Principal Sensory Scientist

Rich’s, also known as Rich Products Corporation, is a family-owned food company dedicated to inspiring possibilities. From cakes and icings to pizza, appetizers and specialty toppings, our products are used in homes, restaurants and bakeries around the world. Beyond great food, our customers also gain insights to help them stay competitive, no matter their size. Our portfolio includes creative solutions geared at helping food industry professionals compete in foodservice, retail, in-store bakery, deli, and prepared foods, among others. With more than 13,500 associates working globally in 100 countries and annual sales of $5.9 billion, Rich’s is a global leader with a focus on everything that family makes possible. Rich’s®—Infinite Possibilities. One Family.

Purpose Statement

Rich Products is looking for a Principal Sensory Scientist to join our Global Innovation Center of Excellence (COE), as part of the Research, Innovation, and Compliance (RIC) organization. This role is a subject matter expert (SME) within Sensory and Consumer Science that will drive consumer centricity throughout cross-functional and cross-regional innovation and renovation processes to help deliver Rich’s 2030 Vision.
 
This role will be based at our WHQ in Buffalo, NY, with expected travel of up to 25% per year.

Key Accountabilities and Outcomes

• Serve as a trusted advisor and recognized consumer and sensory expert to lead complex, strategic projects in a US and global context that have broad based implications across R&D, the business and across categories. Cultivate foundational knowledge to accelerate and deepen understanding of ingredients, processes, products, packaging and consumers.  

•  Utilize mastership of foundational and advanced design of experiment techniques and their application to escalate Innovation and Renovation impact, efficiency & agility. Utilize advanced market research approaches as decision tools to enhance innovation / renovation products that are differentiated in the marketplace. Design Consumer Research Framework for Core, Adjacent and Transformational innovation opportunities and execute consumer and sensory research that closes the knowledge gap of our innovation opportunities, challenges, markets, consumers, products, and processes.

• Build and enhance functional capabilities and ensure cross-functional execution of global consumer centric sensory programs. Lead the implementation of these programs across all research and development & manufacturing sites, local and global. 
 
• Ensure mastership and full utilization of internal sensory discrimination panels.  Support development of descriptive analysis panels and advance validation procedures. Develop panel performance KPI’s to ensure the highest level of integrity and results are obtained through their use.

• Frequently mentors associates within sensory and R&D teams (i.e. international, joint ventures) and conducts training to develop and enhance their technical knowledge and expertise. 

• Drive cross-functional collaboration with RIC CoEs, Marketing, Insights, Finance and Supply Chain to ensure technical feasibility and market relevance for consumer platforms. Leverages financial acumen to ensure cost-effectiveness is built into product design and ROCS.

• Create and recommends Sensory IP strategy and roadmap for data to develop LLM / AI modeling capabilities. 

• Represent the company with outside vendors, suppliers, universities, associations and governmental agencies. Maintains confidentiality of proprietary information.

• Perform related responsibilities, as needed, to support Rich Products Corporation's business objectives.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

• University graduate with a MS or PhD in food science, sensory evaluation, sensory science, psychology, consumer science, marketing research, nutrition or statistics required. 
• Bachelor’s degree with 10+ years of industrial/applied research experience.
• Master’s degree with 8+ years of industrial/applied research experience.
• Ph.D. with 7+ years of industrial/applied research experience.
• Subject matter expert in consumer, sensory, and market research techniques applied across the organization- from early ideation to post launch assessment, in business and R&D contexts, Expert knowledge of and research experience in sensory perception including:
o    Discrimination testing
o    Descriptive analysis (including temporal methods)
o    Consumer methods (qualitative and quantitative)
o    Methods development & design thinking
o    Statistics (Univariate, Multivariate, etc.)
o    Design of Experiments
o    Panel recruitment and maintenance
o    Panelists validation, training and motivation
o    External agency management
o    Applicatio