Senior Manager, Packaging, GDI

Our EMEA Innovation Center sit 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 packaging 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. 

Role Overview:  

This position is responsible for leading the identification, and development of new plastic, metal, glass, and secondary packaging solutions for the Operating Units Europe, Africa, Eurasia and Middle East. The role provides technical leadership across the full packaging development lifecycle, including idea generation, proof of concept, design, development, pilot, and validation trials.  

The Senior R&D Manager will apply advanced understanding of packaging materials, production processes, sustainability principles, and emerging technologies to deliver innovative and consumercentric packaging solutions. The role includes both reapplication of proven concepts from the Global Packaging GDI network and the creation of new solutions in collaboration with external partners such as design agencies, consultants, universities, research institutions, and suppliers.  

A key responsibility is driving packaging innovation and sustainability by identifying relevant new technologies and industry trends, ensuring compliance with safety, regulatory, and environmental requirements, and supporting the Operating Unit’s 3-5 years innovation and sustainability agendas. Close connection with the global packaging community is essential to surface and bring forward highvalue innovation opportunities.  

The role requires strong crossfunctional leadership—working closely with marketing, TISC (Technical Innovation & Supply Chain), RtE (Research to Experiment), quality, procurement, Bottlers, and other GDI teams to align packaging strategies, influence decisionmaking, and ensure technical feasibility across product, process, equipment, and logistics systems. The candidate will be expected to build robust business cases for new packaging concepts using technical, scientific, consumer, and commercial insights.  

Although this role has no formal direct reports, the Senior R&D Manager will serve as a key technical expert and collaborator, working through influence rather than hierarchy. The role will require building strong partnerships across the system, guiding project teams, and contributing to capability building by sharing technical expertise, best practices, and innovation insights across the Operating Unit and global network.  

The successful candidate will demonstrate a proven track record of developing new packaging, leading complex crossfunctional initiatives, and effectively managing multiple highimpact projects. Additional responsibilities include ensuring adherence to intellectual property, regulatory, and quality requirements, as well as managing project budgets and resource plans effectively throughout the development process.  

Key Responsibilities: 

Technical Leadership & Innovation 

• Provide technical leadership in developing packaging designs and technologies from ideation to commercialization.  

• Apply advanced knowledge of packaging materials, production processes, sustainability, and emerging technologies to create innovative packaging solutions.  

• Ensure packaging solutions remain aligned with industry trends and incorporate new technologies to maintain innovation leadership.  

• Thinks end-to-end across initiatives and influences priorities aligned with strategy.  

• Encourages creativity within the team and removes barriers to idea generation. Leverage internal and external resources smartly 

Packaging Innovation & Sustainability 

• Lead the development of environmentally friendly and sustainable packaging innovations supporting corporate sustainability goals.  

• Identify and assess new packaging opportunities by engaging with the global packaging R&D community.  

• Ensure packaging solutions comply with regulatory requirements and internal company standards.  

Strategy & CrossFunctional Leadership 

• Develop and align regional and global packaging strategies to support innovation pipelines and business growth.  

• Collaborate crossfunctionally with Marketing, Operations, Suppliers, Bottlers, and other R&D teams to deliver integrated packaging solutions.  

• Create business cases for new packaging concepts using scientific, technical, consumer, and commercial insights.  

People & Team Leadership 

• Build, develop, and motivate a highperforming technical packaging team, including subject matter experts.  

• Foster a culture that supports innovation, growth behaviors, and strong technical performance.  

• Strengthen stakeholder partnerships with suppliers, research institutions, and internal teams.  

Project & Portfolio Management 

• Lead and oversee the packaging development project portfolio, ensuring timely and technically sound execution.  

• Manage packaging development from concept through testing, and validation, with timeline and budget anticipation and governance. 

• Optimize packaging for compatibility across product, process, equipment, logistics, and supply chain systems.  

Compliance, Safety & Intellectual Property 

• Ensure all packaging initiatives comply with safety, regulatory, and quality requirements across markets.  

• Protect innovations by applying understanding of intellectual property and patent considerations.  

 Budget & Resource Management 

• Manage the packaging development budget effectively, ensuring responsible planning and resource allocation.  

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Packaging Engineering, Materials/Polymer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related field. 

• 7+ years of relevant experience, preferably with global or regional packaging development responsibilities. 

• Advanced Project Management: Developing ability to lead complex projects that involve cross-functional teams. Includes the ability to manage large budgets, broad scopes, multiple suppliers and/or team members from partner companies. 

• Advanced Packaging: Developing advanced knowledge of packaging materials and the related production processes. This includes knowledge of material compatibility, supplier processes, standards and specifications. 

• Demonstrated ability to innovate and think strategically. 

• Excellent communication skills and a global mindset. 

• Basic understanding of safety and regulatory affairs. 

• Clear understanding of intellectual property laws and patent interpretation.  

• Language proficiency: Native or Business fluency in English & local language 

What We Can Do for You:

• Purpose With Impact - 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 change. 

• Global Collaboration & Learning - 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. 

• A Community of Belonging - 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. 

• Competitive Rewards & Benefits - 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.