Director, Functional Platform Leader

The Coca-Cola Company•Atlanta, GA

6d•$149,000 - $173,000

About The Position

The Director of Functional Ingredient Research & Application will translate relevant neuroscience knowledge—including molecular and cellular neuroscience, neurochemistry, cognitive neuroscience, and neurology—into functional ingredient solutions and beverage innovations addressing cognition, relaxation, and sleep. The role will also advance expertise in areas such as the brain-gut axis and healthy aging to identify opportunities for differentiation in functional beverages. This globally scoped role provides scientific thought leadership and subject-matter expertise. The successful candidate will combine deep scientific and academic expertise with hands-on application or ingredient industry experience, and will lead the development and execution of a research strategy and pipeline spanning short-, mid-, and long-term horizons. The role collaborates across global internal and external networks to deliver technical innovation aligned with The Coca-Cola Company’s strategic vision and operating-unit innovation needs. The role is part of the Functional Research, Application and Ingredient Delivery team, which researches, develops, and validates functional ingredient solutions for beverage applications to address consumer wellness and functional-benefit needs.

Requirements

Advanced degree in Neuroscience, Life Science, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a related discipline; PhD preferred.
A minimum of 7–10 years of related research and application experience.
Expertise in molecular and cellular neuroscience, neurochemistry, cognitive neuroscience, neurology, sleep cycles, or mood regulation.
Leadership experience developing, driving, and implementing research strategy; managing high-impact projects; innovating science-based solutions; and influencing diverse teams and stakeholders.
Curious and innovative mindset, with the ability to turn scientific insights into actionable, consumer-relevant solutions.
Strong communication skills and ability to clearly explain complex science to technical and non-technical audiences.
Strong attention to detail and passion for science, with curiosity about consumers and business.
Knowledge of project management principles, tools, and techniques to develop, plan, manage, or execute projects and work plans successfully, including on time and within budget.
Prioritization skills.
Ability to recognize and protect proprietary information related to formulas and ingredients.
Willingness and ability to occasionally function effectively over extended periods of time.
Flexibility to adjust priorities based on business needs, and resilience and agility in response to business, technology, and commercialization challenges.
Must be currently authorized to work full time in the United States and must not require The Coca-Cola Company’s sponsorship to continue working legally in the United States.

Nice To Haves

PhD in a relevant discipline.
Hands-on experience in an application or ingredient industry.

Responsibilities

Initiate scientific hypotheses and define research exploration directions based on consumer needs and problems to solve.
Explore, identify, and translate relevant neuroscience into functional ingredient solutions for beverage applications, collaborating with internal and external technical networks, including universities, institutes, start-ups, technical providers, and ingredient suppliers.
Develop, execute, and deliver the functional ingredient platform research strategy and pipeline across short-, mid-, and long-term horizons under manager guidance, using a consumer-centric approach from insights through communication.
Work with internal and external experts to develop clinical studies, test protocols, and experiments to validate the efficacy of functional ingredients and technologies, and support substantiated claims with high-quality data.
Lead end-to-end collaboration with cross-functional teams, including Global Development & Innovation, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs, Technical Consumer Research, and external partners, to translate research into consumer-centric ingredient solutions.
Identify, recommend, and manage external research partners.
Monitor cutting-edge developments in functional ingredient science and identify novel technologies, partnerships, and methodologies to maintain competitive advantage.
Enable beverage application of innovation solutions and assess global scale-up feasibility.
Assess and recommend technology investments that will enable future success.
Foster an innovation mindset and accountability culture within the team and external collaborations to deliver measurable results.
Develop and implement patent strategy and file patent applications to protect proprietary information related to formulas and ingredients.