Sensory Scientist

Position Title:Sensory Scientist
Position Type: Regular - Full-Time
Requisition ID: 45150
In every role, McCainers are ambitious, curious, and passionate about creating exceptional work experiences - together. With a customer-first mindset, we make doing business with McCain easy.
About the role.
The Sensory Scientist reports to the Sensory UX Innovation Manager, Asia Pacific and South African (APACSA) and is based in Delhi, India.
This role applies sensory and consumer/customer research best practices and methodologies, to provide guidance and insights to McCain's regional and local Product Development teams throughout the stage gate process.
This position is a key member of a Asia Pacific and South African (APACSA) regional Sensory UX team and provides direction and training to various stakeholders on all sensory aspects of McCain's products. Sensory Scientist partners with cross-functional teams to integrate sensory practices and testing, where appropriate, throughout the product development process.
The role is responsible for using and creating sensory Consumer/customer and analytical methods to guide product development, enable successful innovation launches and guide renovation efforts. The Sensory Scientist designs and leads testing plans with scientific rigor, issues reports and creates actionable recommendations to stakeholders.
The Sensory Scientist collaborates with R&D, Marketing, Consumer Insights, Operations, and other internal and external partners on new products, processes, quality improvements and cost savings to drive McCain's profitable growth.
As part of the Global Sensory and User Experience team, the Sensory Scientist also works with internal team members to expand McCain's global sensory capabilities. This includes the optimization and standardization of sensory tools and the development of new or hybrid methods. It also includes developing new training materials, assessing and onboarding new vendors, identifying and closing gaps the company has in regard to its sensory needs, and contributing to investigations regarding the linkage between sensory methods or attribute intensities to instrumental test methods.
The position executes and reports sensory and consumer/customer research studies. As such, the Sensory Scientist builds and maintains strong relationships with core vendors, supervises the application of best scientific practices by such vendors and manages test costs and timelines.
This position is based in the McCain HO. Ad hoc travel to regional plants and research venues (including Research Agency sites, Universities etc) may be required (eg for product tastings/review and other R&D focused activities as required). McCain will reimburse travel costs for such work-related travel
What you'll be doing.

1. Partners with Consumer Insights, Research and Development, Marketing, Packaging, Supply Chain, and other business and product teams to guide the optimization of innovation products, product improvements, and define product quality as part of building consumer led specifications.
2. Drives projects through appropriate product and packaging consumer/customer and sensory learning plans from optimization to confirmatory testing, inclusive of building foundational product knowledge, protecting product quality, and enhancing consumer/customer understanding.
3. Facilitates consumer/customer interactions to grow consumer/customer empathy. Examples of this include meetings with Customers to review and define product development briefs and sensory review of stimulus, as well as leveraging any consumer/customer research being conducted by Sensory UX or Consumer Insights, to bring exposure of the internal McCain R&D team to the consumer.
4. Facilitates the running of robust, objective, and fit for purpose, round table/cook ups:

1. • With relevant McCain R&D/Technical Operations/Quality/Commercial team members, to make the right decisions at the right time regards prototypes, market samples etc, and/or to educate and immerse the team in product/category insight.
   • The Sensory Scientist will lead moderation of such sessions, where it is appropriate. The Developer will also moderate for routine, lower risk panels.
   • The set up is carried out by the R&D Product/Pack Developer, under guidance from the Sensory Scientist

1. Courageously champions product design and product quality as the sensory representative on the Research & Development and business teams.
2. Further strengthens best sensory practices within the Research & Development teams and provoke a 'sensory' and 'experimental' mindset.
3. Applies design of experiments (DoE) to sensory and consumer/customer testing.
4. Translates data to insights through synthesis of qualitative consumer/customer learning and interpretation of statistical analyses of quantitative sensory and consumer/customer data.
5. Communicates key findings in a relevant and easy to understand manner and guide business teams to next steps in the product development process.
6. Develops and fosters strong relationships with key sensory and consumer testing vendors (including research agencies, Universities etc) to ensure flawless execution of tests and appropriate pricing.
7. Partners with the business to activate Product Stewardship programs. These focus on measuring and understanding the competitive space (internally or using external Trained Panel and consumer/customer research) and giving actionable guidance, that may lead to renovation activities.
8. Works with The Sensory UX Innovation Manager, APACSA, to forward the Sensory UX agenda through the region. There may be occasions where participation in the broader McCain Sensory and UX team and/or R&D team is required eg team meetings, methodology review, relevant training sessions etc.

What you'll need to be successful.

• Bachelor's degree in Sensory Science, Food Science, Statistics, Psychology, or a related field.
• Master's degree with emphasis in Sensory Science preferred.
• Minimum 4 years of sensory science and consumer research experience across multiple research methodologies.
• Experience planning and executing sensory and consumer research in collaboration with R&D and Consumer Insights teams.
• Strong understanding of sensory evaluation techniques, including discrimination testing, descriptive analysis, internal panel management, and consumer research methodologies.
• Working knowledge of applied statistics, Design of Experiments (DoE), and multivariate analysis techniques.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, collaboration, and influencing skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, synthesize complex data into actionable insights, and communicate findings effectively to diverse audiences.
• Experience managing external vendors and research partners is preferred.
• Knowledge of food chemistry, biochemistry, and statistics is desirable.
• Scientific curiosity and a strong commitment to experimentation, innovation, and continuous learning.

About the team.
This role is part of the APACSA Sensory UX team and reports to the Sensory UX Innovation Manager, APACSA. The Sensory Scientist works closely with regional and global Sensory UX colleagues as well as cross-functional partners across R&D, Consumer Insights, Marketing, Operations, Packaging, and Commercial teams. The position plays an important role in strengthening McCain's sensory capabilities and fostering a consumer-led innovation culture across the region.
About McCain.
Click Here to learn more about McCain and how we provide opportunities to make an impact that matters.
Leadership principles.
At McCain, our leadership principles guide how we engage with customers, collaborate as a team, and achieve success. We focus on understanding customer needs, driving innovation, empowering people, and taking ownership to clear obstacles and deliver results.
AI & Digital Capabilities.
At McCain, AI and digital capabilities are part of how we work and innovate. We value curiosity toward emerging technologies and the thoughtful, responsible use of AI-enabled tools to improve outcomes as part of our future-ready culture.
The McCain experience.
We are McCain. This statement is a testament to our collective strength and our individual value. Your contributions play a vital role in our success. Our winning culture is rooted in authenticity and trust, empowering us to bring out the best in one another. Here, you'll find opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. Join us and experience why we're better together.
Our purpose is grounded in building meaningful relationships. We're big believers in the power of working together in person-it helps us stay connected, collaborate more effectively, and grow as a team. At the same time, we recognize the importance of flexibility. Most office-based roles follow a hybrid model, with the option to work remotely two days a week. There may be exceptions depending on the role and location, so we encourage you to speak with your recruiter for more details.
McCain Foods is an equal opportunity employer. As a global family-owned company, we strive to be the employer of choice in the diverse communities around the world in which we live and work. We recognize that inclusion drives our creativity, resilience, and success and makes our business stronger. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.
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 find appropriate solutions.
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