Director of Evaluation

Company

Founded in 1758 in Grasse in the South of France, Maison Sozio is one of the pioneers in fine French perfumery.

The history of the Maison Sozio goes back to one of the very first families of perfumers in Grasse, having been at the origin of the community of glove-makers and perfumers.

With the integration of Synarome in 2021, Sozio ties back to its legacy by returning to its initial activity : raw materials. This acquisition enhances Sozio perfumers’ palette of premium ingredients – both synthetic and natural – and iconic specialties such as Ambrarome and Animalis.

With these generations of learning and knowledge, an expertise in natural fragrances and an international presence, Sozio has become a key player in the perfumery landscape.

Under the supervision of the Managing Director, the position requires the ability to manage a team of fragrance evaluators and to effectively select from collection and/ or guide creation of appropriate fragrances to successfully answer customer requests and internal proactive development, respecting timelines, regulatory constraints, market and segment trends (cross- category). Involvement in brief management is required.

We recruit under a permanent contract a Director of Evaluation. The position is open at Piscataway (New-Jersey).

Essential Job Functions/ Requirements:

Manage a team of evaluators

Support team of Perfumers as needed during the creation process

Support Sales Team and their various strategies for business growth and client “wins”

Strong awareness and understanding of most US market categories and their olfactive trends, with strong emphasis on personal care, air care, fine fragrances, and I&I

Ability to identify olfactive trends and understand the implications in the above categories

Capacity to understand clients’ brands/ product ranges and anticipate/ answer olfactive needs

Collaborate closely with Marketing Team – for both client briefs and proactive development/ market insights

Generate detailed fragrance descriptions as requested by client, Marketing, and/ or Sales team

Ability to present to clients and effectively demonstrate the rationale behind fragrances being presented (on or offsite). Some travel (< 25%) will be required.

Support and participate in expert sensory panels

Coordination with other company international Creative Centers to ensure best practices and ways of working both locally and between centers

Ensure brief management guidelines and deadlines

Maintain record- keeping via multiple systems/ files on a consistent and timely basis

Act in a supporting capacity in the absence of the Director of Evaluation and/ or Brief Manager

Perform other duties as required

Position Qualifications:

Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry, Cosmetic Formulation, or other related field

10+ Years of experience in Fragrance Evaluation

Knowledge of the basics of fragrance regulatory guidelines, fragrance raw materials, and functional fragrance components

Skills & Competencies:

Strong olfactive skills and ability to clearly articulate fragrance notes

Superior oral and written communication skills (French fluency is a plus, but not required)

Initiative and Creativity, with a strong sense of procedures

Strong computer literacy

Strong organizational skills

Ability to multitask and work under pressure and/ or tight timelines

Ability to work well independently and also within a team