Associate Principal Product Guidance Scientist - Pet

COMPANY OVERVIEW We exist to make food the world loves. But we do more than that. Our company is a place that prioritizes being a force for good, a place to expand learning, explore new perspectives and reimagine new possibilities, every day. We look for people who want to bring their best — bold thinkers with big hearts who challenge one another and grow together. Because becoming the undisputed leader in food means surrounding ourselves with people who are hungry for what’s next.​ 
 JOB OVERVIEW:  The Associate Principal Product Guidance & Insights Scientist will lead Product Guidance & Insights (PGI) for the Pet business, with a primary focus on companion animal research to inform the development of feeding and treating products. This role translates deep sensory, product, and pet parent understanding into clear guidance that helps teams design and deliver remarkable product experiences across innovation, core renovation, quality, and value optimization. This role will shape learning strategies, generate actionable recommendations for product and packaging, and help cross-functional teams make smarter data-based decisions. This individual will also build PGI capability through direct people leadership, strong prioritization, and the introduction of modern methods and tools. WHAT DOES A SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE LOOK LIKE: The strongest candidates for this role combine deep sensory science expertise, strong dog and cat feeding and treating category knowledge, and the ability to translate complex learning into clear business action. They are credible technical leaders who can identify the most important questions, design efficient learning plans with the right rigor, and turn insights into practical guidance that improves product experience, preference, and business performance. They can influence effectively across all functions and levels within the organization, lead and develop talent, and continuously raise the impact of PGI through strong technical expertise, modern methods, and thoughtful use of new tools and technologies.    KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES: Lead Sensory and Product Guidance strategy and execution for the Pet business with a focus on companion animal research (for dogs and cats)   Lead and develop one direct report, including coaching, work prioritization, development planning, and performance management.  Partner on cross-functional project teams to define the most important product and pet parent questions, build effective learning plans to answer them, and de-risk critical business decisions.  Design and lead sensory guidance, pet parent product understanding, descriptive, discrimination, and confirmatory learning plans from early exploration through iterative product optimization and validation.  Generate actionable insights and recommendations by integrating sensory data, product knowledge, technical understanding, and business context.  Influence product design, optimization, and troubleshooting decisions by helping teams understand the sensory and experiential drivers of product performance and preference.  Communicate findings clearly and persuasively to technical and non-technical stakeholders, tailoring recommendations to drive alignment and action.  Partner closely with the Pet Technology Team to ensure holistic product guidance from both pet and pet parent perspectives.  Build foundational knowledge of key pet feeding and treating product spaces, including relevant product forms, formats, textures, aromas, palatability-related cues, and usage occasions.  Build and strengthen external partnerships to strengthen foundational knowledge in pet feeding and treating.  Champion the product and pet parent voice to ensure products deliver on the intended experience, functionality, and preference.  Prioritize projects against available resources and business needs, ensuring the highest-value work is resourced and executed with excellence.  Identify capability gaps and bring