Global Head, Flavors & Fragrance

Relocation Assistance Offered Within Country
Job Number #168858 - 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.

Colgate Palmolive seeks an accomplished and dynamic leader to fill the pivotal role of Global Head, Flavors and Fragrances. This executive will be responsible for driving the strategic direction, innovation, and operational excellence of flavor and fragrance development across the company's diverse and expansive global product portfolio. The ideal candidate will possess a deep technical understanding of Flavor and/or Fragrance development, extensive industry experience, exceptional leadership capabilities, and a proven track record of delivering breakthrough innovations that resonate with consumers worldwide. This role is critical to enhancing brand differentiation, ensuring perceivable superiority, fostering consumer loyalty, and driving profitable growth.

Position Overview:

In this role, you will be in charge of the development and execution of a comprehensive, global strategy to elevate and optimize flavor and fragrance experiences within Colgate Palmolive’s product lines. You will lead a multidisciplinary team dedicated to research, development, and the application of cutting-edge Flavor and Fragrance solutions and technologies. Your vision will be instrumental in crafting unique and memorable product experiences that align with evolving consumer preferences and market trends. This senior leadership position demands a strategic thinker with a strong operational focus, capable of fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence.

Core Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership and Vision: Formulate and implement a visionary global flavor and fragrance strategy that supports Colgate Palmolive's overall business objectives and growth targets. Align this strategy with global market dynamics, competitive landscapes, and emerging consumer trends.

• Innovation and Research & Development: Champion innovation in Flavor and Fragrance science and technology, leading a team of highly skilled Flavorists, Fragrance Development Leaders, Scientists, Researchers, and Technicians in the creation, evaluation, and refinement of flavors and fragrances. Foster a culture of continuous improvement and breakthrough thinking.

• Team Leadership and Development: Build, mentor, and inspire a high-performing global team. Drive professional development initiatives, foster cross-functional collaboration, and ensure alignment with company values and goals.

• External Partnerships and Supplier Management: Cultivate and manage strategic relationships with key external suppliers, partners, and research institutions within the flavor and fragrance industry. Ensure quality control, and leverage external expertise to drive innovation.

• Regulatory Compliance and Safety: Ensure strict adherence to all global regulatory requirements, safety standards, and ethical guidelines related to flavor and fragrance development and application. Stay abreast of evolving regulations and industry best practices.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Partner closely with marketing, product development, implementation and support, supply chain, insights and regulatory affairs teams to translate consumer insights into actionable product strategies. Ensure seamless integration of flavor and fragrance development into the product lifecycle.

• Budget and Resource Management: Develop and manage the annual budget for the Global Flavors and Fragrances department. Allocate resources effectively, monitor expenditures, and optimize operational efficiency.

• Market Intelligence and Trend Analysis: Conduct ongoing monitoring of industry trends, consumer preferences, and competitor activities. Identify emerging opportunities, assess potential risks, and proactively adapt strategies to maintain Colgate Palmolive’s competitive edge.

Required Qualifications:

• Advanced Education: Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Biology, Sensory Science, Food Science, or a closely related field.

• Extensive Industry Experience: 15+ years of progressive experience in flavor and fragrance development, with a significant portion of this experience within the consumer goods industry.

• Leadership Acumen: Demonstrate proven leadership skills with a strong ability to build, motivate, and manage geographically dispersed teams. Experience in leading organizational change and driving results in a matrixed environment.

• Sensory Science Expertise: Exhibit a deep and comprehensive understanding of sensory science methodologies, analytical techniques, and consumer perception research.

• Communication Proficiency: Possess exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively present complex information to diverse audiences, including senior management and external stakeholders.

• Strategic Thinking and Problem-Solving: Demonstrate strong strategic thinking capabilities, coupled with excellent problem-solving and decision-making abilities.

• Global Regulatory Knowledge: Possess in-depth knowledge of global regulatory requirements, guidelines, and compliance standards for flavors and fragrances in consumer products.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree or PhD

• Flavorist or Perfumer training.

• Strong attention to detail.

• Experience within the Oral Care, Personal Care or Home Care sectors.

Compensation and Benefits
Salary Range $300,000.00 - $325,000.00 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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