Senior Sensory Manager - Chicago

CPS, Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

CPS, Inc. is seeking a Senior Sensory Manager to lead regional sensory research, guide cross‑functional teams, and mentor junior scientists.

The role focuses on developing strategies to inform product performance for current and new ingredients globally, while driving innovation and customer excellence across multiple countries. The position requires extensive experience in sensory science, strong leadership, and the ability to translate data into actionable business decisions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science/Technology/Engineering or sensory field; Master’s preferred.
• 10–15+ years in CPG, Food & Beverage experience required.
• 3–5 years leading teams in sensory research.
• Spanish language skills are a huge plus.
• Deep expertise in sensory and consumer research techniques.
• Experience with sensory spectrum methodology and descriptive panel management.
• Proficiency in sensory software and statistical tools listed above.
• Strong statistics and data science applied to sensory data.
• Ability to plan, manage and execute multiple projects on time and budget.

Responsibilities

• Oversee sensory teams and high‑impact scientific projects with regional scope.
• Develop innovative sensory initiatives and standards to drive product insight.
• Guide cross‑functional teams on sensory quality and performance for products.
• Mentor Sensory Managers and promote leadership development.
• Analyze sensory data and translate into actionable leadership recommendations.
• Ensure adherence to sensory policies, quality standards, and regulatory guidelines.
• Collaborate with regional leaders to integrate sensory science into strategy.
• Own the regional descriptive program and manage scheduling of tests.
• Present research findings at conferences and outreach events.
• Represent consumer and customer insights to support business objectives.

Skills

Sensory research

Descriptive analysis

Statistics

Team leadership

CPG industry knowledge

Data visualization

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s in Food Science/Engineering/Sensory field

Master’s in Sensory Science preferred

Tools

Compusense

EyeQuestion

Fizz

Red Jade

Sims

SAS

JMP

XLSTAT

Job description

Under the direction and supervision of the Global Sensory Director, the Senior Sensory Manager will partner with Regional Innovation & Commercial Development, Applications, and Technical Service stakeholders to oversee sensory research across the designated region to drive customer excellence. Utilizing global and regional sensory and consumer research capabilities to derive ingredient, product, and consumer insights for the organization. This role will develop and execute research strategies to inform product performance for new and existing ingredients globally, for the purpose of delivering excellence for the customer. The Senior Sensory Manager will be responsible for developing and mentoring Sensory Research & Principal Scientists within the region and across multiple countries.

Responsibilities And Accountabilities

• Oversee one or more Sensory teams, managing high-impact scientific projects, supporting professional development and ensuring testing excellence across the Country Cluster.
• Develop innovative Sensory initiatives and procedures for the managed areas, setting quality and technical standards that drive product innovation and deepen understanding of product performance. Identify insights and trends from metadata analysis, build predictive model, and create interactive toolkit to visualize sensory data.
• Provide expert guidance to cross-functional teams in Innovation & R&D, Sales & Marketing and EHS & Quality on sensory quality, performance and capabilities for products, aligning projects with corporate goals and regional needs.
• Partner with Regional Technical Manager and Regional Category Development & Planning leads to drive, develop and execute regional sensory strategies.
• Mentor Sensory Managers, supporting leadership development, promoting scientific excellence and fostering a high-performance team environment.
• Analyze and report on sensory data, translating insights into ideas, strategies and recommendations for leadership that shape product differentiation and market competitiveness.
• Ensure adherence to Sensory policies and protocols, quality standards, and regulatory guidelines within the Country Cluster, corrective actions and adjustments to ensure compliance and corporate governance.
• Collaborate with senior leadership across the region to integrate sensory science into long-term business objectives, product development plans and future planning considerations.
• Own and manage the Regional Descriptive Program for the region, managing the day-to-day responsibilities and priorities, including scheduling of test requirements with Project Managers and panel lead.
• Act as subject matter expert to advise on correct methodologies and lead sensory research to meet project objectives of internal partners and external customers.
• Lead gap assessment in regional practices and implement approaches to improve efficiency, drive continuous improvement, clarity, accuracy, and reproducibility of sensory study and data analysis.
• Protect intellectual property by following polices and best practices in knowledge management, IP execution, and information sharing.
• Represent the company by presenting research findings in Science and Education Outreach events and scientific conferences.
• Provide clear and timely communication, synthesize multiple data sources into meaningful information and present actionable research findings while interfacing broadly with key internal stakeholders and external customers.
• Act as member of the site management team, influencing site strategy with a strong emphasis on employee well-being, ED&I along with EHSQS activities.
• Participate in various company activities, such as safety training, employee survey, safety audits and OSHA training. Present safety topic or safety moment in the meetings.
• Contribute to intellectual activities such as drafting invention disclosure and patent application, presenting at scientific conferences, providing sensory training to internal colleagues and external customers.
• Be a consumer advocate on project teams.

Salary

$140,000 - $190,000 + Bonus

Benefits Available

Qualifications & Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science / Technology / Engineering or Sensory related field (examples: statistics, consumer science, cognitive behavior). Master’s Degree in Sensory Science is preferred.
• 10-15+ years’ experience in CPG field, in the Food and Beverage industry preferred.
• 3-5 years’ experience managing teams.
• Spanish speaking capabilities a huge plus!
• Deep expertise in a broad range of sensory and consumer research techniques.
• Experience with Sensory Spectrum Methodology and descriptive panel management.
• Customer focused and solution-oriented approach.
• Strong communication skills including ability to write concise, informative reports and verbally present complex technical information to non-technical audiences.
• Pragmatic, analytical approach, able to adapt to changing business requirements.
• Proficient in using Sensory software (i.e., Compusense, EyeQuestion, Fizz, Red Jade, Sims, etc. and Statistical software (i.e., SAS, JMP, XLSTAT), PowerPoint, Excel, Project, Word.
• Strong background in statistics and data science applied to sensory and consumer data.
• Ability to listen and identify project objectives and influence research plan to do the correct sensory and/or consumer studies at the right time thereby increasing the success rate.
• Strong planning and organizational skills, including knowledge of project management principles.
• Ability to apply tools and techniques to develop/plan, manage or execute multiple projects/work plans and ensure successful completion (e.g., on time, on budget).
• Self-motivated with ability to effectively focus and motivate resources.
• Able to build good relationships with multi-cultural colleagues and from multiple functions.
• Be comfortable with ambiguity and fast-moving timelines.
• Experience using Design Thinking and Agile methodologies is a plus.
• Customer focused and solution-oriented approach.
• Experience of working with strict health and safety protocols in a laboratory environment is essential.
• Enthusiastic about food.