User Experience (UX) Director Consumer Science & Superiority

Short Intro and About the Job

We are recruiting a User Experience (UX) Director Consumer Science & Product Superiority to join our UX global team. Danone's mission is to bring health through food to as many people as possible, and we believe that only delicious food experience will engage people towards healthier food habits. UX is a key function within Research & Innovation that transforms consumer and sensory insights into product design levers to create product experiences that consumers love. As we don't take our product's value for granted, we assess through the product superiority program that consumers prefer our products compared to our industry peers.

Our ambition is to raise our game on product design and consumer experience and deliver differentiating healthy food which will excite all the senses, cue our brands and benefits, and increase consumer preference.

We work in a multi-disciplinary business environment, partnering with leading-edge scientists and agencies. This role will help future-fit and deploy consumer science expertise, drive the product superiority program, and the UX digitalization transformation across our business. You will lead the consumer science capability and build a strong and motivated team that can make a difference. This role requires inspiring, provoking, and enabling transformational action based on insights from the product superiority and digitalization programs. You will provide clear and actionable recommendations to drive business growth to senior partners.

Main Responsibilities

1. Drive the product superiority program for R&I worldwide, utilizing the best consumer methodologies, tools for reporting, and clear KPIs. Ensure methodology deployment across regions and collaborate strongly with key stakeholders to leverage insights.
2. Lead consumer science team: deliver fundamental consumer insights and activate in category projects to guide medium and long-term innovation for global brands.
3. Lead UX digitalization roadmap: oversee UX data ownership, design tools to analyze and leverage meta-learnings from databases, and pilot AI tools for consumer insights.
4. Develop teams and talent: create upskilling programs and grow a pipeline of talented consumer scientists.
5. Co-build UX function strategy: as part of the UX board.
6. Manage portfolio: oversee the UX project portfolio to prioritize resources aligned with strategic priorities.
7. Engage the global UX community: facilitate regular meetings or webinars to foster community engagement.

Main Interactions/Stakeholders

• Direct report to VP UX, managing a team of 8, and leading a UX community of 120 worldwide.
• Governance: Member of the UX Board and an active participant in the R&I extended leadership team.
• Collaborate with ecosystem partners: UX community (global and regional), R&I categories team, global marketing & SIA (CMI), quality, C&P, data management, IT, and IRO.

About You

We seek a candidate with strong behavioral and functional capabilities, shaping the future of User Experience at Danone.

Experience

• Minimum 15 years in consumer research with successful team leadership, strong knowledge of methodologies, and strategic insights.
• Excellent skills in structuring, organizing, analyzing, and synthesizing complex data from varied sources.
• Forward-looking with strategic vision, passionate about consumer insights and innovation to impact health through food.
• Leadership with influence and communication skills; experienced in cross-functional team management and collaboration.
• Ability to manage relationships across consumer, business, and innovation leadership; resilient, adaptable, and results-oriented.

About Us, We Offer, and What's Next

One Planet, One Health - BY YOU!

Our core values "HOPE": HUMANISM, OPENNESS, CLOSENESS, and ENTHUSIASM guide us. Every decision impacts our economic and societal performance and helps achieve our ambitions.

At Danone, you can be yourself. You define how you work, develop, and progress. Join us to work in a challenging, authentic, and caring environment.