Senior Director, Liquid Processing & Capital Projects Engineering

The Coca-Cola Company • Atlanta, GA

8d • $176,000 - $205,000

About The Position

The Senior Director, Liquid Processing & Capital Projects Engineering is a senior technical and project delivery leader responsible for developing network strategies and executing complex processing, blending, and multi-scope capital projects across company-owned and co-manufacturing facilities. The role combines engineering expertise with disciplined project management to deliver safe, reliable, cost-effective, and scalable manufacturing solutions.

The successful candidate leads projects from strategy and concept development through design, procurement, construction, commissioning, startup, performance validation, and operational handoff. The position requires independent judgment, cross-functional leadership, stakeholder influence across the network, and the ability to coach less-senior engineering personnel. Travel is significant, with a stated requirement of 70% to 80%; the preferred residence is near major airports in the Midwest or West Coast regions.

The position provides a visible leadership opportunity to shape manufacturing capability, capacity, innovation, reliability, and long-term network strategy. It also offers the opportunity to lead technically challenging projects, influence investment decisions, develop engineering standards and talent, and work with Coca-Cola brands, colleagues, suppliers, bottlers, and manufacturing partners. The role is based in the United States, with Atlanta listed as a city. Relocation is not provided. The company does not offer employment-status sponsorship; applicants must already be authorized to work full-time in the United States without requiring Coca-Cola sponsorship.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical, or a related engineering discipline.
• At least 10 years of progressive engineering and capital project experience, including extensive leadership of processing and blending projects in food, beverage, consumer products, pharmaceutical, chemical, or other regulated manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated success leading large, complex, multi-scope capital projects from concept through commissioning and operational handoff.
• Advanced project management capability, including scope, schedule, budget, cash flow, risk, change control, procurement, contractor management, and stakeholder alignment.
• Deep technical knowledge of liquid processing and blending systems, including evaluating system design, process performance, equipment selection, sanitary requirements, automation, and utility interfaces.
• Experience managing multiple concurrent projects across multiple manufacturing sites or a distributed production network.
• Strong financial acumen, including capital and expense budgeting, business case development, estimating, cash-flow forecasting, and financial project analysis.
• Ability to develop strategic plans, translate business needs into technical roadmaps, and influence investment decisions across the network.
• Exceptional analytical, troubleshooting, and technical decision-making skills, including resolving complex issues under schedule and operational pressure.
• Strong written, verbal, and executive communication skills, including simplifying complex technical topics and presenting clear recommendations.
• Ability to work independently, collaborate effectively on teams, and lead through influence in a matrixed organization.
• Constructive, accountable, and solutions-oriented working style, sound judgment, adaptability, and a strong commitment to safety, quality, and business results.
• Ability and willingness to travel 70% to 80%, including extended presence at manufacturing and co-manufacturing sites during critical project phases.
• Must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis and not require Coca-Cola employment-based visa sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in engineering, engineering management, or business administration.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or comparable formal project management training.
• Experience in beverage or food manufacturing, including batching, blending, ingredient handling, aseptic and thermal processing, sanitary piping, CIP, and process controls.
• Working knowledge of project scheduling, CAD, process design, data visualization, and project governance tools such as Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Co-Pilot, AutoCAD, Power BI, and Microsoft 365 applications.
• Experience with stage-gate capital processes, FAT/SAT, commissioning and qualification, operational readiness, and performance validation.
• Knowledge of applicable safety, quality, environmental, food safety, and regulatory requirements, including GMP and hygienic design principles.
• Experience developing engineers, project managers, and technical standards across multiple locations.
• Preference for residence near major airports in the Midwest or West Coast regions.

Responsibilities

• Create and execute multi-year strategies for liquid processing, blending, utilities, infrastructure, and related manufacturing capabilities across the network.
• Lead large, complex capital projects involving multiple scopes and disciplines, including process, blending, utilities, automation, electrical, civil, building, packaging interfaces, and site infrastructure.
• Own the full project lifecycle, from business case and concept development through detailed engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, startup, stabilization, and operational handoff.
• Develop and control project scope, estimates, budgets, cash flow, schedules, resource plans, risk registers, change control, and performance metrics.
• Provide technical leadership for processing and blending systems, including sanitary design, batching, mixing, ingredient handling, thermal processing, CIP, utilities, controls, and process integration.
• Lead multiple concurrent projects across a geographically dispersed manufacturing and co-manufacturing network while balancing priorities, resources, business continuity, and execution risk.
• Develop technical specifications, basis-of-design documents, process flow diagrams, P&IDs, equipment requirements, bid packages, and acceptance criteria.
• Lead cross-functional teams spanning Operations, Quality, Safety, R&D, Commercialization, Supply Chain, Finance, Procurement, OEMs, engineering firms, integrators, contractors, and plant personnel.
• Build relationships with equipment suppliers, engineering partners, and co-manufacturers, and establish clear expectations for safety, quality, scope, schedule, cost, and technical performance.
• Provide on-site leadership during design reviews, construction, installation, commissioning, startup, and ramp-up to ensure quality execution and timely issue resolution.
• Establish project governance and report transparently on status, financial performance, milestones, risks, decisions, and mitigation actions.
• Identify, evaluate, and deploy technologies that improve capacity, capability, product quality, reliability, flexibility, sustainability, and total delivered cost.
• Partner with network and plant leaders to identify long-term capability, capacity, obsolescence, and infrastructure needs and turn them into prioritized capital roadmaps.
• Coach and mentor less-senior engineers and project managers, strengthen technical capability, and promote common engineering and project management standards across the network.
• Work independently, collaborate across teams, escalate critical issues promptly, and drive decisions to closure.
• Adapt strategies and execution plans as business priorities change while maintaining accountability for outcomes.

Benefits

• A full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position.
• Annual incentive reference value of 30% of the role’s market-based reference value, with the reference value at target performance.
• Relocation is not provided.

What This Job Offers

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