Director, Principal Software Engineer

Job Description Summary:

Position Overview

The Coca-Cola Global Equipment Product (GEP) team is seeking a seasoned Director, Principal Software Engineer to lead and advance software innovation across our Freestyle platform. Freestyle dispensers represent a globally deployed, award-winning ecosystem that integrates cloud, web, IoT, and embedded technologies—delighting millions of consumers every day.

This role blends deep technical leadership with people leadership and organizational influence. The ideal candidate is a highly accomplished Java and IoT engineering leader with a strong foundation in Spring Boot, RESTful services, and embedded systems, coupled with a proven ability to build, mentor, and lead.

You will collaborate across disciplines—including fluidics, electronics, hardware, embedded systems, regulatory, and enterprise platforms—shaping technology strategy while ensuring the successful delivery of high-quality, scalable software solutions that bridge physical devices and modern cloud ecosystems.

If you are energized by solving complex systems challenges, leading teams through ambiguity, and delivering software with tangible, real-world impact, we invite you to join us.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership & Architecture

• Lead the design and implementation of Java (Spring Boot) software running on embedded hardware within Freestyle dispensers.

• Define and evolve software architecture, ensuring scalability, reliability, security, and regulatory compliance.

• Oversee the development and integration of RESTful APIs and IoT services connecting devices to cloud platforms.

• Translate emerging hardware and embedded capabilities into differentiated, customer-facing features.

• Drive proactive maintenance, refactoring, and modernization of a large, complex, and evolving codebase.

Team Leadership & Management

• Provide technical and people leadership, fostering a culture of excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.

• Mentor engineers, guiding career development, performance growth, and technical mastery.

• Lead by influence—setting engineering best practices, establishing coding standards, and promoting sound design and development methodologies.

• Partner with engineering managers, product owners, and cross-functional leaders to align technical execution with business goals.

• Build strong collaboration across multidisciplinary teams (fluidics, embedded, mechanical, electrical, QA, and regulatory).

Delivery & Quality

• Ensure software meets high standards of quality, security, and regulatory compliance.

• Partner closely with QA to validate functionality across dispenser models and configurations.

• Lead complex debugging efforts across hardware, firmware, and software layers, driving root-cause resolution.

• Champion clear technical documentation and effective communication across teams and stakeholders.

Requirements

• 15+ years of professional software engineering experience, with demonstrated progression into technical or team leadership roles.

• Hands-on expertise in Java, Spring Boot, and RESTful web services. Proven experience in embedded systems, IoT development, or hardware-integrated software.

• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and influence engineering teams in complex environments.

• Strong debugging and root-cause analysis skills within layered, distributed systems.

• Track record of contributing to and stewarding large, production-grade codebases. BS degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including technical documentation.

• Experience working in multidisciplinary engineering organizations.

• Familiarity with tools and frameworks such as HTTP, Swagger/OpenAPI, Maven, and Git.

Nice to Have (Preferred Skills)

• Experience with Python for scripting, automation, or prototyping.

• Knowledge of C/C++ in embedded or systems programming contexts.

• Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP. Exposure to CI/CD pipelines and containerized environments (Docker, Kubernetes).

• Experience influencing technical strategy at the product or platform level.

Why Join Us?

At Coca-Cola Global Equipment Product (GEP), you will lead technology that lives at the intersection of hardware, software, and human experience—powering products used daily by millions around the world. Youʼll join a collaborative, forward-thinking organization that values leadership, curiosity, and impact. If you aspire to shape both people and platforms, this is a unique opportunity to do so at global scale.

The Coca-Cola Company will not offer sponsorship for employment status (including, but not limited to, H1-B visa status and other employment-based nonimmigrant visas) for this position. Accordingly, all applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis and must not require The Coca-Cola Company's sponsorship to continue to work legally in the United States.

Skills:

Pay Range:

$171,000 - $198,000

Base pay offered may vary depending on geography, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. A full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position, is offered.

Location(s):

United States of America

City/Cities:

Atlanta

Travel Required:

00% - 25%

Relocation Provided:

No

Job Posting End Date:

May 9, 2026

Our Purpose and Growth Culture:

We are taking deliberate action to nurture an inclusive culture that is grounded in our company purpose, to refresh the world and make a difference. We act with a growth mindset, take an expansive approach to what’s possible and believe in continuous learning to improve our business and ourselves. We focus on four key behaviors – curious, empowered, inclusive and agile – and value how we work as much as what we achieve. We believe that our culture is one of the reasons our company continues to thrive after 130+ years. Visit Our Purpose and Vision to learn more about these behaviors and how you can bring them to life in your next role at Coca-Cola.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class. When we collect your personal information as part of a job application or offer of employment, we do so in accordance with industry standards and best practices and in compliance with applicable privacy laws.