Senior Manager, Consumer Sensory Science

CareersInFood.com; El Segundo (CA); Hybrid; USD 123,000 - 184,600; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% company-paid medical, dental and vision insurance

401k plan with company match

Generous PTO and sick policy

Wellness classes

Employee Assistance Program

Monthly tech and wellness reimbursement

Infinite supply of Liquid I.V.

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a creative and technical sensory leader to enhance product development. In this pivotal role, you will represent the consumer voice and lead a high-performing sensory team. You will collaborate cross-functionally to ensure product integrity and innovation, utilizing your expertise in sensory research and data analysis. This position offers a hybrid work environment, generous benefits, and the opportunity to make a significant impact in the food and beverage industry. If you're passionate about consumer insights and product superiority, this role is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• 8-10 years of experience in sensory and consumer research in food and beverage.
• Strong expertise in sensory research techniques and statistical analysis.

Responsibilities

• Lead sensory program deliverables across innovation and research pipelines.
• Collaborate with teams to identify consumer and sensory research needs.

Skills

Sensory Research Techniques

Data Analysis

Project Management

Communication Skills

Statistical Software Proficiency

Consumer Research

Team Leadership

Education

Master’s degree in Sensory or Food Science

Tools

Compusense

EyeQuestion

SAS

XLSTAT

Microsoft Office

Job description

About Liquid I.V.
At Liquid I.V., our purpose is to elevate the vitality of people and the planet. An ambitious goal? Yes! But by playing to win, holding the bar higher, championing wellbeing, and always thinking with a pioneering mindset we can go further together to leave a lasting mark.

Our products are stocked in over 80,000 retail doors, including the world’s leading specialty, big box, and online retailers such as Costco, Walmart, Target, Amazon, and many more. In just over 10 years, our growth has been exponential. And as part of Unilever, we’re continuing the expansion of Liquid I.V. into a global brand.

We’re also passionate about cultivating solutions for equitable clean water access, a healthier planet, and thriving communities. We contribute over 1% of our company revenue to our Impact Program through which we provide partnerships and grants to organizations that expand access to clean and abundant water locally and globally. By 2026, our goal is to help ensure access to clean water for 2 million people around the world.

About our Team:
We are a world-class team of innovators and passionate changemakers, looking to develop transformative hydration solutions and make a meaningful impact on the world around us.

At Liquid I.V., we are committed to building an inclusive culture of belonging that not only embraces the diversity of our people but also reflects the diversity of the communities in which we work and the customers we serve.

Our team members enjoy a flexible and inclusive working environment, a highly collaborative and innovation-forward culture, generous benefits and perks that empower employees to champion their wellbeing every day, as well as an infinite supply of Liquid I.V. for extraordinary hydration.

About the role:
Liquid I.V. is looking for a creative and highly technical sensory leader to represent consumer voice in the product development process. Reporting to the Senior Director of Product Development, this role will manage and have the support of sensory scientists.

As an integral member of the LIV R&D organization, you will have cross-functional collaboration within all levels of the business. The ideal candidate will be obsessed with our customers and will hold the bar high in delivering innovative products with undeniable product superiority. They are well informed and plugged into industry trends and are a skilled taster with a mastery toward flavor creation.

As a Senior Manager, Consumer Sensory Science, you will lead and influence strategic and tactical initiatives to build best-in-class consumer and sensory research capabilities. You will be a strong advocate for consumers and product integrity on the cross functional innovation team. You will work through ambiguous situations and demonstrate your strong agility in adjusting to evolving business needs.

Functions and duties of this role include, but not limited to:

• Develop and lead all sensory program deliverables across innovation, resilience and research pipelines.
• Develop and lead an agile, high performing sensory team to objectively deliver the ‘product superiority’s measures.
• Deliver sensory presentations and conduct product tastings with leadership teams, cross functional partners, and customers, as required.
• Coach sensory talent to develop skills, deliver business objectives, OKRs and individual performance goals.
• Collaborate with your manager to build out annual operating plans, sensory strategy, and effectively manage sensory budgets.
• Collaborate with product development and consumer insights teams to identify consumer and sensory research needs.
• Support new in-house capabilities to advance consumer co-creation and product demonstrations.
• Translate learning of sensory and consumer research to actionable insights and serve as subject matter expert on cross functional innovation teams.
• Lead and influence capability building including all internal and external testing panels, own budgets and vendor relationships.
• Collaborate with product development team to harmonize formulations and support international launches.
• Analyze data using statistical principles, evaluate results, form conclusions, and implement process improvements/recommendations.
• Provide appropriate sensory training to internal panel and cross-functional associates to strengthen internal capabilities.
• Identify areas of opportunity and develop business cases for advanced research by understanding competitive landscape and collaborating with cross functional leaders.
• Travel as necessary to represent team at industry conferences and tradeshows as needed.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Sensory or Food Science, Psychology, Consumer Science or related field.
• 8-10 years of experience in sensory and consumer research, preferably in a food and beverage industry.
• 2-3 years strong business experience in food and beverage segments, preferably identifying white space areas and supporting competitive profense. Stakeholder management experience is desired.
• Proficient in beverage product development and innovation.
• Strong expertise in a range of sensory and consumer research techniques.
• Proficient in using sensory software (Compusense, EyeQuestion, Sims etc.) and Statistical software (SAS, XLSTAT etc.).
• Strong background in statistics and relevant data science.
• Knowledgeable in advanced data analysis, design of experiments, qualitative/quantitative research, new method developments, project management and budget management.
• Experience managing a sensory lab; building and training sensory panels; building and managing a team of sensory professionals.
• Experience conducting consumer research.
• Effective written and oral communication skills.
• Effective project management skills.
• Ability and willingness to evaluate food and beverage products daily.
• Working knowledge of Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Microsoft Office.

What We Give:

• 100% company-paid medical, dental and vision insurance for employees (PPO, HMO and Kaiser options).
• A 401k plan with company match, short and long-term disability coverage.
• A generous PTO and sick policy that includes 13+ paid annual holidays.
• Wellness classes (fitness, mental health, nutrition, finance, etc.).
• An Employee Assistance Program, including membership for guided meditation for all employees.
• Monthly tech and wellness reimbursement.
• An infinite supply of Liquid I.V. for endless hydration!

Work Environment:

• Hybrid office environment with flexibility for industry events with up to 10% travel.

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.

The expected salary range for this position is $123,000 - $184,600 annually and is bonus eligible. The exact salary is determined by various factors including experience, skills, education, geographic location, internal company equity, and budget.

This job description indicates in general the nature and levels of work, knowledge, skills, abilities and other essential functions expected of the role. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required. It is not intended to limit or in any way modify the right of any supervisor to assign, direct, and control the work of employees under his/her supervision. Ability to competently perform all the essential duties of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, demonstrated commitment to the company’s mission, and the ability to work productively as a member of a team or work group are basic requirements of all positions at Liquid I.V.

Liquid I.V. is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex including sexual orientation and gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.