Sensory Panelist (on-call)
Posted on: 21 Jul 2025
Arden Hills, MI
Job Description
Land O’Lakes is looking for qualified individuals to join our food evaluation panel. This position ranges from 0 – 16 hours per week on-site at Land O’Lakes headquarters in Arden Hills, includes paid training, and is an on-call part-time role.
Pay Rate: $18.00/HR
Core Hours: The ideal person hours would be, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays from 10:30 – 3:30. Must be flexible to accommodate changing weekly schedules and be available on weekdays from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm. Tentative schedules are generally available 3-4 weeks in advance, with panelist attendance updated approximately 10 days in advance.
Qualified candidates must:
Pass sensory taste and smell acuity screening tests during the interview process
Be able to work on an as-needed/on-call basis year-round to perform skilled sensory evaluation of dairy foods and ingredients
Be able to accommodate changing weekly schedules and be available on weekdays from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm
This role does not work every day or every week, but Sensory Panels are typically scheduled Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays from 10:30 – 3:30 with an unpaid 30 min lunch.
Tentative schedules are generally available 3-4 weeks in advance, with panelist attendance updated approximately 10 days in advance.
Be able to evaluate many different foods, including foods high in fat and salt and containing allergens
Be comfortable using computers and have reliable access to email
Have good verbal communication skills and be able to communicate respectfully.
Cooperatively work in a team environment to identify, discuss, and describe sensory attributes and communicate/share observations effectively with the Panel Leader and other panelists.
Commit to attending at least 75% of the scheduled sensory panels
Be able to consistently exhibit sensory acuity and generate consistent data after employment
Upon initial hiring as a panelist trainee, you will receive paid training for approximately 6 weeks. At the end of that time, trainees must pass validation testing to continue as a Land O’Lakes Sensory Panelist.
Land O'Lakes, Inc.
Arden Hills, MN
Land O'Lakes, Inc. is a member-owned agricultural cooperative based in the Minneapolis-St. Paul suburb of Arden Hills, Minnesota, focusing on the dairy industry. The cooperative has 1,959 direct producer-members, 751 member-cooperatives, and about 10,000 employees who process and distribute products for about 300,000 agricultural producers; handling 12 billion pounds of milk annually. It is ranked third on the National Cooperative Bank Co-op 100 list of mutuals and cooperatives.
The co-op is one of the largest producers of butter and cheese in the United States through its dairy foods business; serves producers, animal owners and their families through more than 4,700 local cooperatives, independent dealers and other large retailers through its Purina Animal Nutrition business; and delivers seed, crop protection products, agricultural services and agronomic insights to 1,300 locally owned and operated cooperative and independent agricultural retailers and their grower customers through its WinField United business.
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IndustryAgricbusiness/Forestation
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No. of Employees10,000
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Website
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Jobs Posted922
