Director, Sensory Science & Product Perf

Colgate; Piscataway Township (NJ); Hybrid; USD 165,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) with company match

Paid time off & holidays

Job summary

Colgate-Palmolive in Piscataway, New Jersey, seeks a Director of Sensory Science & Product Performance to establish and run a new sensory group focused on product testing across consumers, employees and expert panels.

The role requires setting up standardized processes, benchmarking for perceptual superiority, and delivering actionable insights to inform category strategies within Oral Care, Personal & Home Care and Skin Care. Travel up to 10% is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 7+ years in sensory science/consumer insights.
• 3+ years as a people manager.
• Experience leading consumer/expert/employee panels and analyzing data.
• Experience leading cross-functional technical projects in CPG/food/personal care.

Responsibilities

• Set up and lead the Sensory and Product Performance group.
• Manage sensory/product testing across consumers, employees and expert panels.
• Standardize data collection, questionnaires, and reporting.
• Benchmark testing against competitors to ensure perceptual superiority.
• Develop internal databases and predictive reporting capabilities.
• Identify cross-category opportunities and drive product journey insights.
• Lead a team to support Strategic Category Leads.

Skills

Leadership

Analytical thinking

People-centric mindset

Data curation

Synthesis & connecting dots

Team building

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree or MBA

Job description

Director, Sensory Science & Product Perf Job Alerts Link Job Description

Established in 1806 as a small soap and candle business in New York City, Colgate-Palmolive is now a truly global company with products sold in over 200 countries and territories under such internationally recognized brand names as Colgate, Palmolive, Softsoap, Irish Spring, Protex, Sorriso, Kolynos, elmex, Tom's of Maine, Sanex, Ajax, Axion, Soupline, Haci Sakir, Suavitel, PCA SKIN, EltaMD, Filorga and Hello as well as Hill's Science Diet and Hill's Prescription Diet.

Colgate-Palmolive is a leading consumer products company that serves hundreds of millions of consumers worldwide with brands and products across four core businesses - Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care and Pet Nutrition. We are committed to offering products that make lives healthier and more enjoyable, and programs that enrich communities around the world.

Every day millions of people trust our products to care for themselves and the ones they love. Our goal is to use our technology to create products that will continue to improve the quality of life for our consumers wherever they live.

A career at Colgate-Palmolive is an excellent opportunity if you seek a global experience, constant challenge, and development opportunities in an environment that respects work/life effectiveness.

Job Overview

Job Title: Director, Sensory Science & Product Perf

Travel Required: Travel - up to 10% of time

Posting Start Date: 9/8/26

Hybrid

No Relocation Assistance Offered

Job Number#175923 - Piscataway, New Jersey, United States

Who We Are

Colgate-Palmolive Company is a global consumer products company operating in over 200 countries specializing in Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care, Skin Care, and Pet Nutrition. Our products are trusted in more households than any other brand in the world, making us a household name!

Join Colgate-Palmolive, a caring, innovative growth company reimagining a healthier future for people, their pets, and our planet. Guided by our core values- Caring, Inclusive, and Courageous, we foster a culture that inspires our people to achieve common goals. Together, let's build a brighter, healthier future for all.

Summary

The Sensory Science and Product Performance Director is primarily responsible for leading the day to day operations of all sensory and product testing - consumers, employees and expert panel. This new role will set-up and standardize the process of conducting product and consumer experience testing, questionnaires, data collection and reporting

The role interacts with all of the Insights Strategic Category Leads - Oral Care, Skin Health, Personal and Home Care and will manage a team of 5 people

What you will do

• Sets-up the new group/team of Sensory and Product Performance team
• Leads all the sensory and product testing - consumers, employees and expert panel
• Oversees the setting up and standardization of the process of conducting product and consumer experience testing, questionnaires, data collection, analysis and reporting
• Ensures all testing incorporates benchmarking against key competitors/gold standard for perceivable superiority
• Leads the setting up of data collection to ensure we house and own the database for better and standard internal reporting and be more predictive and prescriptive
• Uncovers cross-category/transversal opportunities
• Embeds the mindset of being granular/surgical with the entire product usage journey
• Leads the group which will support to the Strategic Category Leads (not client facing)

Competencies/Skills

• Strong leadership
• Able to execute the vision of building a new team
• Insightful and analytical
• People-centric mindset
• Data Curation
• Connecting the dots/synthesis

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor's degree is required
• 7+ years of professional experience in sensory science and/or consumer insights is required
• 3+ years of experience as a people manager is required
• Experience in leading consumer/expert/employee panels and analyzing resulting data is required
• Previous industry experience leading technical projects and influencing cross-functional partners within the CPG, Food Technology, Personal Care, or related consumer products experience
• Ability to communicate and present to technical and non technical audiences at all levels

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters or MBA

Compensation and Benefits

Salary Range $165,000.00 - $200,000.00 USD

• Salaried employees enjoy a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, basic life insurance, paid parental leave, disability coverage, and participation in the 401(k) retirement plan with company matching contributions subject to eligibility requirements.
• Additional benefits include a minimum of 15 vacation/PTO days (hourly employees receive a minimum of 120 hours) and 13 paid holidays (vacation days are prorated based on the employee's hire date within the calendar year).
• Paid sick leave is adjusted based on role and location in accordance with local laws. Detailed information regarding paid sick leave entitlements will be provided to employees upon hiring and may be subject to adjustments based on changes in legislation or company policies.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

Our journey begins with our people—developing strong talent with diverse backgrounds and perspectives to best serve our consumers around the world and fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels a true sense of belonging. We are dedicated to ensuring that each individual can be their authentic self, is treated with respect, and is empowered by leadership to contribute meaningfully to our business.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Colgate is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, marital status, veteran status (United States positions), or any other characteristic protected by law.

Reasonable accommodation during the application process is available for persons with disabilities. Please complete this request form should you require accommodation.