Senior Director I, College & Universities Strategy and College Ambassadors

Location(s):

United States of America

City/Cities:

Atlanta

Travel Required:

00% - 25%

Relocation Provided:

No

Job Posting End Date:

December 15, 2025

Shift:

Job Description Summary:

The Senior Director, College & Universities (C&U) Strategy and Ambassadors leads the strategic planning, negotiation, and activation of partnerships with colleges, universities, and local prestige assets. This role is responsible for building and advancing “unbreakable relationships” with key educational institutions, driving long-term asset acquisition and investment strategies, and ensuring Coca-Cola’s commitment to its partners is reinforced through collaborative business planning, student marketing, and sustainability initiatives. The role will provide leadership across bottler partnerships and cross-functional teams, aligning efforts to maximize business impact and deliver best-in-class campus experiences as well as manage our Campus Ambassador program.

What You’ll Do for Us

Strategic Planning & Partnership Management:

• Lead and manage the strategic planning, acquisition, and renewal strategy for the College and University Channel.

• Partner with Category leads on the recruitment strategy for priority brands, leveraging the College and University Channel as a key driver.

• Align with NAOU leaders and bottlers on long-term C&U asset acquisition, investment strategies, and business plans to drive sustainable growth and value.

• Build and maintain “unbreakable relationships” with senior leaders at partner schools through the Collaborative Business Planning Process, reinforcing Coca-Cola’s Partner Commitment and advancing student marketing and sustainability initiatives.

• Lead and manage the Campus Ambassador program.

Negotiation & Activation:

• Influence negotiations and activations for College & University programs, ensuring mutually beneficial agreements and seamless execution.

• Influence the activation of sponsorships and marketing initiatives, ensuring alignment with both Coca-Cola’s brand objectives and the unique needs of each campus.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Collaboration:

• Provide strategy and leadership across multiple bottler partnerships and cross-functional teams, including NAOU & Bottler marketing, sales, operations, legal, franchise leadership, and finance.

• Collaborate with Category Leads on C&U Channel Plans to enable key platforms and marketing initiatives to be leveraged on college campuses.

Financial & Investment Management:

• Manage large system sponsorship investments and oversee direct marketing expenses across the C&U portfolio, ensuring financial accountability and optimal ROI.

• Monitor and optimize investment strategies to maximize the impact of Coca-Cola’s presence and partnerships in the college and university channel.

Performance Measurement & Optimization:

• Establish clear KPIs and measurement approaches for C&U initiatives, rigorously optimizing based on results to ensure activations deliver against goals and ladder up to national success.

• Conduct post-program reviews and share insights to inform future planning and drive continuous improvement.

Qualifications & Requirements

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Communications, or a related field required. MBA or advanced degree preferred.

Experience:

• 8+ years of experience in partnership management, marketing, sponsorships, or business development, preferably within the beverage, consumer goods, or higher education sectors.

• Proven track record of leading complex negotiations and managing high-value partnerships with colleges, universities, or similar institutions.

Expertise:

• Deep understanding of partnership development, sponsorship activation, and cross-functional collaboration.

• Strong financial acumen and experience managing large budgets and investments.

• Ability to influence and collaborate across multiple stakeholders and organizational levels.

Collaboration & Communication:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and coordinate across teams and stakeholders.

• Strong presentation and written communication skills for sharing results, proposals, and strategic plans.

Project Management & Leadership:

• Demonstrated ability to lead projects or programs from planning through execution and post-analysis.

• Highly organized, with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.

Passion for Higher Education & Student Engagement:

• Genuine enthusiasm for building partnerships with colleges and universities and engaging with students and campus communities.

• Creative mindset with an appreciation for how campus context can be woven into brand storytelling and partnership engagement.

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:

Brand Architecture, Brand Positioning, Channel Management, Competitor Analysis, Creative Briefs, Digital Media Strategy, Group Problem Solving, Local Advertising, Marketing Activation, Marketing Strategies, Media Planning, People Management, Shopper Marketing, Social Media Strategies, Sponsorships, SWOT Analysis, Team Management

Pay Range:

$189,000 - $217,000

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.