Analytical Lab Technician (Microbiology & Analytics)

Job Description Summary:

​Role Type: Individual Contributor

Our Tokyo Innovation Center sits at the heart of The Coca‑Cola Company’s next chapter of growth. As part of this mission, the Analytical Laboratory Technician plays a key role in both microbiological and physicochemical testing, ensuring analytical accuracy, operational excellence, and high‑quality laboratory support for innovation and ingredient approval programs. This role is part of the Global Development & Innovation (GDI) Tech Center in Tokyo and reports directly to the microbiology and analytics laboratory manager. The technician supports day‑to‑day laboratory operations — executing microbiological and analytical tests, maintaining laboratory equipment, supporting sensory panels, and contributing to the quality and reliability of analytical services delivered to the Japan & South Korea Operating Unit (JSK OU) and bottling partners. This role is ideal for someone who is detail‑oriented, disciplined, safety‑focused, and eager to contribute to a world‑class analytical team.

What You’ll Do for Us:

Microbiology & Analytical Testing

• Conduct microbiological and physicochemical analyses in accordance with established methods and supervisor instructions to support GDI innovation projects, ingredient quality approval programs, and troubleshooting activities for the JSK OU and bottling partners.

• Carry out sensory tests for packaging material evaluations and new package assessments as requested by the OU.

• Participate as a trained sensory panelist in product and ingredient evaluations.

Cross‑Functional & Supplier Coordination

• Support communication with product developers, JSK OU, CPS, bottling partners, and domestic and international suppliers, under supervisor guidance, to support ingredient pre‑approval and qualification activities.

• Prepare, organize, and submit microbiological and analytical test data, documentation, and reports to ensure compliance with specifications and project timelines. Support data preparation, documentation, and reporting needed for ingredient qualification workflows.

Laboratory Operations & Maintenance

• Manage laboratory supplies, consumables, and chemicals, ensuring proper storage, labeling, and inventory control.

• Maintain laboratory instruments, including daily checks, cleaning, basic troubleshooting, and coordinating calibration or repair following supervisor instruction.

• Ensure all instruments and supplies used in testing are validated, functional, and compliant with laboratory standards.

Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Prioritize and organize daily work to ensure timely and efficient completion of analytical tasks.

• Support continuous improvement initiatives to modernize workflows, increase productivity, and enhance laboratory efficiency.

• Follow all laboratory safety protocols, ensure safe handling of hazardous chemicals, and actively contribute to maintaining a safe working environment.

What We’re Looking For:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Microbiology, Food Science, Analytical Science, Agricultural Chemistry, or a related field.

• 3+ years of experience in microbiology, quality assurance, or laboratory work within the food or beverage industry (beverage preferred).

• Understanding of hazardous chemicals and laboratory safety practices.

• Strong attention to detail, reliability, and commitment to data integrity.

• Good communication skills (reading, writing, and basic verbal exchanges).

• Strong task prioritization and scheduling abilities.

• Native‑level Japanese.

• Basic reading/writing skills in English preferred.

• Basic IT skills (e.g., Excel, data entry, digital tools).

What We Can Do for You:

Work With Iconic & Innovative Brands

• Be part of a total beverage company with a growing portfolio: Sparkling, Coffee, Tea, Water, Sports, Energy, Dairy, Alcohol, and more.

Customer & Consumer Focus

• Contribute to our mission to “refresh the world and make a difference” by supporting reliable, high‑quality analytical work.

Growth Culture Through a Hyper‑Global Network

• Collaborate with colleagues across regions, bottling partners, and global technical networks, embracing diverse perspectives and continuous learning.

Technical Development

• Access ongoing training and learning opportunities to strengthen your analytical skills, laboratory knowledge, and professional growth.

What can help you to be successful in the role?

Growth Behavior:

• 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.

Leadership Behavior

• 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.

What We Can Do For You 

• 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.

Skills:

Location(s):

Japan

City/Cities:

Tokyo

Travel Required:

00% - 25%

Relocation Provided:

No

Job Posting End Date:

June 26, 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.