R&d Director, Product Development

As the R&D Director, Product Development -Productivity & Business Continuity (BCP) for LATAM, you will be key in driving The Coca-Cola Company's strategic productivity and business continuity initiatives across Latin America. By collaborating with a diverse network of internal and external stakeholders, you'll ensure operational resilience and efficiency, helping us maintain our position as leader of consumer goods company in the region.

This role oversees the identification, analysis, and delivery of a robust BCP plan for critical raw materials, ensuring continuity of production and identifying cost-saving opportunities. Also, you'll be responsible for managing the LATAM Product Productivity pipeline for the next 3+ years, contributing to Coca-Cola's long-term business objectives.

**Focus Areas**:

- Key areas of focus for this role can be summarized as follows:

- Latin America Productivity and BCP Agenda
- Continuous Risk Assessment and Mitigation

**Communication Focus**:
Effective communication is key to the success of this role. This role requires significant influencing and negotiation skills to drive the productivity and BCP agenda, manage stakeholders, and effectively deliver programs. The Director will communicate internally with the Productivity and BCP network, the Operating Unit’s Extended Category Team, and global communities, and externally with suppliers, partners, and associations.

**Requirements**:

- 10+ years of relevant experience in R&D or technical roles within the Food/Beverage industry with an aggressive consumer Centric productivity agenda
- Proven track record in product development, ingredient innovation, and process optimization in food industry, preferably in Beverages.
- Strong financial acumen and understanding of business case creation and analysis.
- Experience managing senior stakeholders and teams.
- Fluent in English and Spanish.
- Project Management
- Knowledge on supply chain and quality
- Knowledge of product and process in Research and Development roles, and/or extensive experience and seniority in Commercialization roles.
- Effective Collaboration with Multi-functional and Global Teams
- Driving Innovation and Cost-Saving Measures
- Leadership and Talent Development

**Work Focus**:

- ** Productivity and BCP Leadership**:

- Own full responsibility for all Productivity and BCP activities in the LATAM region, ensuring clear visibility and oversight of project approvals, challenges, and progress.
- Develop and implement a robust BCP framework for critical raw materials in collaboration with the Commercial Product Supply, GtC, Category/global teams, and other key stakeholders.
- Actively participate in the LATAM Extended Category Team meetings to align with marketing and innovation peers.
- Ensure proper connection with global productivity teams, concentrate factories and the bottling system to align on productivity initiatives.
- Identify and manage the LATAM Product Productivity pipeline, from idea generation to formula development and implementation, ensuring a robust 3+ years pipeline.
- Proactively work to bring external inspiration and references to the productivity and BCP agenda.
- ** Risk Assessment and Management**:

- Lead the development and maintenance of a comprehensive Risk Assessment plan to prevent shortages of key materials and execute necessary formula changes.
- Connect with Scientific and Regulatory Affairs (SRA) for compliance and advocacy to anticipate and mitigate future threats.
- ** Cost Savings and Efficiency**:

- Identify opportunities for cost savings by optimizing current formulations, processes, and operational methodologies.
- Ensure that products are designed to deliver the correct value to consumers while achieving desired cost-efficiency targets
- ** People Leadership**:

- Manage and maximize the performance of a group of product developers.
- Create talent and potential development plans for the team, serving as a role model for the extended productivity and BCP team.

**Skills**:
Continual Improvement Process; Research and Development Operations; Cost Reduction; Environmental Science; organization; Cost Efficiency; Microbiological Test; Commercialization; Food Sciences; Manufacturing; Risk Assessments; Product Testing; Communication; People Management; Technology Research; Cost Effectiveness Analysis; Compliance; Food Industry; Laboratory Testing; Teamwork; Work Collaboratively; Collaboration; Product Development; Leadership; Chemistry; Influencing; Raw Materials; Waterfall Model; Food Technology; Food Safety and Sanitation; Project Management; Consumer Research; Cost Savings; Data Compilation; Quality Control (QC); Green Solutions; Sensory Testing; Finished Products

Annual Incentive Reference Value Percentage:30
Annual Incentive reference value is a market-based competitive value for your role. It falls in the middle of the range for your role, indicating performance at target.