Senior Manager, New Product Development

Role overview

This position leads technical development work across a range of Coca-Cola product categories. It is a practical innovation role that combines deep technical knowledge, digital working methods, market understanding, and close partnership with internal and external teams to deliver products that align with business goals and local consumer needs. The role also requires translating regional requirements into technical solutions using global expertise while maintaining speed, quality, and compliance.

Key responsibilities

• Own end-to-end technical project delivery, starting from concept and prototype and continuing through pilot runs and commercialization, while meeting timelines, quality expectations, and regulatory standards.
• Work closely with regional cross-functional teams and global teams to build and execute innovation projects from start to finish.
• Use consumer insights, digital modeling, and agile ways of working to shorten the path from idea to market.
• Draw on global technical specialists, ingredient partners, and external technology networks to develop differentiated solutions.
• Adjust global formulations and processes so they fit local consumer preferences, manufacturing realities, and sourcing conditions.
• Protect product quality and integrity by managing risk and ensuring food safety and regulatory compliance.
• Coach and develop junior product developers to strengthen technical capability in product design and related technologies.
• Where direct reports exist, provide leadership, goal setting, coaching, performance management, and career development support.
• Track market shifts, scientific developments, and emerging technologies to identify new opportunities for the region.

Requirements

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related field.
• 8 to 10 years of product development experience in the beverage or food industry.
• Strong technical experience in dairy or functional drinks.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver innovation that balances consumer appeal, cost effectiveness, and regulatory requirements.
• Effective collaboration and stakeholder-management skills across multicultural and cross-functional environments.
• Comfort using digital tools for formulation modeling, data-based decisions, and virtual prototyping.
• Strong command of English; knowledge of regional languages is an advantage.
• Willingness to travel regionally up to about 20%.

Success behaviors

• Growth mindset with curiosity and the ability to treat setbacks as learning opportunities.
• Comfort taking smart risks and making bold recommendations.
• Commercial awareness of how decisions affect the wider value chain.
• High accountability, strong standards, and a performance-driven approach.
• Ability to work quickly, remove blockers, experiment, adapt, and perform well under pressure.
• Solution-oriented mindset with the courage to challenge the status quo.
• Ownership mentality focused on delivering value for brands, customers, and stakeholders.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with the broader system, customers, and key stakeholders.
• Commitment to personal growth and helping others develop.
• Drive to create new and useful solutions and welcome fresh ideas.

What the company offers

• Career development through access to learning platforms, coaching, mentoring, and feedback.
• An inclusive work culture that values individuality and encourages employees to use their voice.
• Opportunities to work on international projects with multicultural teams across a global network.

Additional details

• Work location: Gurugram, Haryana, India.
• City: Gurugram.
• Country: India.
• Travel requirement: 0% to 25%.
• Relocation support: Not provided.
• Job posting end date: June 25, 2026.
• Annual incentive reference value percentage: 15.
• The annual incentive reference value is a market-based target value for the role and represents performance at target.

Purpose and culture

The organization emphasizes an inclusive culture built around its purpose of refreshing the world and making a difference. It values continuous learning, a growth mindset, and four core behaviors: curiosity, empowerment, inclusiveness, and agility. These behaviors are considered as important as results, and the company highlights this approach as a key part of its long-standing success.