP
Microbiology

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Requirements
  • A bachelor's degree in a scientific discipline such as Chemistry, Food Science, Microbiology, or a related field is required.
  • Five to seven or more years of quality experience are required within dietary supplements, food, pharmaceutical, or consumer products.
  • Experience building or running audit programs and supplier qualification systems is required.
  • Working knowledge of 21 Code of Federal Regulations Part 111, good manufacturing practices, corrective and preventive action, and complaint-handling requirements is required.
  • Experience establishing complaint management or quality tracking systems from scratch is required.
  • Strong investigation and root-cause analysis skills are required.
Responsibilities
  • Develop and execute a risk-based audit schedule covering all co-manufacturers.
  • Conduct on-site and remote audits assessing good manufacturing practices compliance, sanitation, documentation practices, and batch record integrity.
  • Issue audit reports, track corrective and preventive actions, and verify closure within defined timelines.
  • Maintain audit readiness for internal facilities, including the ULTRA Compound research and development lab.
  • Build and own an end-to-end system to capture, categorize, track, investigate, and respond to consumer complaints.
  • Establish triage criteria, investigation workflows, and escalation paths for adverse events and product quality issues.
  • Lead root-cause investigations and drive corrective and preventive actions through to resolution.
  • Generate trend analyses and reporting to surface systemic issues and inform formulation, process, and labeling decisions.
  • Manage regulatory reporting obligations for serious adverse events.
  • Define and administer the supplier qualification and approval program for raw materials, excipients, and packaging.
  • Review Certificates of Analysis, specifications, and identity testing requirements, including botanical extract identity under 21 Code of Federal Regulations Part 111.
  • Conduct supplier risk assessments, approve or disapprove suppliers, and maintain the Approved Supplier List.
  • Manage supplier change controls, requalification, and ongoing performance monitoring.
  • Maintain and continuously improve the quality management system, including standard operating procedures, specifications, batch records, deviation and change control.
  • Ensure compliance with 21 Code of Federal Regulations Part 111 and applicable dietary supplement regulations.
  • Partner with Product Development on specification setting, stability, and release testing.
Desired Qualifications
  • An advanced degree is a plus.
  • One to three or more years of leadership or management experience is a plus.
  • Experience with oral pouch, buccal, or similar delivery formats is a bonus.
  • Quality certifications such as Certified Quality Auditor, Certified Quality Manager, American Society for Quality, or equivalent are a bonus.

Ultra Pouches sells nicotine-free, tobacco-free oral pouches designed to improve cognitive performance, led by Ultra Focus Pouches. The pouches release a blend of paraxanthine, Alpha-GPC, L-Theanine, Panax Ginseng Extract, and vitamins through the mouth’s mucous membranes, with effects felt in 5–10 minutes. They differentiate themselves by using paraxanthine (a caffeine metabolite) for steadier focus and marketing a nicotine-free alternative to traditional nicotine pouches and energy drinks to professionals, athletes, gamers, and creators via direct-to-consumer purchases and subscriptions. Their goal is to provide sustained mental clarity and productivity while reducing jitters and addictive potential.

Company Size

11-50

Company Stage

Series A

Total Funding

$11M

Headquarters

New York City, New York

Founded

2025

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Ultra raised $11 million on January 20, 2026, backing hiring, retail expansion, and product development.
  • Ultra sold one million cans in six months after launching in May 2025.
  • Early surveys showed 30% of buyers never used nicotine, proving demand beyond cessation switching.

What critics are saying

  • Philip Morris launched Zyn Ultra in 2026, strengthening an entrenched pouch competitor with massive distribution.
  • Public health groups sued FDA on July 14, 2026, intensifying pouch-category regulatory scrutiny.
  • Ultra's premium pouch habit becomes fragile if consumers reject $36 cans and 3-4 daily dosing.

What makes Ultra Pouches unique

  • Ultra sells caffeine-free, nicotine-free pouches using Enfinity paraxanthine for jitter-free focus.
  • Ultra launched Sleep Pouches on May 7, 2026, extending the pouch format beyond focus.
  • Ultra sells directly through takeultra.com and TikTok Shop, controlling brand and subscription economics.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account

401(k) Retirement Plan

Unlimited Paid Time Off

Company Equity

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

27%

1 year growth

40%

2 year growth

40%
PR Newswire
May 7th, 2026
Ultra launches sleep pouches with 1mg melatonin that work in 5–10 minutes

Ultra, a functional wellness brand, has launched Ultra Sleep Pouches, a six-ingredient sleep aid designed to help users feel relaxed within 5 to 10 minutes. The product is now available exclusively at takeultra.com. The pouches contain 1 mg of melatonin alongside L-theanine, magnesium gluconate, lemon balm, chamomile and passionflower extracts. Ultra's lower melatonin dose contrasts with typical sleep gummies that contain 5 to 10 mg, based on research showing efficacy peaks at 1 to 4 mg whilst avoiding morning grogginess. In internal testing, 90% of users reported improved sleep scores, with a 14% average increase in REM and deep sleep cycles. The water-free, sugar-free pouches contain no nicotine, caffeine or antihistamines. Sleep coach Todd Anderson, co-founder of Dream Recovery, has endorsed the product.

