R&D Director, Product Development (Sparkling)

Location(s):

Mexico

City/Cities:

Ciudad de Mexico

Travel Required:

Relocation Provided:

No

Job Posting End Date:

March 27, 2025

Shift:

Job Description Summary:

Please note: this is not a Marketing or IT role.

Scope & Impact

The Global Development and Innovation (GDI) Center is pivotal to The Coca‐Cola Company's innovation in beverages across multiple categories, covering product development, packaging & equipment development. The Director, Product Development, Sparkling has full responsibility over the GDI agenda for the Core Sparkling Brands Category in Latin America including its Innovation, Regulatory and Superior Product Experience (Quality Improvement) programs and acts as an enabler of the Productivity and Business Continuity Programs. This role oversees the End-to-End process from Strategy to Solution Development and Commercialization. This role offers a unique blend of regional and global impact, demanding technical expertise, creativity, and an eye for future trends as well as strong digital savvy and collaboration skills to leverage Coca-Cola global network of expertise.

Focus Areas

Key areas of focus of this role can be summarized as follows:

• Latin America GDI Core Sparkling Category Agenda

• Global GDI Core Sparkling Category Connection

• GDI Leadership to support the evolution of the function.

• Inspire innovation and bring a future-oriented mindset to the organization.

• People leadership and talent development.

KEY SUCCESS PARAMETERS

Work Focus

• GDI Core Sparkling Category Leadership:

  • Owns full responsibility over all GDI related activities in the category. The person in this role is expected to have full visibility and clarity over project approvals, challenges, and progress, as well as it’s expected to make key and day-to-day decisions on the initiatives under its category.

  • Becomes an active member of the LATAM Extended Category Team (along with Marketing and Innovation peers).

  • Ensures proper connection and collaboration with the Global Core Sparkling Category Team and relevant communities of practice.

  • Creates the required connection models among the extended GDI functions (Operations, Technical Consumer Research, Business Continuity, Packaging) to properly engage them in the category agenda.

  • Responsible for “thoughtful” resource allocation within the category, ensuring alignment of the GDI work with the category strategy. 

  • Responsible for inspiring and creating a 3+ years pipeline for the category (4:2:1). 

  • Identifies, recommends, and implements key technical capabilities needed to successfully deliver 3+ years plan. 

  • Owns TI&SC (Technical, Innovation & Supply Chain) timeline of the Category’s Project Portfolio as well as risks analysis and challenges within the GDI scope.

  • Wires with supply chain stakeholders (Operating Unit, Commercial Product Supply (CPS), Procurement (G2G), Bottler) – Starts the “Supply Model” deliverable. 

  • Connects with Scientific and Regulatory Affairs (SRA) Advocacy and Compliance to map future threats to the category and recommend actions. 

  • Ensures that sets of specifications are created and properly shared: Ingredient, Formula, Processing and Manufacturing Instructions (MMI), shelf-life recommendations. 

  • Responsible to integrate bottling system capabilities knowledge to its category team leveraging on the Technical Operation group.

  • Proactively works to bring external inspiration and references to the category, GDI and the Company.

• People Leadership:

  • Measure, track and maximize its direct team performance.

  • Creates talent and potential development plan for team.

  • Serves as a role model for the extended GDI Team.

Communication Focus

Proper, timely and effective communication is key to this role’s success, it communicates internally with the GDI network, the Operating Unit’s Extended Category Team, global communities and externally with suppliers, partners, and associations.

The role requires significant influencing and negotiation skills to drive the category agenda, to influence and manage stakeholders and effectively delivering programs.

Experience

• 10 + years of deep knowledge and relevant experience in Research and Development roles and/or extensive experience and seniority on Commercialization roles.

• Experience integrating end-to-end technical scopes for innovation projects.

• Experience managing senior stakeholders.

• Proven experience of managing and positively impacting teams.

KEY KNOWLEDGE REQUIREMENTS 

MASTERY OF (REQUIRED)  

1 Technical knowledge and experience in food/beverage industry

2 Project Management  

3 Knowledge on Supply chain and Quality   

4 Knowledge of product and process development and the ability to contribute with expertise

BROAD EXPERTISE IN (GOOD TO HAVE)  

1 Business Case creation and analysis, financial assessment of projects.

2 Food Safety and Quality

3  Consumer Science / Marketing

Skills:

Chemistry, Communication, Continual Improvement Process, Data Compilation, Environmental Science, Food Safety and Sanitation, Food Sciences, Food Technology, Green Solutions, Laboratory Testing, Microbiological Test, Product Development, Quality Control (QC), Research and Development Operations, Sensory Testing, Waterfall Model

Our Purpose and Growth Culture:

We are taking deliberate action to nurture an inclusive culture that is grounded in our company purpose, to refresh the world and make a difference. We act with a growth mindset, take an expansive approach to what’s possible and believe in continuous learning to improve our business and ourselves. We focus on four key behaviors – curious, empowered, inclusive and agile – and value how we work as much as what we achieve. We believe that our culture is one of the reasons our company continues to thrive after 130+ years. Visit Our Purpose and Vision to learn more about these behaviors and how you can bring them to life in your next role at Coca-Cola.