Director, NA FSOP, GDI

Location(s):

United States of America

City/Cities:

Atlanta

Travel Required:

00% - 25%

Relocation Provided:

No

Job Posting End Date:

March 13, 2026

Shift:

Job Description Summary:

Job Purpose Summary

Our NA Innovation Center sits at the heart of The Coca-Cola Company’s next chapter of growth. We are committed to transforming and evolving our organization and ambitions — bringing our people closer to the consumer, continuously raising the bar, and embracing digitalization to enable sustainable growth.

We are looking for a transformational leader to build, inspire, and empower high-performing teams that fuel the innovation pipeline with bold ideas and turn them into real-world impact. This role is not about maintaining the status quo; it is about setting direction, unlocking opportunity, and driving valuable breakthrough innovation at scale.

You will lead diverse teams with deep product development expertise to deliver a strong and balanced portfolio of meaningful innovation — accelerating growth and shaping the future of the organization.

Job Purpose Summary

As Director, NA FSOP, GDI, (Foodservice & On-Premise and Global Development & Innovation) you will lead and develop a team of talented product developers, working very closely to Global Equipment Platform team to setting the strategy for product development in your category and prioritizing resources to deliver key initiatives to accelerate bottom- and top-line growth. You will oversee a portfolio of high‑impact beverage innovations, ensuring concepts are translated into commercially viable products through strong technical rigor and cross‑functional collaboration. You will also build and drive a robust 3–5‑year innovation pipeline in close partnership with Global Category Leads and OU Innovation Hubs. This role balances strategic leadership with technical stewardship, coaching leaders, building team capability, and shaping critical decisions across formulation, quality, regulatory, and manufacturing readiness.

What You’ll Do:

• Own the strategy development and implementation for the NA FSOP and Freestyle portfolios in partnership with Global Equipment platform, brand and customer teams to enable a robust, consumer-driven and efficient portfolio.  Adapt global technical roadmaps where appropriate into locally resonant, consumer‑led products, packaging, and processes, aligned with regulatory and system requirements.

• Apply deep understanding of Coca-Cola’s North America system dynamics, FSOP business models, syrup manufacturing and bottling operations to global supply chains to enable scalable advantaged solutions.

• Align and execute prioritized category initiatives (innovation, superiority, equipment, productivity, regulation) with OU Innovation Hub, OU TISC, Marketing/Customer partners and Global Category Leads.
   
• Prioritize portfolios and resources to deliver committed plans, productivity gains, and continuity solutions and reduce complexity across the FSOP portfolio. 
   
• Lead end‑to‑end innovation from ideation through scale‑up, including lab prototypes, sensory testing, equipment compatibility validation, pilot production, and bottler/manufacturing trials; applying robust scientific methods (DOE, statistical analysis) and leveraging digital tools to accelerate learning and efficiency.

• Ensure technical development is informed by consumer insights, market and competitor trends, business models, and emerging technologies to deliver differentiated, consumer-centric and system-advantaged solutions.
   
• Ensure Stage Gate governance, rigorous due diligence, and disciplined project execution across quality, timing, and budget.
   
• Anticipate, assess, and mitigate risks across formulation, food safety, ingredients, equipment compatibility, process design, and regulatory compliance to enable flawless launch execution.
   
• Transfer critical technical knowledge, digital documentation, and process clarity to plants and market teams to enable first‑time‑right execution at scale.
   
• Drive post‑launch reviews, track performance, and translate learnings into actionable continuous improvement.  Utilize this information to identify efficiencies across FSOP portfolio to maximize reach and minimize complexity.
   
• Build and sustain a robust 2–5-year innovation pipeline in partnership with Marketing and Customer Leads, GEP, OU Hub and Category Leads. 
   
• Leverage digital tools, data, and AI across the innovation lifecycle to accelerate ideation, prototyping, learning, risk management, and decision‑making while reducing complexity.
   
• Influence and collaborate across GEP, Marketing, Supply Chain, Quality, Regulatory, Scientific Affairs, bottlers, syrup plants, and global SMEs to deliver impact at scale through product development and commercialization. 

• Communicate with business leadership utilizing effective communication approaches on complex topics of significant business impact. Elevate project outcomes, share learnings, provide technical leadership in cross-functional teams, and provide insights and data to guide decisions and innovations.
   
• Develop next‑generation technical talent by embedding data fluency, design thinking, inclusive leadership, and an entrepreneurial mindset within the innovation center.

What You’ll Need:

• At least 10 years product development experience in the beverages industry, or 10-12 years in the food industry with technical expertise in multi-category beverage development.
• Proven experience in leading successful innovation projects, preferably in a FMCG/beverage/food fast-paced, ambiguous environment.
• Enterprise and strategic mindset.
• Demonstrated ability to connect across organization lines, regardless of reporting relationships.
• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in food science, chemistry, or related field.
• Fluent in English, additional language as a plus.
• Regional travel up to 10-15% annually.

Desired Skills and Competencies:

• Technical knowledge of beverage and syrup development, science foundations, ingredient & processing, formulation design, equipment dispensing and industry standards.   
• Business acumen and enterprise mindset.
• Analytical, problem-solving, and project management abilities.
• Effective communication skills.
• Flexibility and adaptability to evolving circumstances and pivot strategies as needed.
• Agility, resilience, and creativity in navigating new product development projects.
• Advanced digital skills in data analytics, AI, and digital prototyping. Data integrity and cybersecurity awareness.
• Proficiency in statistical analysis and experimental design.
• Adeptness in stakeholder influencing, interpersonal skills, conflict resolution, and fostering a positive work environment.
• Ability to guide and inspire more junior team members.

  

What We Can Do For You  

• Purpose Driven: Purpose driven approach that empowers our people to protect the environment and communities we serve while delivering safe & quality products.  

• Global Connections: Allows you to develop, enhance and maintain global connections that allow us to move faster and learn from others.  

• Community of Belonging: We’re an organization that believes our ability to continually grow and build the right atmosphere where people feel safe and empowered, lets you bring your best self to work.   

The Coca-Cola Company will not offer sponsorship for employment status (including, but not limited to, H1-B visa status and other employment-based nonimmigrant visas) for this position. Accordingly, all applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis and must not require The Coca-Cola Company's sponsorship to continue to work legally in the United States.

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 (Inactive), Sensory Testing, Waterfall Model

Pay Range:

$149,000 - $173,000

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.

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. When we collect your personal information as part of a job application or offer of employment, we do so in accordance with industry standards and best practices and in compliance with applicable privacy laws.