Trainee - Sensory Characterization of Pilot-Scale Products (W/M)

About the Bel Group

The Bel Group is a major player in the food industry through portions of dairy, fruit and plant-based products, and one of the world leaders in branded cheeses. Its portfolio includes The Laughing Cow®, Kiri®, Babybel®, Boursin®, Pom'Potes®, and GoGo squeeZ®, as well as about 30 local brands. Together these brands helped the Group generate sales of €3.74 billion in 2024.

Opportunity

Do you want to join a company with strong brands that puts consumers and responsibility at the heart of the decision‑making process? Then Bel is made for you!

Are you bold, pragmatic, and determined? Do you want to contribute to the transformation of an international agri‑food company? Them come join us and measure the impact of your talent and energy in realizing an ambitious and sustainable company project!

Position

Intern – Flavor & Taste Research – Sensory Methodology

Duration & Location

Duration: 6 months

Start: March/April 2026

Location: Lons‑le‑Saunier, Bourgogne‑Franche‑Comté, France (On‑site)

Main Mission

The Flavor and Taste team of the Applied Research Department is recruiting an intern to work on the development and implementation of sensory methodology for pilot‑scale products. As part of this mission, you will:

• Conduct a review of current sensory evaluation practices used across the team
• Develop and standardize sensory protocols for pilot‑scale product assessments
• Create a simple user‑friendly data capture interface (e.g., Google Form) suited to the workflow of internal tasters
• Evaluate the effectiveness of current panel training materials and propose metrics or approaches to measure their impact
• Test and assess the performance of new sensory methodologies introduced within the team
• Structure, clean, and analyze collected sensory data using appropriate statistical or multivariate tools
• Identify additional information needed to strengthen the robustness and interpretability of sensory datasets
• Present findings and recommendations to the broader research team
• Work closely with flavor scientists, sensory specialists, and product development teams

Profile

Master’s student / Engineering School (BAC+4/5) in food science, sensory science, chemistry, or a related field, with specialization or strong interest in sensory analysis and/or data analysis. Proficiency in English is essential. You should have a strong motivation to work with sensory and flavor‑related data, curiosity, autonomy, active listening, and strong analytical skills. Comfortable interpersonal skills and enthusiasm for scientific challenges. Experience with—or willingness to learn—applied statistical analysis (e.g., XLStat, R, Python, JMP). A taste for experimental work and for linking sensory perception with product formulation. Your ability to work in a team, rigor, proactivity, and organisational skills will enable you to successfully complete this mission. Additionally, you should feel comfortable supporting internal sensory evaluations and collaborating with sensory experts to prepare and disseminate tasting sessions for the products.