Senior Specialist - Sensory/Product Experience
JOB SUMMARY:
Provide robust sensory and consumer know-how to facilitate and influence complex, broad reaching, consumer-centric innovation and renovation projects in alignment with consumer trends and business strategies. Ensure consumer expectations on product and packaging experience are met. Demonstrate sustained evidence of successful execution of advanced consumer and sensory research, from design to statistical analysis and visual storytelling to influence successful R&D and business decisions. Build category product insights to inspire and influence Innovation & Renovation pipelines and business strategies. Provide sensory expertise to technical research programs, ensuring advanced foundational knowledge is acquired to impact and fuel business growth. Continuously drive improvement of sensory & consumer research practices, processes, and capabilities. Serve as a trusted advisor, recognized as consumer and sensory subject-matter expert.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Provide consumer & sensory insights to innovation and renovation projects:
- Assure early-phase collaboration between R&D and business to leverage existing category consumer knowledge.
- Operate as a promoter of consumer perspective throughout the innovation/renovation development process.
- Be key consumer/sensory business partner to R&D and Business Category Leads and help define questions and outcomes from a consumer and sensory insight perspective to add value and influence project success.
- Provide guidance on choice and use of sensory and consumer research methodologies. Lead design, execution, statistical analysis, and visual storytelling to generate actionable insights for product design.
- Play an active part in cross-functional project teams, from front-end innovation until launch. Ensure sensory & consumer knowledge is transferred effectively to industrialization, acting as an advisor in the setup of consumer-centric sensory specifications.
- Build sensory & consumer preference knowledge on product experience:
- Build and cultivate foundational knowledge of the product category and target consumer with a focus on how/why consumers perceive and interact with products to generate relevant insights.
- Develop knowledge and promote best practices for delivering taste preferences, sensory cues, and benefits to ensure effective product and package design.
- Uncover learnings and understanding from internal and external sources (trends, competitive benchmarking, preferences, sensory mapping, etc.) to inform product and packaging design to maximize the consumer experience.
- Apply strong analytical knowledge (i.e., design of experiment, statistics) and understanding to translate consumer responses into key drivers of liking and key sensory attributes to delight consumers.
- Manage and execute consumer and sensory research studies with excellence:
- Lead complex projects of strategic importance, by designing fit-to-purpose sensory science, consumer research methodologies (quantitative and qualitative), procedures, and processes to provide key insights to answer objectives and communicate outcomes and their potential implications.
- Define clear, time-bounded plans and prioritize resources available.
- Manage studies: plan, design, then analyze results, and communicate high-level recommendations and implications for efficient, effective, and timely decision making.
- Support the identification and communication of risks and opportunities while working collaboratively to identify solutions.
- Demonstrate ability to draw upon knowledge of adjacent functions to provide a clearer and deeper understanding of products and consumers.
- Ensure collaboration with Sensory Panel Leaders, Technicians, and external agencies in order to ensure lean and transparent execution. Contribute to management of internal and external project execution by sensory panels.
- Provide sensory & consumer understanding as it relates to the product experience and translate into actionable insights:
- Build and leverage knowledge to identify new opportunities and guide strategy.
- Lead category preference mapping projects to identify drivers of liking, white spaces, and recommendations that can drive future growth.
- Anticipate needs and nurture relationships with external service providers, such that they perform and serve as an extension of the Sensory & Product Experience function.
- Ensure consumer & sensory insights continuous improvement and team development:
- Drive new method development and adoption within and across the SPX function, including innovative and agile methods.
- Model continuous improvement, technical knowledge sharing and functional know-how throughout the organization.
- Ensure high quality results through panel maintenance and performance. Participate in the selection and training of panel members. Coach Sensory Panel Leaders to reach excellence.
- Build and leverage knowledge:
- Build and leverage product sensory & consumer insights to identify new opportunities and guide strategy.
- Apply Nestlé global sensory & consumer guidelines and contribute to the development of new research methods.
- Design or contribute to internal trainings and knowledge sharing activities in the area of sensory & consumer research in partnership with our global network.
- Drive category-specific sensory and consumer training, contributing to the improvement of competencies in markets and R&D.
- Coach more junior team members to reach excellence in execution and autonomy.
JOB QUALIFICATIONS (Education, Experience and Knowledge):
- Advanced degree (Master or higher degree preferred) in Sensory Science, Consumer Science, Market Research, Food Technology, Food Science, or other related fields.
- Consideration: PhD with minimum of 2 years of experience in a wide range of sensory analysis and consumer (qualitative, quantitative) testing techniques and their applications; OR Master's degree with minimum of 4+ years of experience; OR Bachelor's Degree with 7+ years of experience.
- Solid experience applying univariate and multivariate statistical methods to generate insights.
- Strong analytical, statistics, and problem-solving skills are a must.
- Experience in statistical design of experiments is a plus.
- Experience leading trained sensory panels.
- Experience in market research with exposure to a variety of consumer testing techniques and/or working with consumer research agencies on product testing.
- Experience in consumer-packaged goods; experience in both R&D and business sides is a plus.
- Software knowledge: Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, SAP.
- Strong written and oral communication skills. Experience translating technical data into great storytelling for a variety of audiences.
- Strong organizational skills.
- Able to work well in a team environment.
- Independently motivated.
- Good interpersonal/teamwork skills and a sense of business/technical interrelationships.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED:
A proactive, independent person, able to lead/manage/complete projects with minimal supervision. Creative and innovative with a sense of urgency and passion. There will be at least two formal meetings with the Manager to evaluate the progress toward the goals. There is also the opportunity to work closely with other members of the team for guidance. There will be formal training sessions set up for all newcomers to Nestlé as well as specific courses required as an R&D employee. The Manager will set up a training plan, and it is the responsibility of the individual to execute the plan.
SUPERVISION GIVEN:
This individual does not have any direct reports but should be able to coach/mentor team members in projects that he/she is leading.
FINANCIAL:
This position is in support of the R&D Nestlé Global environment and delivers services to various operating companies.
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