Senior Director, Technical Consumer Data Research

Job Description Summary:

Our Technical Consumer Data Research (TCDR) insights are foundational to building a robust, multi‑year global innovation pipeline spanning Defend the Core, Present Forward, and Future Back initiatives.

The Senior Director, Technical Consumer Data Research (APAC) is accountable for leading sensory and consumer research strategy across the APAC region, spanning multiple categories and Operating Units (JSK, ASP, GCM, INSWA). The role directs regional TCDR resources, integrates Global TCDR capabilities, and translates consumer insights into technical understanding and actionable product, package, and equipment solutions for regional launches. This role plays a critical leadership position in advancing a 3–5-year innovation pipeline, while accelerating adoption of digitized, AI‑enabled and predictive research methodologies to drive faster, more future‑ready decision making. The Senior Director leads a diverse, high‑performing regional team and serves as a key member of the Global TCDR Leadership Team.

Role Scope & Impact:

• Own APAC TCDR strategy across categories and Operating Units

• Influence innovation direction from early exploration through commercialization

• Lead transformation toward digitized, AI‑driven consumer research

• Develop regional talent and capabilities aligned to global standards

• Shape business‑critical innovation decisions through technical consumer insight

What You’ll Do for Us:

1. APAC TCDR Strategy & Innovation Leadership

• Define and execute the APAC TCDR strategy to enable 3–5 year innovation pipelines across categories and Operating Units.

• Lead discovery of emerging consumer trends, behaviors, and unmet needs, translating insights into technical attributes and solution hypotheses.

• Partner with Category, Marketing, Human Insights, and GDI leadership to align multi‑year pipeline needs, priorities, and success metrics.

• Ensure consumer‑centric insights are embedded into innovation portfolios to deliver advantaged, future‑proof solutions.

2. End‑to‑End Consumer Learning & Sensory Leadership

• Direct development and deployment of technical consumer learning plans across innovation, renovation, core, and business continuity projects.

• Oversee internal and external sensory panels, ensuring scientific rigor and regional relevance.

• Embed cross‑functional frameworks (e.g., need states, demand spaces, BEACH) into learning plans to enable streamlined, global‑ready research execution.

• Monitor external environments to identify category and country‑specific opportunities and risks.

3. Digitization & Advanced Analytics

• Lead adoption of digitization and data science capabilities from Global TCDR, accelerating AI‑enabled, predictive, and forecast‑driven insights, regionally.

• Advance Gen‑AI and machine‑learning applications within consumer research, ensuring appropriate risk, safety, and compliance standards.

• Shape future‑state consumer research practices through external partnerships, networks, and emerging technologies.

4. Global TCDR Capability Integration

• Act as APAC representative on the Global TCDR Leadership Team, ensuring regional priorities are aligned with global methodologies and standards.

• Drive local adoption of standardized global best practices while allowing for market‑specific flexibility.

• Lead training, upskilling, and storytelling capability development for regional TCDR teams using global playbooks and tools.

5. People, Resource & Financial Leadership

• Lead and develop a highly engaged, diverse, and geographically distributed APAC TCDR team.

• Manage regional TCDR and DMI budgets, including forecasting, actuals tracking, and alignment with annual business plans.

• Build a strong succession pipeline and actively develop subject‑matter expertise across the organization.

6. Stakeholder & System Leadership

• Build trusted partnerships across Operating Units, Global Categories, Marketing, GDI, Operations, Bottlers, and external partners.

• Influence senior stakeholders through clear, evidence‑based insights and technical recommendations.

• Establish dashboards, timelines, and scorecards to ensure visibility, transparency, and proactive risk management.

