Senior Director II, Engineering

Coca-Cola • Atlanta, GA

1d • $194,000 - $228,000

About The Position

The Senior Director II, Engineering is a senior technical and strategic leadership role responsible for engineering strategy, manufacturing technology, and technical execution in support of Syrup Manufacturing Operations. The position requires deep engineering and beverage manufacturing expertise, including knowledge of syrup and beverage processing systems and manufacturing equipment, along with strategic thinking, analytical problem solving, business acumen, and people leadership. The leader operates in a fast-paced environment, balancing long-range strategy with immediate manufacturing and business needs, and leads through both direct authority and influence.

The role partners closely with Syrup Manufacturing Operations and builds relationships across Supply Chain, Quality, Safety, Commercialization, Procurement, Finance, OEMs, suppliers, engineering firms, and other technical functions. It provides technical leadership for equipment, technologies, utilities, automation, manufacturing systems, capital investments, and engineering programs across a broad beverage manufacturing network. The position is based in Atlanta, United States, and requires 51%–75% travel, primarily to manufacturing facilities, co-manufacturing locations, suppliers, OEMs, and project sites; travel may include extended on-site presence during critical project phases. Relocation is not provided.

The company describes this as a highly visible leadership opportunity to influence Syrup Manufacturing capability, reliability, innovation, capital strategy, and long-term performance; shape engineering strategy; develop technical talent; and influence major investments supporting NAOU. The company does not offer employment sponsorship for this position. Applicants must already be authorized to work full-time in the United States without requiring company sponsorship.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Chemical Engineering from an accredited engineering program; a degree in one of these disciplines is required.
• Significant engineering and technical leadership experience in beverage manufacturing.
• Direct beverage manufacturing experience with demonstrated knowledge of beverage processing systems, manufacturing processes, and equipment.
• Strong technical understanding of manufacturing equipment and systems, including equipment capability, performance, reliability, maintainability, technical risk, and integration into manufacturing operations.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex engineering initiatives involving multiple disciplines, manufacturing locations, suppliers, OEMs, and business stakeholders.
• Strong analytical capability and demonstrated use of structured problem solving for complex technical and business challenges.
• Strong strategic thinking and ability to translate business requirements into engineering strategies and executable technical plans.
• Strong business and financial acumen, including ability to connect engineering decisions to capital investment, operating performance, cost, risk, and long-term business strategy.
• Demonstrated success leading, developing, and influencing technical professionals and engineering leaders.
• Strong written, verbal, presentation, and executive communication skills, including ability to simplify complex technical matters and communicate facts, risks, alternatives, recommendations, and decisions required.
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced, highly dynamic environment, manage competing priorities, and maintain momentum while preserving technical rigor and accountability.
• Ability and willingness to travel 50%–75%, primarily to manufacturing facilities, co-manufacturing locations, suppliers, OEMs, and project sites; travel may include extended on-site presence during critical project phases.
• Must be currently authorized to work full-time in the United States and must not require company sponsorship to continue working legally in the United States.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Engineering Management, or Business Administration.
• Experience supporting Syrup Manufacturing Operations within a multi-site beverage manufacturing network.
• Experience with major capital programs, complex beverage equipment installations, commissioning, startup, stabilization, and performance optimization.
• Broad technical exposure across beverage processing, packaging, automation and controls, utilities, infrastructure, reliability, and manufacturing systems.
• Experience evaluating and managing OEMs, engineering firms, system integrators, contractors, and other external technical partners.
• Experience developing engineering standards, technical strategies, or scalable solutions for deployment across multiple manufacturing operations.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or comparable formal project-management training.

Responsibilities

• Develop and translate business priorities into engineering strategies, technical roadmaps, investment priorities, and executable plans.
• Provide senior-level engineering leadership for Syrup Manufacturing Operations, including beverage processing systems, manufacturing equipment, utilities, automation, and integrated manufacturing solutions.
• Evaluate equipment, technologies, and engineering alternatives for technical merit, safety, quality, business value, scalability, reliability, maintainability, risk, and total cost of ownership.
• Challenge engineering teams and external partners to ensure proposed solutions address the underlying manufacturing and business need.
• Balance immediate operating needs with long-term equipment reliability, maintainability, asset health, standardization, manufacturing capability, productivity, flexibility, and network performance.
• Lead resolution of complex engineering and manufacturing challenges involving multiple disciplines, sites, and stakeholders.
• Use structured analysis to assess equipment performance, process capability, capital alternatives, cost, schedule, technical risk, and investment decisions.
• Ensure recommendations are supported by data, engineering analysis, business impact, alternatives, risks, and a clear recommended path.
• Identify technical and execution risks early, establish mitigation plans, escalate as appropriate, and drive issues to closure.
• Maintain internal ownership of engineering strategy and technical decisions while managing OEMs, engineering firms, contractors, suppliers, and integrators.
• Provide technical leadership and governance for major capital investments and engineering programs.
• Ensure investments have a defined business need, appropriate technical scope, credible cost and schedule assumptions, and measurable expected outcomes.
• Challenge unnecessary complexity, fragmented investments, and solutions that do not provide sufficient technical or business value.
• Promote solutions that account for lifecycle cost, maintainability, reliability, standardization, manufacturing flexibility, operational performance, and long-term network needs.
• Communicate technical alternatives and trade-offs in business terms that support timely senior-leadership decisions.
• Build, develop, and lead a high-performing technical organization for current operations and future business needs.
• Set expectations for ownership, accountability, technical rigor, strategic thinking, collaboration, speed, and quality of execution.
• Develop technical talent and leadership capability, strengthen succession depth, and create meaningful growth opportunities.
• Foster an environment where people challenge assumptions constructively, raise risks early, use data to make decisions, and own results.
• Lead through ambiguity, organizational change, competing priorities, and high-pressure business situations.
• Communicate complex engineering and manufacturing matters clearly to technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Build credibility with Syrup Manufacturing Operations, plant leaders, and senior business leaders through sound judgment, transparency, technical knowledge, and consistent execution.
• Influence decisions across organizational boundaries where direct authority may not exist.
• Present senior leaders with clear facts, risks, options, recommendations, and decisions required rather than activity-only updates.
• Respectfully challenge decisions, assumptions, or technical approaches when warranted by the business or technical rationale.

Benefits

• A full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position.
• Annual incentive reference value of 50%.
• Long-term incentive reference value of 20%.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior