Head of Food Sensory R&D & Strategy

Land O'Lakes, Inc.; Arden Hills (MN); Hybrid; USD 142,000 - 213,000; Full time

Job summary

Land O’Lakes, Inc. in Arden Hills, MN seeks a visionary R&D Section Manager, Food Sensory to lead our Dairy Foods Sensory team and elevate its impact on product development, consumer experience, and manufacturing.

You will build a high-performing team, set scientific direction, and drive business outcomes with cross-functional partners, while advancing sensory science as a core capability within the Dairy Foods R&D organization.

Qualifications

• PhD or Master’s degree in Sensory Science, Food Science, Flavor Chemistry, or related scientific discipline.
• Minimum 15 years of sensory science experience within the food, beverage, ingredient, flavor, fragrance, or consumer packaged goods industry.
• Minimum 7 years of experience leading technical teams and developing scientific talent.
• Demonstrated expertise across descriptive analysis, discrimination testing, consumer research, sensory statistics, predictive model development, and sensory interpretation.
• Proven record of influencing product development and business decisions through science-based insights.
• Strong understanding of food systems, flavor perception, consumer behavior, and sensory methodologies.
• Exceptional ability to build relationships and influence decisions across R&D, Marketing, Operations, Quality, and executive leadership.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead a high-performing team of sensory scientists and support personnel.
• Set technical direction and long-term strategy for sensory science in Dairy Foods R&D.
• Ensure sensory insights influence formulation, commercialization, and quality decisions.
• Advance data governance and analytics for sensory workflows and data interoperability.

Skills

Sensory science leadership

Statistical analysis

Consumer research

Product development influence

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

PhD or Master’s in Sensory Science / Food Science

Job description

Land O’Lakes, Inc. in Arden Hills, MN seeks a visionary R&D Section Manager, Food Sensory to lead our Dairy Foods Sensory team and elevate its impact on product development, consumer experience, and manufacturing.

You will build a high-performing team, set scientific direction, and drive business outcomes with cross-functional partners, while advancing sensory science as a core capability within the Dairy Foods R&D organization.