Director, Consumer & Category Insights

The Director, Consumer & Category Insights is the enterprise owner of consumer understanding and category insight across Japan and Korea. This role ensures that deep, human-centered insights inform brand strategy, category growth plans, innovation pipelines, and communication development.

The Director leads category insight teams embedded within Marketing and acts as a strategic thought partner to Brand, Innovation, and Strategy teams-ensuring that consumer truths are translated into winning ideas and growth choices.

Focus, Scope & Impact

• Own consumer insight strategy across categories and brands in Japan and Korea

• Lead category growth understanding, including needs, occasions, and consumption behaviors

• Shape innovation and communication strategies through deep consumer intimacy

• Ensure consistency, rigor, and quality of insights across categories

• Lead and develop Consumer & Category Insights teams

Key Responsibilities

Consumer Understanding & Human Sciences

• Lead consumer research, human sciences, and foresight initiatives to uncover deep motivations, needs, and rituals

• Anticipate cultural, societal, and consumption shifts relevant to Japan and Korea

• Ensure insights reflect local nuance while leveraging global frameworks

Category & Brand Strategy Support

• Partner with Brand and Category teams to inform positioning, growth strategies, and creative development

• Own category learning agendas and ensure insights inform annual and long-range planning

• Translate consumer insights into clear strategic implications and opportunities

Innovation & Communication Effectiveness

• Shape innovation pipelines by identifying unmet needs, demand spaces, and future occasions

• Lead learning plans for innovation, communication, and experience testing

• Ensure continuous learning from in-market performance

Research, Analytics & Governance

• Own research standards, methodologies, and agency governance across categories

• Balance qualitative depth with quantitative rigor and advanced analytics

• Drive efficiency and effectiveness in research investment

People & Capability Leadership

• Lead and develop Senior Managers and Managers across category insight teams

• Build strong insight storytelling and strategic thinking capabilities

• Foster a culture of curiosity, empathy, and business impact

What Success Looks Like

• Clear, inspiring consumer truths shaping brand and category strategies

• Strong innovation success rates driven by insight-led choices

• High trust and reliance on consumer insights by Marketing leadership

• Consistent quality and rigor across category insight outputs

• A strong bench of future insight leaders

Experience & Critical Requirements

• Over 13 years of experience in consumer insights, market research, or marketing strategy

• Deep expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methodologies

• Strong understanding of brand building, category strategy, and innovation processes

• Proven experience leading teams and managing agencies

• Experience in CPG, FMCG, or beverage categories preferred

Analytical Thinking, Brand Positioning, Brand Storytelling, Channel Management, Channels Strategy, Communication, Competitive Assessments, Consumer Segmentation, Consumer Trends, Decision Making, Digital Media Strategy, Group Problem Solving, Leadership, Market Research, Media Planning, Microsoft Office, Quantitative Research, Retail Marketing Strategy, Social Media Strategies, Syndicated Research, Waterfall Model

Location(s):
Japan

City/Cities:
Tokyo

Travel Required:
00% - 25%

Relocation Provided:
No

Job Posting End Date:
July 31, 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.

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.

Client-provided location(s): Tokyo, Japan

Job ID: cocacola-151707345

Employment Type: OTHER

Posted: 2026-04-07T18:39:05