Senior Manager, Customer Innovation, Global Development & Innovation

OurGCMInnovation Centersits at the heart of The Coca-Cola Company’s next chapter of growth. We are committed to transforming and evolving our organization and ambitions — bringing our people closer to the consumer, continuously raising the bar, and embracing digitalization to enable sustainable growth.

We are looking for a highly driven individual contributor who thrives on ownership and impact, and who fuels the innovation pipeline with bold ideas that translate into real-world results. This role is not aboutmaintainingthe status quo; it is about challenging assumptions, unlocking opportunity, and personally driving valuable breakthrough innovation.

You will apply deepproduct developmentexpertisetoleadideas from concept to execution, contributing to a strong and diverse portfolio of meaningful innovation — accelerating growth and helping shape the future of the organization.

Job Purpose Summary

As aSenior Manager,Customer Innovation, GDIyou will lead the execution of the most impactful product development initiativesto acceleratebottom- and top-linegrowth, bringing concepts to life through advanced formulation, testing, and commercialization. As the most senior individual contributor on the team, you will support the team lead by coaching and guiding scientists, sharing deep technicalexpertise, and helping shape team strategy and ways of working. You will partner closely with cross-functional stakeholdersincluding Global Equipment Platform, SRA, QSE, Marketing, TCR teamsto drive local and regional projects, applying strong technical judgment, market insights, and digital tools to ensure products meet consumer expectations, quality standards, regulatory requirements, and manufacturing realities. This is a highly hands-on role for a trusted technical leader who influences throughexpertise, mentorship, and collaboration while delivering high-impact beverage innovations.

WhatYou’llDo

• Product Design -Work as part of functional team to align onobjective(new product launch, superiority,equipment,tax and regulation, productivity) and successcriteria’swith OU Innovation Hub, OU TISC and Global category Leads

• Create Prototypes & Formulations –Coach scientists and develop lab-scale recipes driven by consumer insights and technical/supply chain requirements, following GMP and company protocols. Incorporate local insights, new ingredients, and regulatory needs into final product design.

• Test, Learn,Improve–Conduct sensory,analytical, and shelf-life testing together with theappropriate crossfunctional TISC teams; use data, digital tools and basic statistics to guide optimization and manage risk. Ensure rigorous experimental design and data integrity.

• Scale Up for Market –Lead support fromGDIfor product development execution of pilot andcommercial production trials, ensuring processes and packaging compatibility.

• Risk Awareness: Proactivelyidentifyand manage technical and business risks (allergens, microbial, food safety, supply chain) andcommunicate mitigation actions clearly.

• Collaborate Broadly-Partner withGlobal Equipment Platform,Marketing, SRA, Supply Chain, Packaging, and Quality for seamless delivery; connect with global technical experts to import best practices.Maintain effective communication of project insights, challenges, and technical recommendations.

• Maintain Excellence –Over the full process, keep lab equipment in top condition; follow safety, compliance, and documentation standards.

• Business understanding & System knowledge: Strong understanding of Coca-Cola’s business operations, market dynamics, and industry trends. Awareness of bottling and syrup operations and global supply chains.

WhatYou’llNeed

• Bachelor’s/Master’s in Food Science, Chemistry, Nutrition, Chemical Engineering, or similar.

• 8-10years in product development for beverages/food

• Strong technical understanding of ingredient functionality within beverage systems.

• Experience managing multiple projects from ideation to launch in fast-paced environments.

• Familiarity with sensory evaluation, consumer testing, and data interpretation for decision-making.

• Ability to

• Think end-to-end acrossinitiativeswith integration of commercial and business acumen into technical decisionsand influencepriorities aligned with strategy.

• Understand and apply the technical domain trends/new technologyat work

• Encourage creativity within the team and removes barriers to idea generation.

• Leverage internal and external resources smartly

• Act as a subject-matter expert and sets technical direction or standards.

• Solve complex, ambiguous problems andanticipatesdownstream impacts.

• Coach and supports others within and outside of the teamincludingcross functional influence, sharingexpertiseand constructive feedback.Guide and inspire more junior team members, fostering a positive and collaborative environment

• Maketimelydecisions with incomplete information while managing risk

• Adapt quickly to changing market or project needs, showing resilience and flexibility

• Fluent in English;additionallanguage a plus.

• Regional travel up to10–15%.