Director, Sensory Science & Product Perf
Colgate-Palmolive· Consumer Products· Sep 9, 2026 · 2mo ago
Piscataway, NJ, US
Hybrid
Full-time
Director
$178K–$250K est.
7+ years exp
Job description
No Relocation Assistance Offered
Job Number #175923 - Piscataway, New Jersey, United States
Who We Are
Colgate-Palmolive Company is a global consumer products company operating in over 200 countries specializing in Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care, Skin Care, and Pet Nutrition. Our products are trusted in more households than any other brand in the world, making us a household name!
Join Colgate-Palmolive, a caring, innovative growth company reimagining a healthier future for people, their pets, and our planet. Guided by our core values—Caring, Inclusive, and Courageous—we foster a culture that inspires our people to achieve common goals. Together, let's build a brighter, healthier future for all.
Summary
The Sensory Science and Product Performance Director is primarily responsible for leading the day to day operations of all sensory and product testing - consumers, employees and expert panel. This new role will set-up and standardize the process of conducting product and consumer experience testing, questionnaires, data collection and reporting
The role interacts with all of the Insights Strategic Category Leads - Oral Care, Skin Health, Personal and Home Care and will manage a team of 5 people
What you will do
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Sets-up the new group/team of Sensory and Product Performance team
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Leads all the sensory and product testing - consumers, employees and expert panel
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Oversees the setting up and standardization of the process of conducting product and consumer experience testing, questionnaires, data collection, analysis and reporting
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Ensures all testing incorporates benchmarking against key competitors/gold standard for perceivable superiority
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Leads the setting up of data collection to ensure we house and own the database for better and standard internal reporting and be more predictive and prescriptive
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Uncovers cross-category/transversal opportunities
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Embeds the mindset of being granular/surgical with the entire product usage journey
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Leads the group which will support to the Strategic Category Leads (not client facing)
Competencies/Skills:
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Strong leadership
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Able to execute the vision of building a new team
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Insightful and analytical
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People-centric mindset
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Data Curation
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Connecting the dots/synthesis
Required Qualifications
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Minimum of a Bachelor's degree is required
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7+ years of professional experience in sensory science and/or consumer insights is required
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3+ years of experience as a people manager is required
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Experience in leading consumer/expert/employee panels and analyzing resulting data is required
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Previous industry experience leading technical projects and influencing cross-functional partners within the CPG, Food Technology, Personal Care, or related consumer products experience
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Ability to communicate and present to technical and non technical audiences at all levels
Preferred Qualifications
• Masters or MBA
Compensation and Benefits
Salary Range $165,000.00 - $200,000.00 USD
Pay is determined based on experience, qualifications, and location. Salaried employees may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses, profit-sharing, and long-term incentives for Executive-level roles.
Benefits: Salaried employees enjoy a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, basic life insurance, paid parental leave, disability coverage, and participation in the 401(k) retirement plan with company matching contributions subject to eligibility requirements. Additional benefits include a minimum of 15 vacation/PTO days (hourly employees receive a minimum of 120 hours) and 13 paid holidays (vacation days are prorated based on the employee's hire date within the calendar year). Paid sick leave is adjusted based on role and location in accordance with local laws. Detailed information regarding paid sick leave entitlements will be provided to employees upon hiring and may be subject to adjustments based on changes in legislation or company policies.
Our Commitment to Inclusion
Our journey begins with our people—developing strong talent with diverse backgrounds and perspectives to best serve our consumers around the world and fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels a true sense of belonging. We are dedicated to ensuring that each individual can be their authentic self, is treated with respect, and is empowered by leadership to contribute meaningfully to our business.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Colgate is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, marital status, veteran status (United States positions), or any other characteristic protected by law.
Reasonable accommodation during the application process is available for persons with disabilities. Please complete this request form should you require accommodation.
For additional Colgate terms and conditions, please click here .
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Benefits
Benefits detected in the listing.
Dental
Vision
401(K)
Pto
Parental Leave