Senior Manager, Functional Platforms

About the Research Team:

The Research to Experimentation (RtE) function in TI&SC delivers scalable and impactful innovations in the areas of ingredients, packaging, and dispensing (package-less) that grow, sustain, and protect our business. The Flavor and Ingredients Research Application (FIRA) team is part of RtE and creates a compelling consumer holistic experience through flavor & ingredients.

Our Functional ingredient Research, Application and Ingredient Delivery team is researching, developing, and validating the edge creation functional ingredient solutions for beverage application in order to address consumer wellness and functional benefit need.

Job Description Summary:

The Senior Manager of Functional Ingredient Research & Application will explore, identify and translate the relevant science in brain and gut axis and healthy aging for functional beverage innovation and ingredient solution development. This role will also advance our knowledge and expertise in areas such as (but not limited to) brain and gut axis, and healthy aging areas, striving to unlock transformational opportunities for differentiation in functional beverages.

• Develop, execute and lead the research strategy and pipeline (short-mid-long-term) for functional ingredients innovation under manager's guidance, with consumer centric approach from insights to communication, to deliver differentiated and transformational solutions for functional beverages.
• Explore, identify and translate the relevant science in brain and gut axis and healthy aging are for functional beverage innovation and ingredient solution development, through the collaboration with internal and external technical network, including universities, institutes, start-ups, technical providers, and ingredient suppliers.
• Work with appropriate internal and external experts to develop clinical studies and test protocols and experiments to validate efficacy of functional ingredients and technology and enable claim to substantiate with high quality data.
• Drive end-to-end collaboration with cross-functional teams, including Global Development & Innovation, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs, Technical consumer Research and external partners, to translate research into consumer-centric ingredient solutions to address consumer problems and bring value to system.
• Responsible for identifying, recommending, and managing external research partners.
• Stay ahead of cutting-edge developments in functional ingredient science and proactively identify novel technologies, partnerships, or methodologies to maintain competitive advantage.
• Enable innovation solutions with beverage application and global scaling up feasibility to bring value to the system.
• Access and make recommendations for technology investments today that will enable future success.
• Foster an innovation mindset and accountability culture within the team and external collaborations to deliver measurable results.

• Advanced degree (Ph.D. must) in Neuroscience, Life science, Molecular biology, Cell biology, Biochemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a related discipline.
• A minimum of 5-7 years of related research and application work experience.
• Expertise in key focus areas such as cognition, brain and gut axis, healthy aging, human trials, or related areas.
• Strong leadership capability with experience driving and implementing research strategies, managing high-impact projects, innovating new solutions based on science, and influencing diverse teams and stakeholders.
• Proven curious and innovative mindset, with the ability to turn scientific insights into actionable, consumer-relevant solutions.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate complex science to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Project Management: Knowledge of project management principles and the ability to apply the principles, tools and techniques to develop/plan, manage or execute projects or work plans to ensure successful completion (e.g., on time, within budget). Prioritization skills.
• Proprietary Information: Ability to recognize and protect proprietary information as it relates to formulas and ingredients. Form patent strategy and file patent application to protect proprietary information.
• Endurance: Willingness and ability to occasionally function effectively over extended periods of time. Ability to be flexible and adjust priorities based on business needs.

• Ingredients: Knowledge of and experience with functional ingredients for efficacy validation and claim enablement.
• Data: Data management, processing, analysis, and modeling experience and expertise.