Director, Functional & Nutrition

Role Overview 

This role plays a critical part in enabling global food and beverage innovation by defining ingredient functionality, product performance, and analytical strategies that drive sustainable business growth. The Director will lead a team of scientists responsible for building and advancing analytical capabilities that support ingredient and product development across functional-focused categories, including juices, dairy, plant‑based proteins, peptides, collagens, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants etc. 

The position provides leadership for scientific teams and laboratory operations while serving as the technical experts for complex, multi‑category analytical initiatives. The Director will partner closely with the FIRA function, specifically, the Functional Research, Application & Ingredient Delivery team, and GDI technical functions to translate advanced science into practical, real‑world product solutions. 

In addition, this role represents the company externally through engagement with professional societies, academic institutions, government agencies, and industry groups to help establish standards, monitor emerging trends, and strengthen analytical and scientific capabilities. 

U.S. citizen or permanent resident is required. 

Key Responsibilities 

1. Scientific & Technical Leadership (Enterprise-Level Impact) 

• Serve as an enterprise level analytical chemistry authority, independently leading complex, multicategory and multi-project R&D initiatives with high technical and business risk. 

• Establish and advance global analytical strategies for functional and nutritional ingredients and product characterization across R&D, commercialization, and continuity programs. 

• Lead translational research by converting advanced analytical data and ingredient/property insights into scalable, value-creating product and process solutions. 

• Develop, validate, and deploy advanced analytical methodologies that enable innovation, commercialization, quality assurance, and intellectual property protection. 

• Provide technical governance and escalation leadership for complex ingredients and product challenges, leveraging both established and emerging analytical technologies. 

• Enable proof-of-concept, product qualification, and commercialization analytics, ensuring scientific rigor and decision-ready outputs. 

2. People, Capability & Network Leadership 

• Lead and develop high performing scientific team and laboratory operations, fostering a culture of technical excellence, innovation, and continuous learning. 

• Establish and lead the Global Functional Analytical Network across internal and external partners (RtE, GDI, QSE, SRA, ASL, OUs, CPS, bottlers, suppliers), ensuring test method alignment, data integrity, and capability consistency. 

• Build and sustain analytical capability through structured training, mentoring, and succession planning. 

• Apply disciplined project and portfolio management practices to prioritize resources, manage risk, and deliver outcomes aligned with enterprise objectives. 

3. Business, Strategy & Value Creation 

• Connect analytical science to enterprise business strategy, commercialization priorities, and brand protection objectives. 

• Provide analytical leadership for IMCR initiatives by identifying, managing, and resolving ingredient and product related risks to protect product integrity and business continuity. 

• Influence innovation pipelines and portfolio decisions through data driven insights and technical foresight. 

• Inform and influence OPEX and CAPEX investment decisions by developing capability roadmaps, business cases, and long-term analytical infrastructure strategies. 

• Monitor and assess emerging regulatory, ingredient, and packaging trends, translating implications into proactive business and R&D actions. 

4. External Influence, Governance & Thought Leadership 

• Represent the company as a recognized scientific leader through active engagement with professional societies, academia, government agencies, and industry consortia. 

• Contribute to the development of external standards, best practices, and regulatory guidance relevant to analytical chemistry and ingredient science. 

• Monitor and anticipate emerging scientific, regulatory, and industry trends to shape future analytical capabilities and enterprise readiness. 

• Communicate complex analytical findings with executive clarity, providing concise, actionable recommendations to senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders. 

Travel both internationally and domestically up to 5% as required. 

Required Skills & Expertise 

• Deep analytical chemistry expertise applied to food and beverage ingredients and finished products. 

• Advanced knowledge of chemical analysis and ingredient property characterization, including product performance evaluation using chromatography, spectroscopy, rheology, and biophysiochemical related analytical techniques. 

• Extensive hands-on experience with advanced analytical instrumentation and modern laboratory methodologies. 

• Strong capability in experimental design (DOE), statistical analysis, and interpretation of complex, multisource datasets, including the use of AI-assisted and data-driven insights. 

• Demonstrated proficiency in developing, validating, and deploying new analytical methods and capabilities to support innovation and commercialization. 

• Working knowledge of Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), quality management systems, and laboratory information tools (e.g., Quickbase, SampleManager LIMS). 

• Excellent communication skills, including technical writing, executive-level presentations, and the ability to translate complex scientific concepts for diverse technical and nontechnical audiences. 

• Proven ability to apply company policies, scientific standards, and regulatory requirements with sound judgment, professionalism, and diplomacy when addressing complex scientific or product related issues. 

Education Requirements 

• Ph.D. in Chemistry or a closely related scientific discipline preferred with 10+ years of industry experience; or BS / MS with 15+ years of Industry experience or equivalent qualifications. 

Experience Requirements 

• Strong analytical chemistry experience with significant hands-on expertise in ingredient and product evaluation using advanced analytical techniques. 

• Demonstrated SME-level experience in ingredients and products that relate to human health, including dairy/plant proteins, peptides, vitamins, minerals, fibers, biochemical, physical, and performance characterization. 

• Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and collaborate effectively with cross-functional and global teams. 

• Experience in technical publications, participation in professional societies, and external collaboration. 

• Prior people’s leadership and laboratory management experience are strongly preferred. 

Preferred Competencies 

• Technical Strategy & Influence: Ability to define, develop, and communicate end-to-end, consumer-centric technical strategies that accelerate category and brand growth. 

• Project Management Excellence: Skilled in setting priorities, leading technical workstreams, influencing stakeholders, and ensuring effective documentation and communication. 

• Innovation & Commercialization: Proven capability to translate innovative ideas into scalable, sustainable, and cost-effective market solutions. 

• Business Impact Through Expertise: Acts as a catalyst for applying functional expertise to deliver competitive advantage and measurable business outcomes. 

• Learning Agility: Rapidly learns and applies new technologies, tools, and industry insights to advance organizational objectives. 

• Growth Behaviors: Demonstrates curiosity, empowerment, agility, and inclusivity in daily work, fostering a collaborative and forward-thinking culture.