Senior Director, Materials & Sustainability

Job Description: Senior Director II, Materials & Sustainability, Packaging Research & Engineering

The Senior Director of Materials & Sustainability provides enterprise leadership for packaging innovation enabled through material advances aligned with the core business. This scope includes material advances in core packaging formats and their alternatives for potential material replacement for enhanced performance and/or sustainability. The Materials and Sustainability group serves as the center of expertise for materials within the system as well as their full value chain including circularity and carbon footprint. This position reports to the VP of Packaging Research & Engineering, which is part of the Research to Experimentation function in TI&SC. The position is located in Atlanta.

What You'll Do for Us

• Lead the global packaging network in sustainable material strategy and own a roadmap for material innovation to meet the evolving consumer and system needs under emerging headwinds
• Advance new material technologies of the interest to the system by influencing the product development directions of material suppliers and other technology providers
• Build and maintain material expertise (structure-property relationships, manufacturing, conversion, application) for technologies associated with PET, glass, and fiber-based packaging
• Deliver new packaging solutions enabled by material innovations to support OU and category needs in seamless collaboration with Engineering & Conversion group (in Packaging Research & Engineering) and GDI partners
• Develop influential external presence with industry associations such as the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) and the International Society of Beverage Technologists (ISBT), and coalitions such as Initiative for Sustainable Beverage Packaging (ISBP)
• Lead the system in technical leadership on sustainable materials value chain, including circularity and decarbonization enablers and challenges, for materials that are core and adjacent to the system
• Manage a team of direct reports in accordance with the people management framework in The Coca-Cola Company
• As part of the Packaging Research & Engineering LT, deliver transformative packaging solutions through seamless end-to-end collaboration and project management discipline
• As part of the Global Packaging R&D Network, maximize value capture through packaging innovation through effective cross-fertilization and lift-and-translate across the network
• Manage a portfolio of projects and prioritize resource allocation in accordance with corporate strategy and OU / Category priorities

• Education: Doctorate degree in a science, engineering, or related field
• 10+ years of professional experience in research & development related to materials innovation
• Demonstrated expertise in PET (material structure-property relationships, conversion, application development)
• Experience working with a range of materials from concepts to commercialization, preferably for beverage applications
• Experience in leading a diverse team in multi-functional collaboration setting