Key Success Measures

• Strength and quality of 3–5-year innovation pipelines

• Speed and effectiveness of consumer and data‑led decision making

• Adoption of digitized and AI‑enabled research methodologies

• Talent capability growth and engagement

• Stakeholder confidence and influence at senior levels

Knowledge & Capability Requirements

• Deep expertise in human‑centric consumer insights, sensory science, statistics, and advanced analytics

• Strong understanding of data science, machine learning, and generative AI applications

• Proven ability to influence and advise senior executives in complex, matrixed environments

• Track record of leading regional and global teams with an agile, future‑focused mindset

• Exceptional stakeholder management and systems‑thinking capability

What We’re Looking For:

• Bachelor’s or PhD in Consumer Science, Food Science, Psychology, or related discipline

• 15+ years leadership experience in FMCG (Food & Beverage strongly preferred)

• Proven expertise leading large‑scale global and regional consumer research programs

• Experience operating across Global and Operating Unit environments

• Knowledge of the Coca‑Cola Company system is advantageous

Core Skills & Competencies:

• Strategic Thinking: Experience in developing innovation and organizational strategies, defines strategic direction, balancing short-term delivery with long-term growth. Experience in translating external trends into strategy to stay ahead of the competition

• Creative thinking: Builds a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and bold idea generation at scale.

• Technical Expertise: Shapes long-term capability development and technical excellence across teams.

• Problem Solving: Addresses systemic challenges and enables scalable, sustainable solutions.

• Change Management: Expertise in driving organizational transformation, and embedding new processes to create lasting change and organizational buy-in.

• People Leadership: Builds high-performing teams, develops future leaders, and drives engagement. Executive level influence.

• Decision making: Makes strategic and organizational decisions with accountability for outcomes. (Global Category or Enterprise -level; Multiyear)

Why Join Us?

• Impact at Scale: Shape products enjoyed by millions across diverse APAC markets.

• Global Connectivity: Access world-class technical expertise, innovation labs, and global R&D networks.

• Digital Future: Lead with next-gen tools — from AI-driven formulation insights to virtual product design.

• Creative Freedom: Drive innovation that blends science, consumer desire, and brand vision.

• Legacy: Be part of a team building the future of beverages, with agility, ambition, and excellence.

What can help you to be successful in the role?

Growth Behavior:

• Growth Mindset: Demonstrates Curiosity. Welcomes failure as a learning opportunity.

• Smart Risk: Makes bold decisions/recommendations.

• Commercially Focused: Understands the upstream and downstream implications of his/her work.

• Performance Driven & Accountable: Has high performance standards. Outperforms her/his peers.

• Fast/Agile: Removes barriers to move faster. Experiments and adapts. Thrives under pressure and fast pace.

• Empowered: Brings solutions instead of problems. Challenges the status quo. Has the courage to take an unpopular stance.

Leadership Behavior

• Act Like an Owner: Deliver results, creating value for our brands, our System, our customers and key stakeholders.

• Collaborate with the System, Customers and Key Stakeholders

• Develops Self and Others: Develop self and support others' development to achieve their full potential.

• Drive Innovation: Generate new or unique solutions and embrace new ideas that help sustain our business.

What We Can Do For You 

• Career growth and development: Leveraging our boundaryless network, we provide access to educational platforms and provide coaching, mentoring and feedback, as a part of our Leadership & Development process.

• Diverse and inclusive culture: You’ll be embraced for who you are and empowered to use your voice to help others find theirs. We want to make our culture inevitable.

• International Experience: Become part of international projects and work along multicultural teams, through our global network.

Skills:

Accountability, Accountability, Advanced Analytics, Business, Business Partnerships, Collaborating, Communication, Consumer Research, Consumer Trends, Consumer Understanding, Customer Insights, Data Analysis, Data Science, Decision Making, Design of Experiments (DOE), Experimentation, Human Insights, Innovation, Innovation Pipeline Development, Innovation Strategies, Innovative Leadership, Leadership, Machine Learning (ML), New Product Development, Product Innovations {+ 10 more}

Location(s):

China

City/Cities:

Shanghai

Travel Required:

00% - 25%

Relocation Provided:

No

Job Posting End Date:

May 8, 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.