R&D Senior Scientist, Product Development

Location(s):

Mexico

City/Cities:

Ciudad de Mexico

Travel Required:

00% - 25%

Relocation Provided:

No

Job Posting End Date:

January 3, 2025

Shift:

Job Description Summary:

Please note: This is not a Marketing or IT role.

The Global Development and Innovation (GDI) Center is pivotal to The Coca‐Cola Company's innovation in beverages across multiple categories, covering product development, packaging & equipment development. The Senior Scientist, Product Development has full responsibility over a set of projects for a given category, those could be either Innovation, Regulatory or Superior Product Experience (Quality Improvement) programs. This role can also act as an enabler of the Productivity and Business Continuity Programs. It is part of this role to deliver projects with a high degree of technical robustness, as well as managing the Commercialization timeline of the project.

Focus Areas

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

• GD&I Project Execution & Management

• Project Commercialization

• Ensure technical diligence and robustness on each project.

KET SUCCESS PARAMETERS

Work Focus

GD&I Project Execution & Management, including Commercialization:

• This position will focus in the Juice Category.

• Lead commercialization process for the market implementation of new product launches and product reformulations by working collaboratively and networking with all the necessary functions while ensuring compliance with KO standards and policies/ local regulation for the entire OU. Own the project timeline, manage and co-ordinate interactions among several entities (R&D, CPS, G2G, marketing, finance, technical and Bottling partners) to ensure effective process in place for each initiative as agreed standards and timelines.

• Responsible for designing product development approach, for elaborating project plan and for disciplined project execution. Delivers highly complex new product launches or product reformulations, from desk and benchtop level up to pilot and industrial scaling up, in a very advanced technical level. Recommend validated product solutions with an informed defined risk and formula cost analysis. 

• Responsible to develop set of specifications: Ingredient, Formula, Processing and Manufacturing Instructions (MMI), shelf-life recommendations. 

• Leads project meetings within the category, cross-functionally with marketing, customer management or technical groups. 

• Participates in team projects, cross-functional committees, or company-wide initiatives to share information, represent the GD&I function perspective, or assist with product development, process modification, package development and marketing. 

• Drafts detailed & accurate reports for analyses, experiments, or projects.  Gathers and organizes information under tight timelines to support senior management's decision-making.  

• Connects with Global R&D (Research & Development) Teams to align on priorities, project scope and resources to support the Latin America plans.

Influence & Leadership:

• Coaches, and trains students, technicians, or junior developers on specific project/tasks. 

• Leads by influencing more junior developers and peers

• Expected to become role-model of the function.

Communication Focus

• Proper, timely and effective communication is key to this role’s success, it communicates internally with the R&D network, the OU’s Extended Category Team, global communities and externally with suppliers, partners, and associations.

• The role requires a high degree of technical communication understanding.

Required Experience:

• English proficiency

• 7 + yrs of deep knowledge and relevant experience in Research and Development roles, and/or extensive experience and seniority in Commercialization roles.

• Juice Expertise is desired.

• Experience integrating end-to-end technical scopes for innovation projects.

• Meaningful knowledge of expanded Technical Functions as Supply Chain, Quality, SRA, etc.

Skills:

Chemistry, Communication, Continual Improvement Process, Data Compilation, Environmental Science, Food Safety Management, Food Sciences, Food Technology, Green Solutions, Laboratory Testing, Leadership, Microbiology, Product Development, Quality Control (QC), Researching, Sensory Testing, Waterfall Model

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.