At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead sensory research to drive product innovation and optimisation.
- Company: Leading international food manufacturer with a diverse brand portfolio.
- Benefits: Annual bonus, private medical insurance, enhanced pension, and 25 days leave.
- Other info: Collaborative team culture with opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Influence product development from concept to launch in a consumer-focused environment.
- Qualifications: Degree in Food Science or related field; experience in sensory science required.
The predicted salary is between 40000 - 50000 £ per year.
High Wycombe, United Kingdom | Posted on 28/07/2026
Our client is a leading international food manufacturer with an exciting portfolio of well-known consumer brands.
They are seeking an experienced Senior Sensory Technologist to join their Innovation team, playing a key role in ensuring consumer and sensory insights drive product development and business decisions.
Working as part of a collaborative cross-functional team, you'll lead sensory and consumer research programmes that support innovation, product optimisation and continuous improvement across a diverse product portfolio.
This is an excellent opportunity to influence products from concept through to launch while working with a business that places consumers at the centre of everything it does.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead sensory and consumer research programmes across innovation, renovation and product optimisation projects.
- Design and execute sensory and consumer studies using appropriate quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
- Manage projects from study design through to analysis, interpretation and presentation of results.
- Translate complex data into clear, commercially relevant recommendations that influence product development.
- Present insights to technical, commercial and senior stakeholders to support decision making.
- Work closely with Product Development, Marketing, Consumer Insight and Technical teams to embed consumer learning throughout the innovation process.
- Identify market, category and competitor trends to support future innovation strategies.
- Champion best practice in sensory science and continuously evaluate new methodologies and technologies.
- Build strong relationships across the business to maximise the value of sensory and consumer insight.
About You
We're looking for someone with a strong background in sensory science who enjoys working collaboratively and influencing product decisions through data-driven insight.
- A degree in Food Science, Sensory Science, Consumer Science or a related discipline.
- Significant experience in sensory science or consumer technical insight within the food or FMCG industry.
- Strong understanding of both qualitative and quantitative sensory methodologies.
- Experience using statistical and sensory software such as Red Jade, XLSTAT, R or similar.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
- The ability to interpret complex datasets and communicate findings in a clear and engaging way.
- Strong presentation and stakeholder management skills.
- Experience working within cross-functional innovation or product development teams.
- Excellent organisation and project management skills.
- What's on Offer
- Annual bonus
- Private medical insurance
- Enhanced pension
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
- Life assurance
- Flexible benefits package
- Ongoing professional development and career progression
- #J-18808-Ljbffr
Senior Sensory Scientist in High Wycombe employer: Protea Recruitment Ltd
Join a leading FMCG manufacturing site in Kent as a Maintenance Engineer and enjoy a stable, permanent role with fixed shifts that promote work-life balance. Our company fosters a collaborative work culture, prioritising employee growth through continuous improvement projects and hands-on experience with cutting-edge production technology. With competitive salaries and a commitment to health and safety, we offer an environment where your skills can thrive and contribute to our high-performance operations.
