Senior Manager, Product, GDI

Job Description Summary: Location: Atlanta Job Purpose Summary As a Senior Manager, Product Development, you will lead the execution of the most impactful product development initiatives to accelerate bottom‑ and top‑line growth, bringing concepts to life through advanced formulation, testing, and commercialization. As the most senior individual contributor on the team, you will support the team lead by coaching and guiding scientists, sharing deep technical expertise, and helping shape team strategy and ways of working. You will partner closely with cross‑functional stakeholders to drive local and regional projects, applying strong technical judgment, market insights, and digital tools to ensure products meet consumer expectations, quality standards, regulatory requirements, and manufacturing realities. What You’ll Do Product Design – Work as part of the functional team to align on objectives (new product launch, superiority, tax and regulation, productivity) and success criteria with OU Innovation Hub, OU TISC and Global Category Leads. Create Prototypes & Formulations – Coach scientists and develop lab‑scale recipes driven by consumer insights and technical/supply‑chain requirements, following GMP and company protocols. Test, Learn, Improve – Conduct sensory, analytical, and shelf‑life testing together with the Micro and stability teams; use data and basic statistics to guide optimization. Scale Up for Market – Lead support from GDI for pilot and commercial production trials, ensuring processes and packaging compatibility. Collaborate Broadly – Partner with Marketing, SRA, Supply Chain, Packaging, and Quality for seamless delivery; connect with global technical experts to import best practices. Maintain Excellence – Over the full process, keep lab equipment in top condition; follow safety, compliance, and documentation standards. What You’ll Need Bachelor’s/Master’s in Food Science, Chemistry, Nutrition, Chemical Engineering, or similar. 8‑10 years in product development for beverages/food. Strong knowledge of the protein and dairy space. Strong technical understanding of ingredient functionality within beverage systems. Experience managing multiple projects from ideation to launch in fast‑paced environments. Familiarity with sensory evaluation, consumer testing, and data interpretation for decision‑making. Ability to: Think end‑to‑end across initiatives and influence priorities aligned with strategy. Understand and apply technical domain trends/ new technology at work. Encourage creativity within the team and remove barriers to idea generation. Leverage internal and external resources smartly. Act as a subject‑matter expert, setting technical direction or standards. Solve complex, ambiguous problems and anticipate downstream impacts. Coach and support others within and outside of the team, sharing expertise and constructive feedback. Cross‑functional influence – Make timely decisions with incomplete information while managing risk. Fluent in English; regional languages a plus. Regional travel up to 10–15%. Other Information 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. Pay Range: United States of America: 131,000 USD – 153,000 USD. Base pay offered may vary depending on geography, job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience. A full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits is offered. Travel Required: 00% – 25%. Relocation Provided: No. Job Posting End Date: June 10, 2026. 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. #J-18808-Ljbffr Coca-Cola HBC