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Kraft Heinz

Makes packaged foods for homes and restaurants

Sensory and Consumer Experience Team Lead

UX ResearchConfirmed live in the last 24 hours
Full-timeNijmegen, NetherlandsIn-person

About the Job

Requirements

  • A BSc in Food Science, Engineering, Sensory/Consumer Science, Marketing, or Innovation Studies, and 13 or more years of experience.
  • Proven experience in Consumer Technical Insights, Consumer Experience, Cognitive Science, Economical Science, and Sensory Science, with an established client-side track record in consumer, FMCG, or retail industries; food-category experience is ideal.
  • International experience within a matrix organization.
  • A strong background in quantitative and qualitative research and experience facilitating workshops, with broad knowledge and application skills across sensory and consumer research disciplines.
  • Knowledge of design thinking, lean startup, and design-principles methodologies applied to consumer product testing.

Responsibilities

  • Lead and mentor a multicultural team of Consumer Experience researchers and sensory analysts.
  • Manage resources to deliver impactful results, including the team's strategic and technical mastery.
  • Prioritize the project pipeline and associated budget needs to deliver high-impact strategic projects.
  • Foster a high-performance team culture and ensure continuous professional development.
  • Lead the Platforms Consumer Experience strategy and connect multiple functions to advance the consumer-obsession agenda.
  • Represent the consumer through sensory and Consumer Experience insights, connecting multiple sources of information to anticipate future consumer needs.
  • Collaborate with R&D, Marketing, and leadership teams to align product-development routes and market strategies.
  • Supervise development and execution of the team's strategic learning plans to enhance portfolio penetration and develop innovations that attract new consumers.
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
  • Manage external partnerships to ensure consistency, quality, and agility.
  • Engage with senior leadership, steering committees, and company leaders to represent the team and ensure its perspectives are considered in strategic discussions and decisions.
  • Collaborate with the Global Consumer Experience Acceleration Lead to identify capability needs, define and develop methodologies, and implement standard processes that enable the team to be successful, agile, and future-ready.
  • Create synergies with other Consumer Experience researchers in the EMDM zone, align best practices, support specific needs with guidelines, cascade key insights, and collect insights generated locally.
  • Manage the agency roster and report on partner performance to ensure reliability, consistency, and quality in data collection across studies.
  • Lead development of proactive insights, continuous learning plans, and strategic programs that influence category growth and strengthen consumer-led decision-making.
  • Guide the team in translating market opportunities and consumer needs into product and packaging design principles using design tools, methodologies, consumer research, and sensory capabilities; turn category choices about where to play into actionable insights that define how to win.
  • Provide leadership oversight of product-development follow-up, ensuring key design principles are embedded and risks are assessed to support informed product-viability decisions.
  • Champion design-sprint projects with the innovation coach, enabling the team to shape next-generation product development through strong design challenges.
  • Own and steer implementation of product and pack superiority programs, ensuring appropriate focus, discipline, and business impact.

About the Company

Kraft Heinz

Makes packaged foods for homes and restaurants

Kraft Heinz makes packaged foods and drinks for households, restaurants and other foodservice operators around the world. Its portfolio includes Heinz ketchup and spans sauces, cheese, ready meals, coffee and refrigerated foods. The company develops recipes, manufactures products in its factories and works with outside producers to supply different markets. It earns revenue by selling through grocery chains, wholesalers, online retailers and distributors that serve commercial kitchens. With operating roots in Heinz's 1869 business and its combined group formed by a 2015 merger, it is co-headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Chicago, Illinois.

Company size
10,001+
Company stage
IPO
Headquarters
Pittsburgh, PA
Founded
1869

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