HealthTech HotSpot
Jan 22nd, 2026
CORRECTING and REPLACING Pouches, Minus the Nicotine: Ultra Raises $11 Million to Build a Clean, Non-Addictive Pouch for High Performers

CORRECTING and REPLACING pouches, minus the nicotine: Ultra raises $11 million to build a clean, non-addictive pouch for high performers. A "good-for-you" pouch defines a new category for performance-minded consumers seeking focus without the compromise. NEW YORK - (BUSINESS WIRE) - #SeriesA - First paragraph, last sentence of release dated January 20, 2026 should read: The round was led by Left Lane Capital, with participation from top CPG founders such as Harry's, Grüns, and Rockstar Energy. A "good-for-you" pouch defines a new category for performance-minded consumers seeking focus without the compromise. Ultra, a nicotine-free, functional pouch brand built for clean, sustained focus, today announced its $11 million Series A to expand product development, grow distribution, and build its team. The round was led by Left Lane Capital, with participation from top CPG founders such as Harry's, Grüns, and Rockstar Energy. Launched in May 2025, Ultra has scaled at a pace rarely seen in modern CPG - 1,000,000 cans sold within 6 first months of launch, making it the #1 nicotine-free pouch brand in the world. The company is offering a "good-for-you" alternative to nicotine and energy products at a time when the broader "Zyndemic" trend has become mainstream and consumers are looking for guilt-free focus in a pouch. "This business started with my own story - like many of my friends, I switched to pouches after listening to Huberman and learning about the research on nicotine's cognitive benefits," said Eric Drymer, Founder and CEO of Ultra. "But nicotine is still so addictive, and I didn't want to sacrifice my long-term health for short-term focus. Ultra exists to give consumers a clean, guilt-free focus in the form factor they love." Ultra's pouches are designed to support top performers whenever they need a tactical boost - during deep work, travel, training, or evenings - without addiction, heart problems, or mystery chemicals. The brand is deliberately not anti-nicotine, but recognizes that while nicotine may have some benefits, excess and dependence come with real downsides. From a market standpoint, oral pouches are emerging as one of the fastest-growing CPG categories in modern convenience and e-commerce, driven by consumer demand for discreet, portioned functional products. The category's rapid rise has been led by the nicotine segment, which analysts estimate reached about $5.4B in global sales in 2024 and could reach roughly $25B by 2030 - nearly 30% CAGR. This scale and velocity have transformed oral pouches from a niche product into a mainstream habit, opening the door for an entirely new delivery system for functional benefits. "Ultra is tapping into a powerful shift: consumers want cleaner performance habits in formats that fit real life," said Harley Miller, CEO and Managing Partner at Left Lane Capital. "While some customers use Ultra as a step-down option as they reduce nicotine intake, Ultra is also attracting consumers who never used nicotine products in the first place. Eric and team have built an early brand people return to, defining what functional pouches look like at scale." In early customer surveying, Ultra noted that roughly 30% of buyers reported they had never used nicotine products, underscoring demand for functional "focus rituals" beyond traditional nicotine substitution. Ultra's formula centers on paraxanthine, a metabolite of caffeine, delivered through Enfinity(R), alongside functional ingredients such as L-theanine, Alpha GPC, B vitamins, and ginseng extract. They are also plant-based and sugar-free, and intentionally avoid nicotine and caffeine. The company plans to use proceeds to expand hiring across the United States, broaden distribution into retail, and advance their product roadmap, including new formats and strength/profile extensions over time. About Ultra Ultra is a nicotine-free, caffeine-free functional pouch brand designed to support clean, sustained focus in a discreet, portable format. Built for moments of deep work, training, travel, or winding down, Ultra delivers a modern alternative to energy drinks, coffee spikes, and nicotine-based products. Learn more at takeultra.com. Founded in 2019, Left Lane Capital is a New York and London-based venture capital and growth equity firm investing in high-growth internet and consumer technology businesses globally. Left Lane's mission is to partner with extraordinary entrepreneurs who create category-defining companies across growth sectors of the economy. Select investments include Bilt Rewards, Holy, Olipop, Talkiatry, Blank Street, Kings League, Smalls, and more.

Pulse 2.0
Jan 20th, 2026
Ultra: $11 Million Series A Closed To Scale Nicotine-Free Focus Pouches

Ultra, a nicotine-free functional pouch brand positioning itself as a “clean” alternative for sustained focus, has raised an $11 million Series A round to expand product development, broaden distribution, and grow headcount across the United States, the company said.

Business Wire
Jan 20th, 2026
Ultra raises $11M for nicotine-free focus pouches, selling 1M cans in six months

Ultra, a nicotine-free functional pouch brand, has raised $11 million in a Series A round led by Left Lane Capital. Investors include founders from Harry's, Grüns and Rockstar Energy, plus athletes Joe Burrow, Lindsey Vonn and Dak Prescott. Launched in May 2025, Ultra sold one million cans within six months, becoming the world's leading nicotine-free pouch brand. The product targets consumers seeking focus without nicotine addiction, using paraxanthine alongside L-theanine, Alpha GPC, B vitamins and ginseng extract. Early surveys show roughly 30% of buyers never used nicotine products, indicating demand beyond traditional substitution. The oral pouch market reached approximately $5.4 billion globally in 2024 and could hit $25 billion by 2030. Ultra will use the funding to expand hiring, broaden retail distribution and develop new product formats.