Food Scientist - Coffee & Beverages

RESPONSIBILITIES

- Leads and conducts consumer science projects delivering to the required standards and agreed timelines, including designing research to meet objectives, managing suppliers of sensory and consumer data to produce high quality actionable data, interpreting results, reporting/presenting findings, making recommendations and contributing to decision making.
- Leads descriptive panels for the evaluation of coffee and refreshment beverages.
- Links sensory and consumer data to provide project teams with accurate, impactful, and actionable reports, to both internal and external clients, with conclusions and recommendations resulting from the research findings, ensuring projects are delivered to successful completion.
- Conducts multi-phase consumer science research programs for new product development, productivity testing and quality improvements by incorporating consumer, descriptive, discrimination and analytical testing methodologies.
- Plays an active role in the development of new, improved and/or more cost effective descriptive and consumer science research tools, methods and process.
- Actively contributes to the Strategic growth of the Consumer Science Department.
- Develops integrated research plans and manage budget across multiple product lines annually.
- Works with key stakeholders to develop their understanding of Consumer Science and the value to the businesses with the goal of having Consumer Science integral to business and RD processes.
- Partners with clients to deliver excellent sensory and consumer guidance and contribute to decision making.
- Leads and conducts Consumer Science projects to produce high-quality, value-added, actionable research delivered to agreed timelines.
- Develops and maintains knowledge of category.

SKILLS

Must have a Bachelor's degree; Master's degree preferred in Food Science and/or Technology or a related discipline (eg psychology, statistics, consumer science) with a minimum of 4 years BS/1 years MS relevant training/work experience with sensory evaluation and consumer research, including statistical analysis of data (especially design of experiments and multivariate techniques).
Experience in the application of sensory (descriptive, discrimination), consumer research (CLT, HUT, focus groups) and other related technical fields, such as physiology, psychology and statistics in a FMCG client-side commercial environment is needed. Experience training and leading descriptive panels for product evaluation required. Must have the ability to integrate sensory and consumer methods into research plans, integrate data and draw conclusions. Proven experience of partnering with client/stakeholders as individuals and teams, ability to influence is essential, as a strong element of this role will be the ability to build and maintain relationships is essential. Must have excellent communication skills (verbal and written), as well as strong organizational, planning and interpersonal skills and the ability to work with flexibility. Must be computer literate, inquisitive, self-starter. Microsoft Office is a must. Excel Stat and Compusense is a plus. Knowledge of refreshment beverage and coffee products is a plus.

Synectics is an Equal Opportunity Employer.