Head of Flavor & Sensory

Together We Innovate. Together We Change.

What if the next frontier of growth isn’t just what we make, but how precisely we shape how it’s experienced, and how flavor and sensory can become a scalable engine of innovation and connection? This role elevates them into a strategic lever, uniting science, insights, and product development to drive compelling experiences and stronger market impact.

We are actively recruiting the Head of Flavor & Sensory to join our Growth Organization in Richmond, VA or we are open to remote work arrangements. Must be willing to travel as needed, approximately 30-40%.

The Head of Flavor & Sensory will own and lead a critical capability at the heart of product differentiation, translating flavor and sensory science into consumer preference and commercial advantage. By integrating technical expertise, insights, and innovation, this role will transform flavor and sensory into a strategic system that consistently delivers superior, consumer‑winning experiences.

• Define consumer-winning sensory ambition and translate insights into clear category targets and product priorities
• Establish “where to play/how to win” strategies and define superiority scorecards and evidence standards

• Evolve flavor and sensory capabilities, standards, and differentiated product‑experience systems
• Build benchmarking, modeling, long‑term capability, talent, and innovation roadmap

• Integrate cross‑functional expertise (sensory, R&D, analytics, regulatory, etc.) into a unified product‑experience system

• Deploy capabilities into priority programs with clear ownership, portfolio management, and operating standards
• Define validation frameworks and integrate consumer, sensory, and technical evidence into decisions and learning loops

• Build and manage strategic external partnerships to accelerate innovation
• Standardize knowledge capture and reuse across tools, insights, and future development

• Define KPIs and use insights to improve delivery, resourcing, and ways of working
• Build team capability and succession pipeline to sustain long‑term advantage

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in food science, Chemistry, Consumer Science, or a related technical field
• 15+ years related experience in flavor, sensory, product development, consumer science or related technical fields
• Experience leveraging external partners to accelerate capability and innovation design and technology development
• Demonstrated experience defining flavor, sensory, or product‑experience strategy across categories or platforms
• Strong technical credibility across flavor, sensory, product development, and related analytical or product‑science disciplines
• Proven ability to operate effectively as a system leader with internal and external stakeholders
• Awareness of consumer‑product trends, competitive developments, emerging technologies, and future category opportunities
• Occasional domestic and international travel may be required

As a People Leader at Altria, you are accountable for both results and the experience of your team. You drive alignment by connecting strategy to daily work, and you model collaboration by embracing diverse perspectives. By creating trust, offering feedback, and leading with authenticity, you help strengthen Altria’s culture and deliver meaningful outcomes.

The starting salary is based on but not limited to experience, knowledge, and qualifications in determining compensation decisions. The Salary Range for this position is: $ - $.

Why You’ll Love Building Your Career at Altria

At Altria, we believe a great career starts with feeling supported — both at work and in life. Here’s what you’ll find here:

• Work where life works for you — with flexible and remote options that fit your world, not the other way around.
• Own your time — start with 15 days of paid time off, 13 paid holidays, 2 floating holiday days, and a 37.5‑hour workweek so you can recharge and live fully
• A place where you belong — where…