Sensory Technologist

Category/Area of Expertise:Private Brands
Job Requisition:446510_external_USA-NC-Salisbury
Address: USA-NC-Salisbury-2110 Executive Drive
Store Code: Product Excellence (5139481)
Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of global food retailer Ahold Delhaize, is part of the U.S. family of brands, which includes five leading omnichannel grocery brands - Food Lion, Giant Food, The GIANT Company, Hannaford and Stop & Shop. Our associates support the brands with a wide range of services, including Finance, Legal, Sustainability, Commercial, Digital and E-commerce, Technology and more.
Support the Sensory Manager by conducting product quality assessments and sensory evaluations at assigned local Brand for both current and newly developed Private Brand (PB) products. Ensure full alignment with brand guardrails and quality standards. Ensure compliance with nutritional guidelines in conjunction with PB Nutritionist for the Private Brands portfolio of brands. Contribute to the process of product quality monitoring of Private Brand products across assigned categories. May work with Private brand manufacturers and outsourced QA third party organizations (where applicable) to monitor quality and conduct sensory evaluation of Private Brand products across assigned categories. Maintain records of all sensory, quality and validation evaluations. Provide administrative support to the Sensory team.

• Responsible for conducting product quality evaluations supporting new item development, reformulations, and category bids for the Private Brands products.
• Ensures facilities and appropriate set up are in place for product validation cuttings and assessments to ensure customer focused, unbiased evaluations, which uphold the standard for best-in-class private brand products.
• Procures and requests product samples as needed to facilitate evaluations.
• Ensures compliance with the Brand Equity guardrails for Private Brands.
• Contributes to the review of the product and specifications to ensure compliance with Private Brand guardrails including Guiding Stars, sustainable retailing requirements, ingredient, and nutritional information for assigned categories and/or at assigned local Brand.
• Collaborates with Sourcing and Category Development Managers to develop product briefs which provide guidance to suppliers on product quality parameters required for category bids and new items.
• Collaborates with Private Brands Nutritionists to ensure compliance with product nutritional standards including compliance with the Guiding Stars program.

Maintains reporting and data recordkeeping for all assigned Validation and Sensory activities.

• Acts as an advocate of product quality in the drive to develop best in class private brands products.
• Ensures all facilities are set up and required products are available to evaluate assigned categories of Private Brand products in house, in order to test compliance with product specifications and quality standards.
• Ensures relevant products and facilities are available and set up for evaluation of new products at assigned Brand and/or categories.
• Supports the monitoring, investigation and response to quality customer complaints (store, associate customer) regarding assigned categories of Private Brand products ensuring identification of issues and trends and communicating as relevant to the wider business.
• Ensures relevant information is available to contribute to the evaluation summary of quality monitoring results.
• Maintains accurate and detailed records of all evaluations and quality monitoring.

Performs clerical related work to include filing, sorting, and completing special projects.

• Supports the Private Brands product sensory assessment program at assigned local Brand, including consumer (in-store) and associate (Store Support Office) sensory research/panels.
• Works with the Sensory manager to collate and write up the results of Sensory evaluations and issues to relevant Centers of Excellence (CoEs) in Private Brands, and provides guidance regarding next steps.
• Creates and writes Sensory Ballots and sets up sensory panels utilizing relevant sensory science and techniques to create unbiased customer and associate sensory research.
• Collaborates with the in-store customer research third party company to arrange testing schedule at assigned local Brand.
• Maintains sensory records.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and related work experience in one of the following or related subject:
• Food Science, Food Technology, Nutrition, Sensory Science, Biochemistry, Microbiology
• 2+ years of related experience preferred
• Analytical and problem solving skills
• Oral and written communication skills
• Ability to analyze, interpret and take appropriate action on information
• Clerical and Administrative
• Expertise in sensory testing and guidance and consumer product testing
• Ability to evaluate multiple aspects of food products
• Understanding of consumer food products brand management
• Understanding of the private label retail food business environment and metrics
• Customer focus
• Initiative
• Ability to adapt to change
• Ability to work on multiple projects
• Ability to evaluate multiple aspects of food products
• Communicate cross functionally

Our flexible/ hybrid work schedule includes 3 in-person days at one of our core locations and 2 remote days. Our core office locations include Salisbury, NC , Chicago, IL, Quincy, MA, Carlisle, PA, Scarborough, ME, Hyattsville, MD and Mauldin, SC.
All ADUSA job offers take multiple factors into consideration including, but not limited to salary range, internal equity, a candidate's qualifications, geographic region, job-related knowledge and skills.
#LI-ES1
At Ahold Delhaize USA, we provide services to one of the largest portfolios of grocery companies in the nation, and we're actively seeking top talent.
Our team shares a common motivation to drive change, take ownership and enable our brands to better care for their customers. We thrive on supporting great local grocery brands and their strategies.
Our associates are the heartbeat of our organization. We are committed to offering a welcoming work environment where all associates can succeed and thrive. Guided by our values of courage, care, teamwork, integrity (and even a little humor), we are dedicated to being a great place to work.
We believe in collaboration, curiosity, and continuous learning in all that we think, create and do. While building a culture where personal and professional growth are just as important as business growth, we invest in our people, empowering them to learn, grow and deliver at all levels of the business.