A mutually rewarding experience.

Work. Realize your ambitions. And realize there’s more to being in business than just making a profit. That’s the Mars philosophy. And the opportunity we offer every one of our Associates. An opportunity to take what you do and make it mean more for you, for those around you and for the planet.  What you get here is challenging, interesting work. You get the tools you need to do a great job and you get to have the best possible people on your side to help you do it. And at the same time as getting to find ways to do business better today than we did it yesterday and driving a great career, you also get to build a more enlightened business and drive sustainability.

Because it’s never just about a single person, a single project or a single brand. It’s about how you can grab everything that’s within your reach here and use it to pursue mutual, long-term gain. It’s about having ideas. And ideals. Being prepared to risk failure because the promise of success means we’ll all be a little better off. It’s that mix of integrity and ambition that makes Mars such a special place to work. And why working here is always about more than just a job.

About Mars, Incorporated 

Mars is a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love. With almost $35 billion in sales, the company is a global business that produces some of the world’s best-loved brands: M&M’s®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, DOVE®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES®, UNCLE BEN’S®, MARS DRINKS and COCOAVIA®. Mars also provides veterinary health services that include BANFIELD® Pet Hospitals, Blue Pearl®, VCA® and Pet Partners™. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire its more than 100,000 Associates to create value for all its partners and deliver growth they are proud of every day.

 

Key Responsibilities/职位描述

Co-develop innovation pipeline with Marketing and Product Development Team. Contribute in PMR/Step 1 forum: 

• Contribute in local Growth Planning sessions to provide inputs on innovation program development that support target % growth for China Petcare business.
• Facilitate innovation project framing session with key stakeholders to steer innovation in desired, viable and feasible direction.
• Recommend product development or portfolio strategy combining existing knowledge and new findings based on the research outcomes. 
• Represent market view and provide input into various technology development programs. 

Perform consumer and product design interface for Product Innovation and Renovation activities. 

• Lead Design Thinking approach and practice Front End Framework to facilitate agile innovation process.
• Translate consumer & customer insights into product and pack design attributes and consolidating cross-functional inputs to develop Product Brief. 
• Set Product CSFs that are relevant for market’s growth agenda to achieve sweet spot of Desirability, Feasibility, and Viability. 
• Recommend and inspire product/prototype design based on the known consumer and technical facts. Provide Product Development team with inputs on consumer-based product attributes. 
• Demonstrate good awareness of local market status and technical progress to bridge MKT and technical team, especially for importation projects. 

Determine, execute, and report consumer testing to ensure product desirability:

• Design consumer leaning plan for innovation program to ensure desirability in the China product portfolio.   Recommend success criteria and action standard with MOG and SOG interface.
• Determine research design, execute and report to deliver sound basis for product and business decisions via collaborating with research agency or working with local associate panel.
• Take accountability of CTI research budget management and quality maintenance of research agency in partnership with CMI. 

Develop Consumer and Customer Insight Capability:

• Develop the breadth of consumer insight knowledge that supports innovation activities.
• Ensure knowledge and application of consumer and research methodologies within Mars Petcare via actively networking with global CTI community and external industries/agencies.
• Be responsible for continuous development of consumer research best practises.
• Develop and maintain local associates panel capability for agility and efficiency. 

Plan and execute the palatability testing for the global product performance program and various R&D activities:

• Maintain the controlled in-home consumer panel quality with excellence by working with the research agency.  Refresh the panel to maintain good representation of market.  Accountable to plan and track PPP related budget status.
• Manage executing the in-home palatability testing in time for quarterly rhythm.
• Deliver standard report to the Global MPPS program lead according to the defined protocol.
• For R&D activities, coordinate and deliver the result by selecting the best method, protocol and benchmark according to the learning plan.  Report the result in timely manner to the project owner and relevant cross functional teams.

 

Qualifications/任职条件

1. Education & Professional Qualification

University degree (Masters or above preferred) in Food Science, Sensory Science, Consumer Science, Life Science or related fields

2. Knowledge/Experience

• Relevant (5 years +) experience in professional placements in FMCG company in the areas of Consumer Science within the capacity of Research & Development.
• Expert in current and innovative Consumer Science methodologies and their application to product development or innovation.
• Relevant Consumer Science software and statistical skills (Statistical packages such as Minitab, SPSS, SAS)
• Strong communication and presentation skills in English and Chinese.

 

RN:20

 

Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.