Senior Scientist, Ingredient Quality & Analytical Science

The Coca-Cola Company • Atlanta, GA

1d • $131,000 - $153,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Ingredient Quality Department protects ingredient quality and integrity across the beverage portfolio. The Senior Scientist, Ingredient Quality & Analytical Science is a hands-on subject matter expert and individual contributor who applies advanced analytical chemistry expertise to resolve complex ingredient-quality challenges. The role uses GC- and LC-HRMS, method development and validation, chemical profiling, unknown identification, contaminant analysis, authenticity testing, raw material characterization, and data analytics to support product quality and business decisions.

The scientist defines analytical strategies, leads investigations and cross-functional projects, interprets complex data, strengthens laboratory capability, and translates evidence into actionable recommendations. The role requires scientific rigor, concise communication, and influence without formal supervisory authority. After onboarding and required training, the scientist works independently at trainer-level proficiency and mentors and coaches scientists and laboratory colleagues across the laboratory network.

The position is primarily on-site in Atlanta, Georgia, across laboratory, manufacturing-site, and office environments. It follows standard business hours, Monday through Friday, with occasional early-morning, evening, or weekend work as business needs require. The scientist operates and oversees advanced analytical instruments and safely handles chemicals and ingredient samples. Limited travel may be required to support suppliers, partner laboratories, technical partners, scientific collaborations, or capability development.

The Coca-Cola Company does not offer employment-status sponsorship for this position. Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States full-time and must not require the company's sponsorship to continue working legally. Relocation is not provided.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, biochemistry, or a related field with 10 or more years of industry experience, or a master’s degree with 5 or more years of industry experience.
• Extensive advanced analytical laboratory experience.
• Extensive hands-on experience operating, maintaining, troubleshooting, and interpreting data from chromatography and mass spectrometry platforms, including LC-MS/MS, GC-MS/MS, and/or HRMS.
• Experience with complex matrices, sample preparation, chemical characterization, quantitative and trace analysis, unknown investigations, and the full analytical method lifecycle.
• Experience with targeted and non-targeted analysis, chemical fingerprinting, trace quantitation, contaminants, authenticity, unknown identification, ingredient chemistry, degradation products, and impurities.
• Strong understanding of method development and validation, reference standards, quality control, measurement performance, SOPs, technical documentation, and instrument troubleshooting.
• Proven ability to lead complex scientific projects and influence technical disciplines without direct authority.
• Ability to use strategic, evidence-based problem solving to connect analytical findings with ingredient risk, supplier capability, laboratory strategy, and business needs.
• Ability to set priorities, lead through influence, collaborate across boundaries, coach others, and communicate clear, actionable recommendations.
• Commitment to scientific rigor, curiosity, sound judgment, accountability, reliable results, innovation, continuous improvement, safety, scientific integrity, data quality, confidentiality, and quality standards.
• Ability to apply systems thinking to balance scientific rigor, ingredient risk, operational needs, and supply continuity.
• Must be currently authorized to work full-time in the United States without requiring company sponsorship to continue working legally.
• Ability to operate and oversee advanced analytical instruments and safely handle chemicals and ingredient samples.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s or Ph.D. degree.
• Experience in the food, beverage, flavor, ingredient, natural product, consumer product, pharmaceutical, or a similar industry.
• Experience with ISO/IEC 17025, GLP, or a comparable quality system.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior subject matter expert in HRMS, LC-MS/MS, GC-MS/MS, LC-QTOF, chromatographic separations, mass spectral interpretation, and related technologies.
• Direct complex investigations involving atypical or out-of-specification results, contamination, authenticity concerns, supplier variability, degradation, and unexplained chemical or sensory differences.
• Mentor and coach scientists and laboratory colleagues across the laboratory network.
• Design and execute targeted and non-targeted studies of food, flavor, and beverage ingredients to characterize components, chemical fingerprints, quality, variability, impurities, degradation products, contaminants, and potential adulterants; identify and quantify known and unknown compounds.
• Confirm compound identities using accurate mass, isotope patterns, fragmentation behavior, MS/MS spectra, reference standards, and spectral libraries.
• Optimize sample preparation and troubleshoot methods, instruments, and matrix effects.
• Develop, optimize, validate, verify, transfer, and implement fit-for-purpose LC-MS/MS, GC-MS/MS, HRMS, and complementary methods; evaluate performance and author protocols, reports, SOPs, and technical documentation.
• Lead ingredient assessments and investigations supporting supplier qualification, specification setting, release decisions, root-cause analysis, risk mitigation, alternative sourcing, and supply continuity.
• Integrate analytical findings with historical profiles, supplier and manufacturing data, regulatory requirements, and scientific literature to deliver defensible recommendations.
• Champion GLP, ISO/IEC 17025, the Quality Management System, data integrity, audit readiness, CAPA, laboratory safety, and confidentiality, and ensure records and reports are scientifically sound.
• Lead laboratory capability development, technology evaluation, and instrument lifecycle management; improve throughput, reproducibility, data quality, and efficiency through automation, digital workflows, and continuous improvement.
• Use data analytics, visualization, and digital tools to communicate complex results, uncertainty, quality risk, and data gaps as scientific conclusions and business recommendations.
• Lead cross-functional projects and partner with manufacturing, R&D, procurement, regulatory, and supplier teams to resolve ingredient-quality issues.
• Present findings, risks, and recommendations concisely to stakeholders at all levels, including senior leadership.
• Build scientific and business cases for capability investments and new ways of working, and bring relevant external scientific and industry developments into the organization.

Benefits

• Competitive benefits begin on the first day of employment.
• A full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits is offered, dependent on the position.
• Annual incentive reference value of 15%, described as a target-performance market-based competitive value.

What This Job Offers

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