Senior Manager, Product Development – Juice Category LATAM
The Coca-Cola Company · Ciudad de México, Mexico
Food and Beverage Services · 10,001+ employees
About the role
Lead the product development and renovation agenda for the Juice Category across LATAM, translating consumer insights into scalable technical solutions. Coordinate cross-functional teams and bottling partners to manage the end-to-end process from concept to commercialization.
What they look for
Requirements
Requires a Bachelor's degree in Food or Biochemical Engineering (Master's/PhD preferred) and over 8 years of beverage product development experience. Must possess deep expertise in fruit juice systems, non-carbonated processing, and the ability to influence stakeholders in a matrixed environment.
Full description
Job Description Summary:
At Coca-Cola, every employee is a leader. In the Juice Category across LATAM, that means shaping product strategy with a strong enterprise mindset, translating consumer and business needs into winning technical solutions, and leading cross-functional teams through complexity with clarity and courage.
We are looking for a Senior Manager, Product Development to lead the development and renovation agenda for the Juice Category in LATAM. This role goes beyond strong technical product development expertise. It requires a leader who can connect consumer understanding, category strategy, R&D depth, operational reality, and stakeholder alignment to deliver scalable, high-quality, and commercially successful juice, nectar, and juice drink solutions.
The ideal candidate brings expertise in fruit juice systems and/or beverage development, along with the leadership maturity to make difficult trade-offs, influence across the network, and move initiatives forward in a highly interconnected environment.
What You’ll Do
Lead the product development and execution for Juice Category initiatives across LATAM, from early concept shaping through commercialization
Translate consumer understanding, business, and market insights into product solutions that are technically feasible, commercially relevant, and regionally scalable
Drive a holistic R&D approach, integrating formulation, processing, regulatory, quality, sensory, packaging, scale-up, cost, and supply considerations from the start
Partner across Marketing, Regulatory, Quality, Procurement, Operations, Supply Chain, Commercialization, and bottling partners to build alignment and accelerate decision-making
Make clear recommendations on key trade-offs involving speed, quality, cost, complexity, scalability, and consumer experience
Lead development and renovation of juice, nectar, and juice drink portfolios, including reduced-sugar, functional, and value-optimized platforms
Understand beverage systems, food processing, ingredient functionality, sensory performance, shelf life, and manufacturing feasibility
Guide teams through pilot trials, plant trials, and commercialization, ensuring strong technical rigor and execution discipline
Build credibility with senior stakeholders through clear technical storytelling, data-based recommendations, and enterprise-oriented decision-making
Strengthen category capability by coaching and developing product developers and technical talent across the Juice network
Act as a leader who can challenge constructively, make courageous choices, and keep teams focused on what matters most for the business
Leadership Skills Required for This Position
This role requires a leader who can operate beyond technical excellence and consistently demonstrate the following capabilities:
Strategic thinking – Connects individual projects to broader category, business, and LATAM growth priorities
Apply Enterprise Mindset – Makes decisions based on what is best for the enterprise, not only for one function, market, or short-term project need
Stakeholder alignment – Builds trust and alignment across technical and business functions, especially in a complex matrixed environment with multiple priorities
Courageous decision-making – influence across network, making difficult calls, surfaces trade-offs clearly, and takes accountability when priorities conflict or ambiguity is high
Leadership presence – Communicates with clarity, brings structure to complexity, and creates confidence with senior leaders, peers, and cross-functional partners
What Will Make You Successful
You think beyond your immediate project and make decisions with the enterprise, category, and market mindset
You connect consumer needs with technical development choices
You move fluidly between strategy and execution, from portfolio priorities to formula and plant realities
You create alignment across functions, especially when priorities conflict
You are comfortable making decisions in ambiguity and taking accountability for difficult calls
You bring both technical depth and leadership presence
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Food Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Food Technology or related field required; Master’s degree or PhD preferred
8+ years of product development experience in the beverage industry, with preference in juice drink categories.
Demonstrated success leading complex, cross-functional product development projects from concept to launch
Desired expertise in fruit ingredients, sweeteners, additives used in juice systems
Strong knowledge of non-carbonated beverage processing, including blending, pasteurization, aseptic processing, filling, and scale-up
Experience navigating regional complexity including different markets, plants, bottlers, and regulatory environments
Strong understanding of sensory, quality, and consumer relevance in fruit-based beverage development
Ability to influence across a matrix and align technical and non-technical stakeholders
Strong communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complexity into clear recommendations for senior leadership
Why Join Us
Shape the future of the Juice Category in LATAM through meaningful innovation and renovation
Work on high-impact, cross-market initiatives with strong enterprise visibility
Join a collaborative environment where science, consumer understanding, and business thinking come together
Grow as a leader in one of Coca-Cola’s most dynamic and complex product spaces
Skills:
Chemistry, Communication, Continual Improvement Process, Data Compilation, Environmental Science, Food Safety Management, Food Sciences, Food Technology, Green Solutions, Laboratory Testing, Leadership, Microbiology, Product Development, Quality Control (QC), Researching, Sensory Testing, Waterfall Model
Location(s):
Mexico
City/Cities:
Ciudad de Mexico
Travel Required:
00% - 25%
Relocation Provided:
No
Job Posting End Date:
julho 19, 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.