Description

Position at Pilgrim's

Senior R&D Director of User Experience, Culinary & Sensory

Purpose and Scope/General Summary: We are looking for a Senior R&D Director of User Experience to join our JBS/PPC team here in Greeley, CO! The Senior Director, User Experience, Culinary & Sensory is responsible for building and leading a new capability within R&D and Innovation that defines and validates the product, package, preparation, sensory, and usage experience for consumers, customers, and foodservice operators - before Product Development and Packaging execute. This role translates market, consumer, customer, culinary, and sensory learning into clear, actionable design requirements and success criteria, improving innovation quality and reducing post-launch rework. The Senior Director leads the Culinary and Sensory functions and partners closely with Product Development, Packaging, Marketing, Category Development, Category Management, the R&D Project Management Office (PMO), Sales, and Operations.

Responsibilities:

• Build and lead a new UX capability within R&D and Innovation, establishing the frameworks, tools, and standards for experience definition and validation
• Define product, package, preparation, and usage experience requirements for innovation and renovation projects, ensuring targets are clear before development begins
• Lead Culinary and Sensory as integrated, connected front-end experience design and validation capabilities
• Partner with Product Development to clarify design intent, sensory targets, and culinary direction, providing clearer inputs so Product Development can execute with confidence
• Partner with Packaging and Marketing to define package usability, accessibility, storage, and shelf experience, while respecting Marketing's ownership of package communication and brand expression
• Partner with Category Development (Center of Excellence) as projects move from early opportunity scoping into experience design, ensuring their market and consumer insight translates into clear UX success criteria; partner with Category Management (Sales/Operations) later in Stage Gate to ensure the defined experience supports volume, launch, and in-market execution needs
• Partner with the R&D Project Management Office (PMO) to embed UX experience definition and validation checkpoints into the Stage Gate process, ensuring consistent application across projects regardless of originating function (Category Management, Marketing, or R&D)
• Design and lead consumer, customer, and operator validation plans including foodservice, retail, and institutional contexts that produce actionable product and package guidance
• Define and protect the product and package brief throughout the Stage Gate process, ensuring research findings inform decisions rather than being set aside
• Build the business case and resourcing model for consumer, customer, and sensory testing capability, including securing budget for a function that is currently under-resourced
• Champion the voice of the consumer, customer, and operator throughout Stage Gate and innovation decision-making
• Develop repeatable tools, templates, and learning systems so insights are reusable across brands and platforms
• Build, coach, and develop the Culinary and Sensory teams
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Sensory Science, Culinary Arts, or related field required; Master's degree in Sensory Science, Consumer Science, Food Science, or related field strongly preferred
• 12+ years of experience in sensory science, consumer/user experience research, or culinary innovation within food/beverage or CPG, including significant experience at a Director level or above leading a team strongly preferred
• Experience building or significantly evolving a function or capability, ideally in an organization with limited prior investment in consumer/sensory research required
• Strong understanding of both retail consumer and foodservice/operator business contexts
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and build organizational buy-in and budget for new capabilities
• Experience partnering across Product Development, Packaging, Marketing, and Insights/Category functions
• Can perform the functions of the job with or without a reasonable accommodation
• As a salaried position with the company, you may be required to travel at some point to other facilities, to attend Company events, or as a representative of the Company in other situations. Unless otherwise specified in this posting, the amount of travel may vary and the most qualified candidate must be willing and able to travel as business needs dictate.

The applicant who fills this position will be eligible for the following compensation and benefits:

• Benefits: Vision, Medical, and Dental coverage begin after 60 days of employment;
• Paid Time Off: sick leave, vacation, and 6 company observed holidays;
• 401(k): company match begins after the first year of service and follows the company vesting schedule;
• Base salary range of $190,000-$230,000
• Incentive Pay: This position is eligible to participate in the Company's annual bonus plan, the amount of bonus varies and is subject to the standard terms and conditions of the incentive program; and
• Career Development: Our company is dedicated to supporting professional growth by offering continuous learning opportunities and a focus on career growth through various learning and development programs.

The posted salary range represents the Company's good faith estimate of the compensation that the Company reasonably expects to pay for this role at the time of posting. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience, skills, qualifications, tenure, internal equity, market data, and may vary accordingly.

This position does not have an application deadline. We will continue to recruit until the position has been filled.