Senior Director, PACS, Public Policy, DE

Role Purpose: 

The Senior Director, Public Affairs, Germany shapes the external environment to enable sustainable, responsible growth for The CocaCola Company and the CocaCola system in one of Europe OU’s highly visible and regulated markets. Operating at the intersection of public policy, reputation, and sustainability, this role defines and executes a forward-looking public affairs strategy that protects our license to win and advances consumer centric, evidence based outcomes. 

You will lead policy and advocacy across Germany, strengthen senior level stakeholder trust, and embed public affairs into commercial decisions—linking policy choices to portfolio, packaging, route to market, and brand reputation. Partnering closely with PACS, Commercial, Sustainability, and bottling partners, you will translate external shifts into actionable choices for leadership and deliver measurable impact aligned to Europe OU priorities. 

Key Responsibilities: 

Public Policy & Regulatory Strategy 

• Define and deliver the Germany public affairs strategy aligned to Europe OU (Operating Unit) priorities, commercial plans, and long-term license to win. 

• Shape clear positions on priority issues (e.g., packaging & circularity, nutrition & sugar reduction, responsible marketing/advertising, fiscal measures, climate & sustainability), grounded in evidence and consumer impact. 

• Anticipate regulatory developments externally; convert signals into risk/opportunity assessments and strategic recommendations for senior leadership. 

Advocacy & Stakeholder Engagement 

• Lead high impact engagement with government, regulators, trade associations, NGOs, academia, and community leaders, representing the CocaCola system with credibility and clarity. 

• Establish a disciplined stakeholder mapping, prioritization, and engagement cadence across the system; ensure consistent positions and messages. 

• Build coalitions and partnerships that influence policy outcomes and unlock shared value for consumers, customers, and communities. 

Reputation & Issues Management 

• Partner with Communications to deliver integrated external narratives that strengthen and differentiate CocaCola’s reputation in Germany. 

• Provide strategic oversight and readiness for issues and crises; serve as a senior spokesperson when appropriate. 

• Ensure communications are values led, timely, culturally resonant, and aligned to system positions. 

Sustainability & Social Impact 

• Localize Europe OU sustainability strategy for Germany; operationalize commitments across packaging circularity, climate, water, and responsible marketing. 

• Direct philanthropic and community investments (e.g., The CocaCola Foundation) to drive measurable social and environmental outcomes aligned to CSR priorities. 

• Embed sustainability considerations into policy advocacy and commercial planning with bottling partners and cross functional teams. 

System & Commercial Integration 

• Connect external affairs to portfolio, packaging, and route-to-market choices; inform business planning with policy scenarios. 

• Ensure alignment with bottling partners on advocacy, messaging, and sustainability priorities to support customer value creation. 

• Translate external insights for the Franchise leadership team and Europe OU stakeholders to enable fast, high quality decisions. 

Governance, Risk & Measurement 

• Uphold governance, compliance, and transparency standards across all public affairs activities. 

• Set OKRs/KPIs for policy influence, reputation strength, stakeholder trust, and sustainability impact; report progress with discipline. 

• Manage budgets, agencies, and resources to maximize impact and ROI. 

Leadership 

• Foster a culture of collaboration, learning, and accountability across PACS and the broader system. 

• Coach senior leaders on external positioning and complex stakeholder dynamics. 

Qualifications & Experience: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Affairs, Political Science, Communications, Environmental Science, or related field; Master’s degree preferred.10+ years’ progressive experience in public policy/public affairs, government relations, sustainability, and/or corporate communications  

• Deep understanding of the political, policy, and regulatory landscape across the countries; strong network across government, regulators, and industry bodies. 

• Proven track record shaping policy outcomes and leading senior level stakeholder engagement on issues such as packaging & circularity, nutrition & public health, climate, and responsible marketing. 

• Demonstrated excellence in issues/crisis leadership, reputation management, and media/spokesperson work. 

• Strong business acumen with the ability to connect policy choices to consumer impact, commercial outcomes, and system value creation. 

• Experience leading teams, agencies, and cross functional/matrix stakeholders; adept at influencing without authority. 

• Skilled in stakeholder mapping, evidence based advocacy, and insight driven strategy; comfortable with data, research, and measurement. 

• Local language fluency to influence stakeholders will be critical 

What We Can Do For You: 

• A platform to shape policy, reputation, and sustainability in a flagship Europe OU market—delivering meaningful societal and commercial impact. 

• Senior exposure across Europe OU and the CocaCola system, partnering with leaders to navigate a complex, high visibility environment. 

• A values driven, collaborative culture that invests in your growth and empowers bold, consumer centric leadership.