**Account Team Leader & Sensory Program Director**

* Plymouth, MN, USA

* Full-time

**Company Description**

The **National Food Lab** is a fast-growing company with a vision to be the destination for tailored solutions for the food industry beginning to end. Our mission is to provide services that help food, beverage, and supplement companies deliver innovative, safe, and successful products. We seek to make a positive impact in the advancement of food advancement, safety, quality and nutrition, fulfilling our corporate promise to improve health and improve lives.

The National Food Labs best-in-class consumer and sensory research capabilities are the result of the acquisition and combination of two long-standing and respected organizations, the former Food Perspectives, Inc. (Minneapolis, MN) and National Food Lab (Livermore, CA). Using a variety of quantitative and qualitative consumer and sensory research techniques we help our clients make products consumers love. We help our clients:

* Develop new product ideas

* Re-energize a well-established product

* Assess product-concept fit or packaging effectiveness

* Understand the product, brand and category competitive landscapes

* Protect product quality through from inception through end of shelf life

The Account Team Leader & Sensory Program Director position would be **Full-Time, Exempt position**. Any candidates within a commutable distance of **Plymouth, MN** are encouraged to apply.

For more information on The National Food Lab, please visit: **www.TheNFL.com**

**Job Description**

* Build and maintain superior customer relationships for satisfaction, loyalty and business growth.

* Design and recommend customized research solutions using The National Food Lab tools and capabilities.

* Manage project and account level financial results including revenue, project profitability and win/loss rates.

* Provide consultative research design expertise to each projects.

* Works directly with direct reports as their critical thinking partner:

Evaluates test design and cost estimates for sound design, execution, and financial assumptions (anticipate and prevent defects).

Review final reports to be clear and actionable.

* Continuous review of methodologies and processes, championing new capabilities and/or looking for opportunities to improve efficiency, quality, safety and employee performance.

* Manage and develop director reports

* Develop and maintain a thought-leadership presence in the professional sensory science community.

* Collaborate with cross-functional department heads to continuously improve and innovate standard operating procedures so to expand project profitability, client satisfaction and to protect/enhance our competitive point of difference in the market

* Collaborate with other units without our division, such as product development, processing and pilot plants, chemistry, etc., to deliver the best integrated research and development approach.

Other duties may be assigned as dictated by business necessity

**Qualifications**

Advanced degree in ***Sensory Science*** preferred

***5 years of experience in sensory and consumer research*** or a related field

* Sensory and/or consumer research technical expertise.

* Sales aptitude.

* Financial acumen.

* Effective communication, interpersonal and people management.

* Team work and ability to solve problems creatively and efficiently.

* Demonstrate and inspire passion and drive for excellence.

* Critical thinking and attention to detail.

* People management and development.

**Additional Information**

Reporting to the Sr. Director & Business Unit Manager, this leadership position is responsible for nurturing and growing key client accounts by consulting and selling consumer and sensory research solutions.

The individual in this role will manage several established accounts utilizing The NFLs consumer research solutions and will have the additional leadership distinction of fostering the development and on-going growth of the newly established objective sensory program and sensory team in Minneapolis. The National Food Lab established sensory services at its MN location in 2020 with the recruitment and training of descriptive / trained sensory panelists, installation of 13 storage and incubation units for sensory shelf life, and a brand new kitchen with 15 sensory booths.

This position sits on the management team for the consumer and sensory business, will manage others, have accountability for the growth and financial performance of their assigned accounts and sensory services (about $5MM in sales revenue), and ownership of a key method innovation or process improvement initiative.

The Account Team Leader & Sensory Program Director will manage a team of about 20 individual, including three director reports. Two direct reports will be focused on consumer research client services and the other will be the Sensory Program Manager. The Sensory Program Manager has three full time direct reports as well as managing the sensory panelists.

As a Eurofins employee, you will become part of a company that has received national recognition as a great place to work! We offer excellent full-time benefits including comprehensive medical coverage, life and disability insurance, 401(k) with company match, paid holidays, vacation, personal days, and dental and vision options.

Account Team Leader & Sensory Program Director

* Plymouth, MN, USA

* Full-time