Associate Director, Consumer Insights

Lee Kum Kee USA

Associate Director of Consumer Insights at Lee Kum Kee leading category and portfolio strategy. Partnering with marketing and R&D to translate consumer insights into actionable direction.

Posted 6/5/2026full-timeCity of Industry • California • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $160,000 - $200,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Serve as the consumer advocate, ensuring that category-level insights are the foundation of marketing strategy and execution
Lead an insights-driven "where to play" journey — from cross-category landscape mapping (market, category, and competitiveness) to identify white space opportunities, consumer trends, and taste/flavor/cooking preferences that inform portfolio priorities and innovation direction
Lead insights throughout the innovation development process — from concept through product, packaging, pricing, and go-to-market qualification
Support product value proposition development and marketing storytelling by providing consumer-backed insights and communication assets
Contribute to post-launch reviews, delivering insights-driven recommendations to optimize products, messaging, and go-to-market execution
Champion product superiority by partnering with the business analytics team to define benchmarks, align cross-functional teams (Marketing, R&D, and Business) on product performance, and help identify pathways to differentiation through formula refinement, communication sharpening, and value equation clarity
Manage ad hoc research projects end-to-end: framing the business question, designing the learning plan, managing agencies, synthesizing findings, and delivering actionable recommendations at both global and regional levels
Any other insights and analytical projects and initiatives as assigned.

Requirements

What you’ll need

10+ years of experience in category, portfolio, and consumer insights within the food and beverage industry
Experience in flavors, sauces, or foodservice/restaurant menu is a strong plus
Proven, hands-on experience building consumer and category insights methodology and capability in retail business from scratch is non-negotiable
Additional experience in restaurant menu/flavor innovation or digital commerce is a plus
Deep expertise in human, innovation, and product insights across both qualitative and quantitative methodologies
Strong project management skills including writing briefs, managing agency partners, and delivering on time and within budget
Solid working knowledge of syndicated and continuous data sources (retail scan data, consumer panels, brand tracking, media measurement, demand generation analytics, etc.)
Strong business acumen with the ability to navigate across business units and functions effectively
Able to facilitate multi-functional teams on consensus building and driving results
Collaborative team player who is self-motivated, organized, and comfortable working across time zones and cross-functional teams
Well-organized and with proven experience in project management
Detail-oriented without losing sight of the big picture
“CAN-DO” attitude
Pursuing innovation and change with a mindset of continuous improvement
Ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines and be flexible in work schedule
A genuine passion for food — curiosity and enthusiasm for flavor, menu trends, textures, and what drives everyday cooking and eating decisions is essential.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Medical, Dental, and Life Insurance coverage
401(k) Retirement Plan through Principal
Paid Vacation Days
Ten (10) Paid Holidays
Five (5) Sick Days
Annual (1 Day) Birthday Time Off
And More!

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

consumer insightscategory insightsportfolio insightsqualitative methodologiesquantitative methodologiesproject managementdata analysismarket analysisproduct innovationvalue proposition development

Soft Skills

collaborative team playerself-motivatedorganizeddetail-orientedstrong business acumeneffective communicationconsensus buildingflexibilitycuriosityenthusiasm