Assistant Manager, Fragrance CIMR

About Us

Established over a hundred years ago, Takasago is a global leading company in the flavour and fragrance industry, having developed flavours and fragrances for some of the world's most successful manufacturers of foods, beverages, fine fragrances, home, and personal care products. For over 35 years, we have been a leading industrial producer of L-Menthol, using our core technology, asymmetric synthesis. This technology enables us to produce unique, novel, and nature-identical aroma ingredients, and in addition, to manufacture pharmaceutical intermediates, functional materials, and other fine chemicals. Takasago Group maintains offices, production sites, and R&D centers in twenty-seven countries and regions.

We are seeking a committed candidate as Assistant Manager, CIMR to lead and manage consumer, sensory, and market research programs across the Fragrance Division to generate actionable consumer insights, support fragrance development, identify growth opportunities, and drive business success through evidence-based decision making.

Responsibilities:

Research Strategy and Project Management

• Develop and execute qualitative and quantitative research programs.
• Surveys, focus groups, in-depth interviews
• Online panels, ethnographic studies
• Manage end-to-end research projects from brief development through reporting.
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, and within budget.
• Ensure data quality, reliability and relevance
• Prioritize and manage multiple concurrent projects.
• Recommend appropriate methodologies, screeners, questionnaires, and protocols
• Monitor project progress and provide status updates.

Consumer Insight and Business Impact

• Analyze and interpret research findings using statistical tools.
• Interpret large datasets into clear business implications
• Translate consumer insights into actionable recommendations.
• Identify unmet needs and opportunities for innovation
• Support strategic business decisions through insight generation.
• Analyze consumer behaviour, needs, motivations and trends.
• Build deep understanding of customer journeys and touchpoints

Reporting and Story Telling

• Prepare executive-level presentations with clear narratives
• Translate complex data into simple, impactful insights
• Convert findings into storytelling presentations

Strategic Business Partnering

• Collaborate with cross functional teams: Marketing, Creative, R&D, Sales/Commercial teams
• Provide insights to guide Creative Development and concept development from consumer need gaps.
• Support fragrance submissions through evidence-based recommendations.
• Build strong relationships with regional and global stakeholders.

Vendor & Research Agency Management

• Manage RFP processes and vendor selection.
• Build and maintain relationships with research agencies.
• Ensure quality, timeliness, and cost-effectiveness of vendor deliverables.
• Monitor vendor performance.

Knowledge Management & Trend Intelligence

• Maintain research databases and knowledge repositories.
• Capture and share key learnings across the organization.
• Monitor market, category, and consumer trends.
• Leverage historical learning for future projects.

Job Requirements:

• Minimum (5) years of solid relevant working experience in the fragrance industry (Managerial role)
• Minimum (3) years executive level of market research experience, preferably in the Fragrance, FMCG or related industry. Analytical thinking & data interpretation
• Minimum Diploma or Degree in Communications Research, Statistics, Social Sciences, Business, Economics, Marketing or equivalent in years of similar experience.
• Strong storytelling and presentation skills
• Business acumen
• Curiosity about consumer behaviour
• Project management
• Stakeholder influence
• Proficient in English both oral and written
• Knowledge and application of statistical software (XLSTAT, SPSS, Power BI)
• Microsoft Office application software