AddressPosition Title: Senior Sensory Scientist
Position Type: Regular - Full-Time
Position Location: Melbourne
Requisition ID: 27371
Potatoes. French Fries. Pizza. You love them, we make them. In fact, we make 1 in 4 of the world's frozen potato products and if you have eaten fries this week, there is a good chance they were ours!
At McCain, collaboration drives the creation of beloved brands for our customers and consumers. The Research & Development (R&D) team's core mission is crafting unique product experiences that define our brands, focusing on delivering optimal value. As the Senior Sensory Scientist, you'll employ advanced sensory and consumer research methods to provide vital insights for McCain's Asia, Pacific & South Africa (APACSA) projects, integrating consumer understanding into decisions.
Your role entails strategic risk management and methodical research execution, fostering collaborative efforts with cross-functional teams, external partners, and the Plant Sensory Quality team. This position, reporting to the Senior Sensory User Experience (UX) Innovation Manager, is pivotal in enhancing McCain's global sensory capabilities, maintaining flexibility in work location to ensure innovation.
This role can be located in either Ballarat or Melbourne with frequent travel required between the two locations.
About the role
- Partners with Consumer Insights, R&D, Marketing, Packaging, Supply Chain, and other business leaders to align on priorities, build project connections and guide the organisation towards strong customer and consumer understanding and insights
- Demonstrates ownership of brands and credible business sense to deliver insights to the business. Is not only a technical expert, but is a true business partner
- Works with manager and the broader global Sensory and UX team, to develop and imbed best practice sensory and consumer research methods
- Builds capability in junior staff both within R&D and the Sensory and UX Team globally - ensures a positive Sensory UX team environment, and provides a leading example to more junior Sensory UX team staff and the wider R&D team in general
- Plans and leads multiple research projects with minimal guidance from manager, including identifying potential roadblocks and contingency plans
- Further strengthens best sensory practices within the R&D teams, to create a 'culture of curiosity' for the consumer and promote a consumer-first mindset
- Facilitates the development of R&D colleagues to become strong technical leaders with both functional depth and business and influencing savvy, by providing robust sensory and consumer knowledge and mentoring around how to leverage that effectively
About you
- Bachelor's degree in Sensory Science, Food Science, Statistics, Psychology, or related field
- Minimum 8 years of experience in Sensory and consumer research across a range of research techniques
- Fluent in design and activation of analytical sensory techniques (eg Discrimination testing, Descriptive Analysis) and quantitative and qualitative consumer research methodologies (e.g. Focus Groups, Ethnography, CLT's, IHUTs etc). Experience in integrating these methodologies to understand the connection between design and consumer liking/behaviour/emotion
- Demonstrated track record of supporting the delivery of winning product innovations from early stage scoping, to in market activation and surveillance, through providing sensory and consumer input that addresses customers/consumers' needs and influencing skills that impact the teams' decisions
- Experience connecting, collaborating, and managing external research vendors to deliver project objectives, on time and in budget
- Fundamental understanding of applied statistical analysis, including design of experiments and multivariate analysis techniques
- Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office software (ie, Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
- Experience working within the Asia, Pacific & South Africa (APACSA) region is a bonus
What's in it for You?
- Opportunity to be a part of a global iconic brand, and a fun and high performing team
- Opportunity to build and shape the world of Sensory and UX capability and use within a global FMCG company
- Local, regional and global travel as required to meet objectives
- Employee & Family Assistance Program
- Pioneering, innovative and dedicated development programs
- Education Assistance Programs
- Opportunity to 'Chip In' and give back to the community as part of our paid volunteer program each year
If you're looking for your next challenge and want to get behind an organisation that celebrates real connections, then this is your role!
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McCain Foods is an equal opportunity employer. We see value in ensuring we have a diverse, antiracist, inclusive, merit-based, and equitable workplace. As a global family-owned company we are proud to reflect the diverse communities around the world in which we live and work. We recognize that diversity drives our creativity, resilience, and success and makes our business stronger.
McCain is an accessible employer. If you require an accommodation throughout the recruitment process (including alternate formats of materials or accessible meeting rooms), please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.
The health and safety of McCain employees and their families has been our number one priority since the start of COVID-19 pandemic. With vaccination restrictions easing across the globe we do not currently require employees to be vaccinated, but we reserve the right to change this mandate in line with health guidance and regulations in each country.
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Job Family: Research & Development
Division: Global Research and Development
Department: Sensory Innovation APACSA
Location(s): AU - Australia : Victoria : Melbourne || AU - Australia : New South Wales : Gordon || AU - Australia : New South Wales : Lisarow || AU - Australia : New South Wales : Sidney || AU - Australia : Other : Reference || AU - Australia : Queensland : Brisbane || AU - Australia : Queensland : Morningside || AU - Australia : South Australia : Adelaide || AU - Australia : South Australia : Penola || AU - Australia : Tasmania : Hobart || AU - Australia : Tasmania : Smithton || AU - Australia : Victoria : Ballarat || AU - Australia : Western Australia : Perth
Company: McCain Foods (Aust) Pty.
