Manager, Product, GDI

Location: Gurugram, India

Role Type: Individual Contributor

Please note: The selected candidate will need to be based in Gurugram, India. This is a Individual Contributor position.

Our India & Southwest Asia (INSWA) Innovation Center sits at the heart of The Coca-Cola Company's next chapter of growth. We are committed to transforming and evolving our organization and ambitions - bringing our people closer to the consumer, continuously raising the bar, and embracing digitalization to enable sustainable growth. We are looking for a highly driven individual contributor who thrives on ownership and impact, and who fuels the innovation pipeline with bold ideas that translate into real-world results. This role is not about maintaining the status quo; it is about challenging assumptions, unlocking opportunity, and personally driving valuable breakthrough innovation. You will apply deep product development expertise to lead ideas from concept to execution, contributing to a strong and diverse portfolio of meaningful innovation - accelerating growth and helping shape the future of the organization.

As a Manager, Product Development, you will lead the execution of complex and diverse product development initiatives to accelerate bottom- and top-line growth, bringing concepts to life through advanced formulation, testing, and commercialization. You will drive local and regional projects in close partnership with cross-functional teams, applying deep technical expertise, market insights, and digital tools to ensure products meet consumer expectations, quality standards, regulatory requirements, and manufacturing realities. This is a hands-on, individual contributor role for a seasoned problem-solver who thrives on technical ownership, cross-functional collaboration, and delivering high-impact beverage innovations.

What You'll Do for Us:

• Product Design - Work as part of functional team to align on objective (new product launch, superiority, tax and regulation, productivity) and success criteria.
• Create Prototypes & Formulations - Develop lab-scale recipes driven by consumer insights and technical/supply chain requirements, following GMP and company protocols. Incorporate local insights, new ingredients, and regulatory needs into final product design.
• Test, Learn, Improve - Conduct sensory, analytical, and shelf-life testing together with the Micro and stability teams; use data and basic statistics to guide optimization.
• Scale Up for Market - Lead support from GDI for pilot and commercial production trials, ensuring processes and packaging compatibility.
• Collaborate Broadly - Partner with Marketing, SRA, Supply Chain, Packaging, and Quality for seamless delivery; connect with global technical experts to import best practices.
• Maintain Excellence - Over the full process, keep lab equipment in top condition; follow safety, compliance, and documentation standards.

• Bachelor's/ Master's in Food Science, Chemistry, Nutrition, Chemical Engineering, or similar.
• 4-6 years in product development for beverages/food
• Strong technical understanding of ingredient functionality within beverage systems.
• Experience managing multiple projects from ideation to launch in fast-paced environments.
• Familiarity with sensory evaluation, consumer testing, and data interpretation for decision-making.
• Ability to
  
  
  • Think end-to-end across initiatives and influences priorities aligned with strategy.
  • Apply and influence with insights from consumer and competitor.
  • Drive original thinking and develops novel concepts with clear business value.
  • Apply solid technical expertise to deliver high-quality work independently.
  • Solve complex, ambiguous problems and anticipates downstream impacts.
  • Coach and support others, sharing expertise and constructive feedback.
  • Make timely decisions within scope, balancing speed, and quality, and in consideration of interdependence of other priorities.
• Fluent in English; regional languages a plus.
• Regional travel up to 10-15%.

• We take a purpose-driven approach that empowers our people to protect the environment, strengthen the communities we serve, and deliver safe, high-quality products every day. Your work will contribute directly to creating positive changes.

• You'll be part of a globally connected organization where ideas, expertise, and innovation flow freely across regions. This environment enables you to learn from others, accelerate your growth, and contribute to solutions that scale worldwide.

• We foster a culture where people feel safe, valued, and empowered to bring their best selves to work. We believe that diverse perspectives and an inclusive environment drive better outcomes-for our people and our business.

• We offer a comprehensive and competitive compensation and benefits package, with core benefits beginning on your first day. We are committed to supporting your wellbeing, growth, and long-term success.

• Curious - Keep seeking, never settle.

• Empowered - Make it happen.

• Agile - Push for progress, not perfection.

• Inclusive - Include, value, and trust each other.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.