Minimum 8 years of experience in FMCG/CPG industry.
Broad expertise in consumer science and product research.
Ability to connect insights to business outcomes.
Strong leadership and influencing skills.
Responsibilities
Provide consumer insights to drive product innovations.
Champion a 'Consumer First' approach across the organization.
Lead consumer and product intelligence initiatives.
Translate global strategies into local execution.
Drive innovation through effective product narratives.
Ensure compliance in consumer testing processes.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance product claims.
Benefits
Generous 401(k) plan with company contributions.
Tuition reimbursement for continued education.
6 months of paid parental leave.
Comprehensive healthcare coverage from day one.
Eligibility for discretionary bonuses based on performance.
Full Job Description
About the role:
The Consumer Science and Product Intelligence (CSPI) Operating Unit Lead - Principal Scientist role is a strategic and operational role that ensures we put the Consumer First, Always in everything we do. Working as a leader within the Operating Unit (OU) leadership team and as part of the CSPI global leadership team the role ensures we develop, deliver and review our innovations and portfolio of products to ensure they win with consumers at the point of purchase and throughout the usage experience across all the categories in the relevant OU, delivering meaningful and noticeable superiority.
Critical elements of the role are:
Provide insights and evidence that enable consumer-led innovations that deliver meaningful and noticeable superiority.
Champion "Consumer First, Always" approach across the OU, working with R&D from early insight and prototype development through claims support, launch and post-launch reviews.
Lead consumer and product intelligence for the OU, identifying the right evidence to guide product, portfolio, claims, communication, and renovation decisions.
Build a clear understanding of the OU product landscape, including competitors, product performance, consumer reviews, complaints, claims evidence, and emerging format trends.
Translate global category strategies into locally relevant OU execution, while using local insights to influence global innovation decisions.
Bring actionable local consumer and product insights to Category teams and wider R&D, including ethnography, usage and attitudes research (partnering with CBIA where appropriate), and product intelligence.
Drive faster, better innovation by applying product stories, ideal product models, and product narratives through the stage-gate process.
Ensure consumer testing in the OU is compliant, fit for purpose, and aligned with agreed work processes.
Partner with OU, Category, Innovation, Commercial, and R&D stakeholders to focus CSPI resources on the highest-impact growth opportunities.
Partner with cross-functional teams, including Medical & Scientific Affairs, to develop consumer-relevant claims, demos, visualizations, and communications.
Partner with CSPI Category and OU Innovation leads to scale innovation by connecting consumer needs with product solutions.
Provide data to drive OU prioritization decisions and manage CSPI OU workload and resources where they will have the greatest impact on consumer choice, usage, and repeat purchase.
Key Responsibilities
E2E Consumer Science for the OU
Apply consumer science, product research and sensory methods at the right level for each project's decision, risk and value.
Deliver consumer and product evidence to identify areas of superiority to drive superior product design, support claims, product stories and visualizations, and deliver undisputed and irresistible superiority versus competition.
Design, develop and apply leading-edge, fit-for-purpose testing methods, including AI and digitally enabled research tools and platforms, that deliver noticeable and meaningful product superiority.
Conduct post-launch reviews, monitor product complaints and use insights to improve OU products.
Track emerging OU product trends using social listening, market signals and product intelligence to guide pipeline and portfolio decisions.
Integrated Product Experience and Insight Generation
Integrate different data points across consumer research, product performance, consumer complaints, reviews, market and commercial signals, and competitor benchmarking into unified product intelligence and R&D insights that guide product decisions in the OU.
Build understanding of what drives trial, usage, repeat purchase and priority product formats in the OU.
Partner with the Category CSPI leads to identify consumer jobs to be done, usage occasions and unmet needs to inform superior product design.
Product Intelligence
Partner with Category CSPI to build a clear view of the OU product landscape across categories.
Lead OU product benchmarking to identify where Haleon products are superior, at parity, or exposed versus competitors.
Turn benchmarking into clear recommendations on where to renovate, defend, premiumize, simplify, or avoid over-investment.
Identify product and experience gaps that could improve consumer choice, usage, repeat purchase and business outcomes.
Basic Qualifications
Mandatory: BSc degree or equivalent in an appropriate subject.
Minimum 8 years of industry experience within an FMCG/CPG business in an appropriate or associated function.
Essential Capabilities
Broad experience across consumer science, product research, sensory/product experience, claims evidence and product intelligence, with the ability to select fit-for-purpose approaches based on the business decision being made.
Connect consumer science and product intelligence to clear business outcomes and growth.
Lead through cross-functional teams and influence senior stakeholders.
Turn complex priorities and evidence into simple, practical recommendations.
Shape product, portfolio, claims and communication decisions with strong evidence and judgment.
Apply commercial judgment and translate insights into improved consumer and business outcomes.
Product intelligence and data fluency to integrate multiple data sources into clear, actionable insights.
Expertise in developing and embedding novel methodologies to deliver results with business impact.
Excellent analytical and strategic thinking skills to challenge, guide and influence senior cross-functional stakeholders through evidence, judgment and clear communication.
Strong leadership, communication and influencing skills, with the ability to lead change and deliver with excellence.
Compensation: The salary range for this role is $150,660 - $207,158 plus an 18% on-target bonus.
Location: This role can be based in Warren, NJ (ideal) or Richmond VA, and follows a hybrid model, requiring a minimum in-office presence of 3 days per week.
#LI-Hybrid
Benefits
Haleon offers a robust Total Reward package that consists of competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits program. This includes a generous 401(k) plan, tuition reimbursement and time off programs including 6 months paid parental leave. On day one, you are eligible for benefits, including our healthcare programs where the company pays for the majority of your medical coverage for you and your family. We also offer the opportunity to receive a discretionary bonus based on the achievement of key business performance and other incentive/recognition programs as part of the offering.
