The Senior Director of Product Development will champion Global Development & Innovation's (GDI) mission to build, enhance and protect superior consumer experiences. This role leads a team of approximately ten scientists and engineers responsible for the technical product development in North America of the sparkling and alcohol beverage categories including leading brands like Cola-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Topo Chico Hard Seltzer, Simply Spiked and Jack & Coke.
The ideal candidate will have a strong track record in:
Developing and launching successful new products.
Aligning cross-functional stakeholders around a shared innovation vision.
Leading dynamic teams to execute a diverse portfolio of projects with excellence.
This leader must demonstrate strong Growth Behaviors and possess the ability to work effectively across both technical and non-technical teams, including Research & Experimentation, Marketing, Commercial, Supply Chain Operations,Human Insights, Technical Consumer Research, Supply Chain Operations, Finance, Legal and external Suppliers.
Key Responsibilities:
Technical Expertise: Strong knowledge of Food Science and Beverage Technology including a foundation in food chemistry and an understanding of ingredient functionality. Experience in formulation design and beverage processing methods including how to scale-up from bench to pilot to full production.
Visionary Thinking : Articulate a future state for beverage creation including the future role of digitization. Lead the team in thinking beyond current limitations to explore new and innovative methods.
Strategic Leadership : Work cross-functionally to align key stakeholders on strategic plans that deliver the company's Annual Business Performance (ABP) and Long-Range Planning (LRP). Build and motivate the technical resources to deliver these ambitions.
Team Leadership: Build and motivate a high performing team of technical product developers and subject matter-experts (SMEs) that are appropriately connected with internal and external stakeholders and driving our business priorities.
Stakeholder Engagement: Shape and inspire technical strategy by developing an excellent rapport with colleagues and an earned status as a recognized leader. Understand system needs and capabilities to appropriately influence innovation decisions. Negotiation and enforce as necessary technical requirements with stakeholders.
Global Mindset: Cultivate a global perspective within the team by building rapport at all levels with our global network. Leverage the global system to drive scale and fast adoption of new technologies.
Safety & Compliance : Champion safety programs and ensure all products comply with food safety best practices and regulatory requirements.
Qualifications:
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Food Science, Chemistry, or related field
15+ years of work experience that built advanced knowledge in product development and demonstrated strong leadership and team building skills.
Strong communication skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.
Proficient business acumen and a global mindset.
Basic understanding of Safety and Regulatory Affairs.
Pay Range:$176,000 - $199,000
Base pay offered may vary depending on geography, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. A full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position, is offered.
Annual Incentive Reference Value Percentage:30
Annual Incentive reference value is a market-based competitive value for your role. It falls in the middle of the range for your role, indicating performance at target.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.