Senior Sensory Scientist

Senior Sensory Technologist

Location: Buckinghamshire

The Opportunity

Our client is a leading international food manufacturer with an exciting portfolio of well-known consumer brands. They are seeking an experienced Senior Sensory Technologist to join their Innovation team, playing a key role in ensuring consumer and sensory insights drive product development and business decisions.

Working as part of a collaborative cross-functional team, you'll lead sensory and consumer research programmes that support innovation, product optimisation and continuous improvement across a diverse product portfolio. This is an excellent opportunity to influence products from concept through to launch while working with a business that places consumers at the centre of everything it does.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead sensory and consumer research programmes across innovation, renovation and product optimisation projects.
  
• Design and execute sensory and consumer studies using appropriate quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
  
• Manage projects from study design through to analysis, interpretation and presentation of results.
  
• Translate complex data into clear, commercially relevant recommendations that influence product development.
  
• Present insights to technical, commercial and senior stakeholders to support decision making.
  
• Work closely with Product Development, Marketing, Consumer Insight and Technical teams to embed consumer learning throughout the innovation process.
  
• Identify market, category and competitor trends to support future innovation strategies.
  
• Champion best practice in sensory science and continuously evaluate new methodologies and technologies.
  
• Build strong relationships across the business to maximise the value of sensory and consumer insight.
  

About You

We're looking for someone with a strong background in sensory science who enjoys working collaboratively and influencing product decisions through data-driven insight.

You'll ideally have:

• A degree in Food Science, Sensory Science, Consumer Science or a related discipline.
  
• Significant experience in sensory science or consumer technical insight within the food or FMCG industry.
  
• Strong understanding of both qualitative and quantitative sensory methodologies.
  
• Experience using statistical and sensory software such as RedJade, XLSTAT, R or similar.
  
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
  
• The ability to interpret complex datasets and communicate findings in a clear and engaging way.
  
• Strong presentation and stakeholder management skills.
  
• Experience working within cross-functional innovation or product development teams.
  
• Excellent organisation and project management skills.
  

What's on Offer

• Competitive salary
  
• Annual bonus
  
• Private medical insurance
  
• Enhanced pension
  
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
  
• Life assurance
  
• Flexible benefits package
  
• Ongoing professional development and career progression
  

Interested?

If you're passionate about sensory science and consumer understanding and are looking to make a real impact within a global FMCG business, we'd love to hear from you.