Director, Functional Ingredients Platform Research

This job is with Coca-Cola, an inclusive employer and a member of my Gwork – the largest global platform for the LGBTQ+ business community. Please do not contact the recruiter directly.

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.

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.
About the Research Team:
The Research to Experimentation (RtE) function in TI&SC delivers scalable and impactful innovations in the areas of ingredients, packaging, and dispensing (package-less) that grow, sustain, and protect our business. The Flavor and Ingredients Research (FIR) team is part of RtE and creates a compelling consumer holistic experience through flavor & ingredients.
Our team is researching and developing the most advanced science and technology to design ingredient solutions for beverages to help drive business innovation and growth.

Job Description

Summary:

The Director of Functional Ingredients Research will lead the ingredient research for functional benefits. This high-impact role will continue advancing our expertise in areas such as (but not limited to) protein science, digestive health and functional peptides, striving to unlock transformational opportunities for differentiation in functional beverages.
This role has global scope, and we are looking for a thought leader with technical subject matter expert and influencing skills. The ideal candidate will have a strong track record in combining deep scientific and academic expertise with hands-on experience in the Consumer-Packaged Goods (CPG) or ingredient industry and will bring leadership acumen to develop and execute a robust research pipeline across short, mid, and long-term horizons.

The individual will play a pivotal role in driving innovation in functional ingredients while collaborating across global networks to deliver impactful solutions aligned with The Coca-Cola Company's strategic vision of beverages for life.

Key Responsibilities:

Develop, execute and lead the research strategy and pipeline (short-mid-long-term) for functional ingredients, with consumer centric approach from insights to communication, to deliver differentiated and transformational solutions for functional beverages.
Work with appropriate internal and external experts to develop clinical studies and test protocols and experiments to substantiate claims and validate efficacy of functional ingredients and technology.
Drive end-to-end collaboration with cross-functional teams, including Global Category Innovation, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs, Technical Consumer Research and external partners, to accelerate the innovation process and translate research into consumer-centric ingredient solutions. Responsible for identifying, recommending, and managing external research partners.
Stay ahead of cutting-edge developments in functional ingredient science and proactively identify novel technologies, partnerships, or methodologies to maintain competitive advantage.
Provide technical guidance and leadership across global and regional networks while influencing stakeholders and aligning priorities to the company's strategic goals. Present scientific topics to senior leadership and scientific and non-scientific audiences, communicating clearly.
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