Senior Scientist - Consumer Products Research

Mars Incorporated - Franklin, TN

Full-time - Senior

Franklin, TN

10,001+ employees

Food Manufacturing

About the position

The Senior Scientist in Consumer Products Research at Mars, Incorporated is a pivotal role within the Pet Nutrition Research & Development team. This position focuses on executing product-centric consumer research and translating data into innovative product design strategies. The role emphasizes collaboration across R&D, Insights, and Marketing to ensure that the voice of pet parents is integrated into product development, fostering consumer-centric designs and actionable strategies.

Responsibilities

• Advocate for Pet and Pet Parent Needs by understanding and satisfying their needs to deliver reliable usage experiences.
• Translate consumer needs into technical requirements guided by research and product understanding.
• Lead end-to-end research using quantitative and qualitative methods, including defining problems, creating learning plans, and analyzing findings.
• Define and guide Consumer Technical Insights (CTI) methods and activities to ensure consumer-centricity in product development.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Insights, R&D disciplines, and global teams to drive success and translate technical learnings into actionable reports.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Science (Food Science, Chemistry, Animal/Nutritional, etc.) or Engineering (Chemical, Biochemical, Food, etc.).
• Minimum of 8+ years of experience in R&D/consumer research/manufacturing, including experience in a technical leadership role.
• Demonstrated strengths in consumer empathy, innovation management, strategic agility, and business acumen.
• Experience in qualitative and quantitative consumer product research methods and translating learnings into measurable technical requirements.
• Strong team orientation with excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to lead projects across regions.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience coaching others in product-focused consumer research.
• Pet Food Industry experience.
• Experience in sensory research techniques and analysis.
• Strong background in statistics applied to consumer and sensory data.

Benefits

• Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to Mars University.
• Competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.