Senior Research Scientist Sensory Innovation

Senior Research Scientist – Sensory Innovation Summary

Reporting to the Sr. Manager, Sensory Innovation and working at The Hershey Company's Technical Center, the Senior Research Scientist position provides project leadership on multiple medium complexity initiatives and/or begins to lead a higher complexity initiative with support. Complexity of a workstream can be increased through technical complexity, manufacturing complexity, speed to market, quantity of projects, and cross‑functional support. A successful candidate is adept at demonstrating and applying technical knowledge and expertise (sensory & consumer research, statistics, and data visualization).

The candidate should be proficient at communicating complex or technical subject matter written and verbally to different audiences at different levels within the organization, influence internal customers and key stakeholders, and leverage networks to provide solutions.

• Act as the sensory liaison to assigned brands.
• Work independently and collaboratively to design, collect, analyze, interpret, and report sensory and consumer data, delivering actionable recommendations to cross‑functional teams and stakeholders.
• Leverage knowledge of consumer and analytical sensory methods to lead research primarily for innovation, as well as projects on product improvements and margin enhancements to existing products.
• Apply analytical sensory methods strategically to complement consumer testing and ensure project objectives are met.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of new or improved sensory and consumer research capabilities to further expand the department's toolbox of methods.

• Product Development
• Commercial and Innovation Marketing
• Consumer Insights
• Quality and Regulatory Compliance
• Technology Development
• External Research Suppliers

Up to 10% travel required, primarily within the United States.

• Serve as a liaison to assigned brand teams and R&D partners.
• Participate in recurring project meetings and work with cross‑functional team members to define project objectives, identify appropriate types of sensory and/or consumer research needed, and design test protocols (includes consumer, discrimination, and descriptive testing).
• Serve as a technical thought partner to cross‑functional teams, helping shape learning agendas and research strategies.
• Plan, execute, analyze, and interpret sensory/consumer tests, including working with external vendors; communicate results verbally and in report/presentation format to lead to sound recommendations and business decisions.

• Assess and implement new sensory and consumer research methods to drive capabilities, efficiencies, and performance.
• Interface with suppliers and industry professionals to recommend new research approaches and tools.
• Participate in recurring sensory team meetings to maintain alignment on methods and best practices.

• Proven track record of applying sensory and consumer testing methods to support successful launch of new products and/or improvements to existing products.
• Strong knowledge and application of quantitative and qualitative consumer test methods (e.g., CLTs, HUTs, focus groups, ethnography, online surveys).
• Applied experience with sensory analytical methods, including descriptive and discrimination testing.
• Expertise in leading research projects, including research design, advanced statistical analysis, and reporting of complex studies to generate insights and inform business direction. Experience includes statistical modeling of sensory and consumer data, Design of Experiments (DOE), product and process optimization, category assessments, and Drivers of Liking (DOL).
• Experience with statistical analysis and programming software (e.g., JMP, R, SPSS, SAS, Minitab, or similar) and advanced statistical techniques.
• Proficiency in the use of sensory data collection systems, including Eye Question (preferred), Compusense, or Red Jade.
• Demonstrates curiosity and adaptability in…