Senior Director - Scientific Affairs, North America & Latam

Overview

Pepsi Co is a global food and beverage leader operating in more than 200 countries and territories with a product portfolio that includes 23 world-famous, billion-dollar brands. From Gatorade to Quaker, Poppi to Lay’s, we make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world.

Scientific Affairs is a critical partner in delivering Pepsi Co’s innovation strategies, safeguarding our products and future-proofing our portfolio of foods and beverages. Working with R&D colleagues, our role is to assess the toxicological safety of ingredients, packaging and new technologies to drive safe product design. You will work closely with our cross‑functional partners to identify and build pre‑market pathways to successfully launch new ingredients and technologies for the beverage business.

Through external collaboration and engagement, Scientific Affairs promotes and advocates for the integration of sound science into decision‑making to protect public health. By providing leadership for Pepsi Co in external organizations, you will encourage dialogue and support research that both advances the science and allows access to necessary tools and technologies, all while ensuring our top priority – consumer safety.

• Serve as the senior toxicology expert for North America and LATAM, providing authoritative, science‑based guidance on ingredient, packaging, contaminant, pesticide, and product safety, including expert recommendations on suitability, risk characterization, and emerging risk mitigation.
• Lead external scientific affairs and advocacy strategies across the Americas, translating technical toxicology positions into clear, credible, and influential messages for industry, regulatory, academic, NGO, and other external stakeholders.
• Develop scientific strategies that enable innovation with new ingredients and technologies while ensuring consumer safety, regulatory readiness, and defensible toxicological risk assessment positions.
• Deliver post‑market support on matters relating to ingredient and product safety, including rapid, balanced, and business‑relevant scientific assessments for issue management.
• Partner with regional and global teams to shape and execute international scientific affairs strategies, including leading horizon scanning efforts to anticipate emerging scientific, regulatory, policy, and stakeholder issues and coordinate proactive responses.
• Actively monitor new scientific developments in toxicological risk assessment directly and through the team. Lead literature monitoring and assessment programs that provide timely, relevant, and actionable positions to senior leadership.
• Coach, mentor, and elevate the team by strengthening technical toxicology capability, external engagement skills, and the ability to communicate complex science clearly to diverse audiences.
• As a senior member of the global Scientific Affairs team, help shape, evolve, and deliver the functional strategy, ensuring toxicology expertise is integrated into R&D priorities, innovation decisions, risk management, and external advocacy.

Compensation and Benefits:

• The expected compensation range for this position is between $157,200 - $312,000.
• Location, confirmed job‑related skills, experience, and education will be considered in setting actual starting salary. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range during the hiring process.
• Bonus based on performance and eligibility target payout is 30% of annual salary paid out annually and an additional target payout of 15% of annual salary is paid out over 3 years following the end of the performance period.
• Long term incentive equity may be awarded based on eligibility and performance.
• Paid time off subject to eligibility,…