Senior Scientist

Warrendale, PA ( Hybrid )

Full Time

Job Purpose

The Senior Scientist for CX Product Insights leads consumer experience learning plans and product research for an assigned set of brands/platforms within the Client. You’ll proactively define key information needs and design fit-for-purpose research approaches with appropriate methodological rigor to answer critical business and technical questions, guiding product and packaging development from ideation through launch readiness. You synthesize learning into decision-ready recommendations and clear experience requirements that enable winning renovation and innovation, while demonstrating best-in-class CX tools, methods, and ways of working across the business. You’ll partner closely with R&D (Product & Process Development, Packaging, Sensory), Marketing/Brand, Insights, Culinary, and external suppliers to ensure consumer learning is converted into practical product, packaging, and technical decisions.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Provide consumer experience (CX) leadership for the assigned portfolio/projects.
• Lead day-to-day CX learning plan execution, aligning research to the highest-value business and technical decisions at each milestone (prototyping, qualification, launch readiness).
• Ensure projects enter and exit key development stages with clear, validated CX direction and appropriate documentation.
• Design and execute qualitative and quantitative research focused on product and package experience.
• Identify actionable recommendations from CX research for assigned categories/brands, synthesizing findings across phases and relevant data sources.
• Translate consumer needs and Jobs-to-Be-Done into clear product and packaging experience targets, design criteria, and requirements that teams can apply in development and qualification.
• Deliver decision-ready recommendations (“so what / now what”) that clarify risks, tradeoffs, and next steps, and drive cross-functional alignment.
• Manage external research suppliers: scoping, proposals, timelines, budgets, quality expectations, fieldwork oversight, and deliverable quality.
• Lead multiple projects with effective prioritization, operating discipline, documentation, and stakeholder communication.
• Ensure compliance with data integrity and privacy requirements.

Expected Experience & Required Skills

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred in Engineering, Food Science, Physical Science, Consumer Behavior/Psychology, Industrial Design, or Marketing with a strong consumer research focus. Marketing Research professional certification also relevant.
• Minimum of 4+ years (BS) or 3+ years (MS) in consumer/product research or consumer experience roles supporting product development and commercialization, CPG strongly preferred , food & beverage ideal.
• Demonstrated ability to translate consumer learning into actionable direction that informs product and package decisions.
• Qualitative and quantitative research capability: study design, instrument development, synthesis, and storytelling.
• Comfort with common research, survey/testing, and analysis platforms.
• Cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management in a matrixed environment.
• Project management strength: prioritization, navigating ambiguity, attention to detail, and on-time delivery.
• Clear written and verbal communication; ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Analytical problem-solving with high detail orientation.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities.
• May provide informal mentorship or guidance to junior team members.