Senior Manager, Innovation - Sparkling

Manager: Senior Director, Innovation
Role Type: Individual Contributor
Language: Fluent English & Mandarin

Relocation Provided: limited relocation available (domestic location).

Please note: This role is not fully remote. The selected candidate will need to be based in Shanghai and follow our hybrid work setup.

Job Summary

As Senior Manager, Innovation - Sparkling, you will support the creation and development of brand-led innovation opportunities across the full Sparkling portfolio. This role focuses on consumer-back, brand-driven early-stage innovation, translating insights and cultural signals into compelling concepts, proposition territories and packaging ideas.

You will partner with category, insights, IMX, commercial and R&D stakeholders to shape the early innovation funnel, ensuring that consumer desirability, brand ambition and portfolio strategy are embedded throughout early development stages.

What You'll Do for Us

1. Shape Brand-Led Sparkling Innovation Territories

• Support the identification and definition of Sparkling innovation territories anchored in brand strategies, cultural trends, and consumer insights.

• Work closely with Sparkling category leads to ensure innovation direction complements Coca-Cola TM, Sprite, Fanta, Schweppes and flavor sparkling portfolio priorities.

• Translate insights into product ideas, claims, sensory directions and packaging storylines that reinforce brand identity and consumer relevance.

• Partner with insights teams to refine early-stage concepts through testing and iterative learning cycles.

• Monitor emerging consumer behaviors, youth culture signals, Sparkling rituals, and category trends to identify whitespace opportunities.

• Synthesize consumer and cultural insights into actionable inputs for front-end innovation.

• You will partner with category, insights, IMX, commercial, R&D and other cross-functional teams to shape early-stage Sparkling innovation, ensuring that strong consumer insight, brand ambition and portfolio priorities are embedded from concept through early development.

• This partnership focus aligns with cross-functional collaboration expectations seen in GC&M Sparkling and brand management roles.

• Prepare concept boards, consumer territories, inspiration platforms and internal storytelling materials for pipeline reviews.

• Help maintain a clear and organized view of the 12-24-month early-stage pipeline (consistent with Senior Manager scope).

• Partner with IMX, design and connection teams to translate early innovation concepts into initial narratives and potential activation territories.

• Support OBPPC and commercial teams with consumer- and brand-relevant inputs for pack roles and channel considerations.

• Bachelor's or above in Marketing, Business, Brand Strategy or related field.

• 6+ years of experience in brand marketing, innovation marketing, consumer insights, or category strategy within FMCG.

• Experience in Sparkling or beverages preferred; familiarity with youth culture and digital ecosystems advantageous.

• Fluent in English and Mandarin, with the ability to engage senior stakeholders across functions in a fast-paced environment.

• Strong consumer insight skills and ability to convert insights into innovation concepts.

• Solid understanding of brand strategy, positioning and portfolio principles.

• Concepting, storytelling and experience in early-stage proposition development.

• Strong collaboration and influencing capabilities across marketing, insights, IMX, commercial and R&D partners.

• Comfort with ambiguity, iteration and early-stage exploratory work.

• Curious, consumer-obsessed, culturally attuned.

• Strong communicator with persuasive storytelling skills.

• Proactive, agile and solution-oriented.

• Exposure to global Sparkling marketing and innovation best practices.

• Opportunities to work closely with Sparkling category leadership teams across brands.

• A diverse, inclusive and growth-oriented culture supported by GCM OU learning development frameworks.