Principal Scientist​/Manager, R&D – CX Product Insights, Global Innovation

Position: Principal Scientist/Manager, R&D – CX Product Insights, Global Innovation ​
Location: Golf

Job Description Job Purpose  ​​The Principal Scientist for CX Product Insights is the technical authority and methodologist for consumer experience research for Global Innovation. You architect fit-for-purpose CX learning strategies across the end-to-end product lifecycle, from front-end exploration and ideation through launch readiness, ensuring methodological rigor, evidence quality, and decision-ready synthesis that accelerates innovation. You translate consumer needs into clear product and packaging experience requirements, influence cross-functional teams toward consumer-centric decisions, and balance speed vs.

rigor based on decision risk. You elevate functional capability through coaching, playbooks/toolkits, and ways of working, and guide internal teams and suppliers to the right level of rigor for the decision ’ll partner closely with R&D (Product & Process Development, Packaging, Sensory), Marketing/Brand, Insights, Analytics, Culinary, and external suppliers to ensure consumer learning is converted into practical product, packaging, and technical decisions.

​  Essential Functions & Responsibilities  ​​Provide CX technical leadership for the Global Innovation team, defining key learning needs tied to business and technical decisions at each development milestone. ​Serve as subject matter expert (SME) for product and packaging design consumer research, bringing deep methodological expertise across qualitative and quantitative approaches.  ​Architect end-to-end CX learning plans from upstream exploration to downstream validation, with clear decision framing, success criteria, and evidence standards aligned to risk and timelines.

​Translate complex consumer experience insights into actionable experience requirements that inform product and packaging design, managing tradeoffs and defining what success looks like. ​Lead high-stakes stakeholder readouts with compelling decision narratives, synthesizing insights and tailoring technical depth to both executive and technical audience. ​Serve as technical consultant to the CX team on study designs, analysis plans, and interpretation for high-stakes readouts and gate/milestone decisions ​Evaluate, pilot, and standardize emerging CX methods and analytics (including vendor capabilities), documenting best practices, limitations, and evidence thresholds before scaling.

​Coach and upskill scientists and partners through playbooks, training, and consultative support that embed CX rigor, curiosity, and storytelling excellence across functions. ​Oversee vendor strategy and performance: capability alignment, quality assurance, data integrity, and delivery expectations. ​Manage multiple simultaneous work streams with disciplined prioritization, documentation, and strong stakeholder communication in a fast paced innovation environment. ​Provide continuity and backup coverage for the CX leadership team as needed.

​Ensure compliance with data integrity, privacy, and internal research governance requirements.​ Expected Experience & Required Skills ​​Bachelor’s degree minimum (Consumer Behavior, Psychology, Marketing Research, Engineering, Food Science, Human Factors, Industrial Design, or related STEM field), advanced degree preferred  ​Minimum of 8+ years (BS), 7+ years (MS) or 6+ years (PhD) in consumer/product research, consumer experience, or applied insights supporting innovation, product development and commercialization.

​CPG or food & beverage experience strongly preferred, with demonstrated progression in technical expertise, including independent research strategy development, methodological leadership, and influencing cross-functional product and packaging innovation decisions.
​Recognized expertise across CX research methods…