Principal Scientist, R&D – Consumer Experience (Cx) Product Insights?

Kraft Heinz; United States; Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Kraft Heinz is seeking a Principal Scientist for CX Product Insights to lead CX learning across the portfolio, design end-to-end CX plans, and guide cross-functional teams toward consumer-centric decisions.

You will coach teams, evaluate methods, manage multiple workstreams, and ensure data integrity and governance while collaborating with R&D, Marketing, Insights, Analytics and external partners.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree minimum.
• Extensive CX research experience and technical authority across multiple brands/platforms.
• Proven ability to influence product and packaging decisions.
• Strong cross-functional leadership and stakeholder management.
• Experience with quantitative/statistical interpretation in CX and product testing.

Responsibilities

• Provide CX technical leadership for the assigned portfolio, defining information needs at each development milestone.
• Architect end-to-end CX learning plans (qualitative + quantitative) from exploration to validation with clear decision framing.
• Serve as CX methodologist/SME across learning phases, aligning rigor to risk and timeline.
• Translate consumer learning into experience requirements guiding product/packaging development.
• Lead high-stakes stakeholder readouts with clear, actionable implications.
• Act as technical consultant on study designs, analysis plans, and interpretations for gate decisions.
• Evaluate and pilot emerging CX methods and analytics; document best practices and limitations.
• Coach scientists and partners through training, playbooks, and best practices.
• Audit vendor strategy and performance for portfolio capabilities and data integrity.
• Lead multiple concurrent workstreams with prioritization and strong documentation.
• Provide continuity/backup coverage for senior team.
• Ensure data integrity, privacy, and governance compliance.

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Job Description

Job Purpose

ThePrincipal Scientist for CX Product Insightsis the technical authority and methodologist for consumer experience research across an assigned portfolio within Product Insights. You architect fit-for-purpose CX learning strategies across the end-to-end product lifecycle,from front-end exploration and ideation through launch readiness,ensuring methodological rigor, evidence quality, and decision-ready synthesis that accelerates innovation and renovation. You translate consumer needs into clear product and packaging experience requirements, influence cross-functional teams toward consumer-centric decisions, and balance speed vs. rigor based on decision risk. You elevate functional capability through coaching, playbooks/toolkits, and ways of working, and guide internal teams and suppliers to the right level of rigor for the decision at hand.You'llpartner closely with R&D (Product & Process Development, Packaging, Sensory), Marketing/Brand,Insights,Analytics, Culinary, and external suppliers to ensure consumer learning is converted into practical product, packaging, and technical decisions.

EssentialFunctions &Responsibilities

• Provide CX technical leadership for the assigned portfolio/platforms, defining key information needs tied to business and technical decisions at each development milestone.

• Architect end-to-end CX learning plans (qualitative + quantitative) from upstream exploration to downstream validation, with clear decision framing, success criteria, and evidence standards.

• Serve as portfolio CX methodologist/SME-selecting, applying, and advising onappropriate methodsacross learning phases, aligning rigor to risk and timeline.

• Translate consumer learning into clear experience requirements that guide product and packaging development, including managing design tradeoffs and aligning on what success looks like.

• Lead high-stakes stakeholder readouts,synthesizingfindings,tailoringstorylineand technical depth for executive vs. technical audiences; ensure implications are clear, succinct, and actionable.

• Serve as technical consultant to the CX team on study designs, analysis plans, and interpretation for high-stakes readouts and gate/milestone decisions.

• Evaluate, pilot, and standardize emerging CX methods and analytics (including vendor capabilities), documenting best practices, limitations, and evidence thresholds before scaling.

• Coach and upskill scientists and partners through training, playbooks/toolkits, best practices, and consultative support, including shaping ways of working that embed CX rigor across the function.

• Audit vendor strategy and performance for the portfolio-capabilitymatching, scoping, quality expectations, data integrity checks, performance management, and deliverable acceptance criteria.

• Lead multiple simultaneous workstreams with strong prioritization, operating discipline, documentation, and stakeholder communication in a fast-paced environment.

• Provide continuity/backup coverage for the senior team as needed.

• Ensure compliance with data integrity, privacy, and internal research governance requirements.

Expected Experience& Required Skills

• Bachelor'sdegree minimum (Consumer Behavior/Psychology, Marketing Research, Engineering, Food Science, Human Factors, Industrial Design, or related STEM field).

• Minimum of6+ years (BS), 5+ years (MS) or4+ years (PhD) in consumer/product research, consumer experience, or applied insights supporting product development and commercialization-CPG or food & beverage strongly preferred-with demonstrated progression as a technical authority across multiple brands/platforms and vendor ecosystems.

• Recognizedexpertiseacross CX research methods (qualitative and quantitative), including end-to-end study design, instrument development, analysis planning, synthesis, and storytelling; ability to select methods based on decision risk and learningobjectives.

• Proven ability to influence product and packaging innovation/renovation decisions by translating consumer needs into clear experience requirements and decision criteria.

• Strong technical oversight: expert scoping, critical review of study quality, and ability to QA vendor work (methods, analysis, and interpretation).

• Clear, succinct communication across audiences, including leadership-level implications, tradeoffs, and uncertainty/limitations.

• Demonstrated capabilitybuilding:coaching, technical training, and establishing best practices/standards in a matrixed organization.

• Strong cross-functional leadership and stakeholder management; sound escalation judgment and ability to correct misinterpretations of evidence.

• Strong prioritization and independent execution across a complex portfolio with multiple concurrent projects.

• Workingproficiencywith quantitative/statistical interpretation used in CX and product testing; comfort using and overseeing common research platforms and analysis tools (survey/testing platforms, analysis packages, dashboards/BI), consistent with internal standards.

• Ability to travel up to20%ofthe time.

Work Environment & Schedule

We believe the office is a critical driver of innovation, connection, and development, but also realize providing flexibility to our employees is critical. To create a more agile and modern workplace, this position will be able to workvirtually forup to two days each week and will be expected to work in-person at the assigned work location at least three days per workweek.

This job description is not designed to cover orcontainall duties or responsibilities that are require