Our EMEA Innovation Center sits 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 transformational leader to build, inspire, and empower high-performing teams that fuel the innovation pipeline with bold ideas and turn them into real-world impact. This role is not about maintaining the status quo; it is about setting direction, unlocking opportunity, and driving valuable breakthrough innovation at scale. You will lead diverse teams with deep product development expertise to deliver a strong and balanced portfolio of meaningful innovation - accelerating growth and shaping the future of the organization. Scope & Impact As Director Operations & Process, you will lead a team of 18-20 members responsible for the pilot plant, the stability, analytics, quality and micro assessment for every new product or reformulation for Europe, Africa, Eurasia and Middle East. You will ensure that?optimum?pilot plant infrastructure, capabilities?and operational execution are in place to support?current and future?product innovation?pipeline?of the EMEA Innovation Center.??You will provide technical leadership on analytics, microbiology, stability and food safety for the development of new beverages, packages, dispensing?equipment?and processing technologies.?? This role is a member of the EMEA GDI Center Leadership Team. Focus Areas Key areas of focus of this role can be summarized as follows Process & StabilityLead and guide the Process & Stability team accountable??for Physical, sensorial stability evaluation of new formulations/ prototypes or reformulation?? Evaluating &?reviewing?recommendation?on product stability /?shelf-life?before PAR submission. Propose alternative?solutions?in case of stability?issues?and provide relevant benchmarking.? Identifying?and implementing operating process?improvement.?Propose?& implement?appropriate capital?investment. Manage and develop if necessary?appropriate?and efficient working environment? ?Organizing & managing applied research in food science. Identification of the driving factors limiting the?shelf-life?including definition,?planning?and execution of research projects. Create a source of knowledge?regarding?product stability.? Digitalizing data and identifying?improvements and future requirements and work with?IT?team Ensuring functionality and organization of the MSDS laboratory and testing/reporting are delivered according to?agreed?SLA Researching and evaluating patents,?new technologies, methodologies,?process?to improve?system's?capabilities and profitability.? Working in close cooperation with colleagues in Global Process Technology Team?to ensure projects?continuity and knowledge transfer. Creative development and smart applications to deliver consistent?science based?feasible?solutions related to?processing,?identifying?key technical barriers and?ways?to overcome them.?? Planning and executing technology development experiments?and?trials?at Brussels pilot plant and at outside facilities to prove and?validate?concepts prior to scaling up? Developing application technologies for novel ingredients? Taking accountability for projects delivery (Feasibility,?Time,?Costs)? Participating in Brussels R&D capability?expansion projects.? ?Pilot Plant & QSELead and guide the Pilot Plant and QSE team accountable??for Ensure?efficient daily operation of the pilot plant according to TCCC?quality?standards.? Manage?Resource?and equipment?planning, and?coordinate?weekly process and product trials according to project priorities?and agreed timing.? Demonstrated ability to?anticipate, prioritize, and adapt to changing workload situations.? Implement and?maintain?World Class Manufacturing standards including, 5S, preventative maintenance,?accurate?ingredient inventory management.? Establish,?maintain?and execute material ordering and stock management procedures for all ingredients, packaging materials,?consumables?and spare parts.? Manage the development and organization of maintenance and calibration practices, procedures, and documentation? Identify, develop, and lead continuous improvement effort for equipment reliability, and product quality.?Enhance safety,?efficiency?and quality attributes of manufacturing operations? Develop and?maintain?procedures and documentation system including quality and process management, clear Standard Operation procedure, to support the accreditation and audit program.? Supervise the shipping of samples to regions and divisions in Europe,?Eurasia?and?Africa.? Responsible for the training of new R&D personnel?on how to work in the pilot plant and use the different?equipments.? Ensure good understanding and linkage with bottler manufacturing capabilities?in order to?allow good transition of new products from pilot plant to bottling plants.? Identify, evaluate, and implement?process and equipment innovations. Develop an investment plan to ensure that?the capacity?and capability are in line with the demand created by the short term and?long term?R&D innovation pipeline.? Manage Pilot plant?Opex?and Capex budget? Management of daily production and quality assurance Development and execution of total quality program Supervision of Pilot Plant Production Team Development and execution of Technical Audit Programs Analytics & MicroLead and guide the Analytics and Micro team accountable??for Creating Quality, Safety and Environmental requirements related to micro risk assessment.? Developing academic and external network, managing key expert contacts and representations in scientific organizations, official bodies, professional associations? Strategy planning to deliver long-term capabilities? Ensure all relevant policies and requirements related to micro are followed during the development process? Manage the end-to-end?micro Risk?assessments for innovation and business continuity projects (Ingredient risk assessments, Planning and execution of challenge studies during development phase?, Review, categorize and sign-off of Micro Risk Assessment, Creation of micro testing protocol, management of micro testing and establishment of release criteria for consumer study) Provide SME support for the development of manufacturing process requirements? Develop protocols for food service equipment validation? Manage relationships and prioritize work with 3rd party micro labs and Process Authority? Design and?optimize?micro testing processes including potential automation? Provide SME support for Pilot Plant registrations, certifications, and process qualifications? Establish and manage food safety training programs for R&D? Conduct microbiological analysis and testing as needed? Embed Quality by Design principles into analytical strategy to drive innovation, robust science, and operational efficiency across R&D programs. Support the development and application of advanced analytical methodologies to proactively ensure product quality, safety, and regulatory compliance, enabling rightfirsttime formulation and scaleup. Partner crossfunctionally with Product Development, Quality, RtE, CPS, and ASL to translate analytical insights into strong design spaces, effective troubleshooting, and sustainable quality solutions throughout the product lifecycle. Champion digital transformation, including database development, advanced data analytics, and strategic external partnerships, to strengthen analytical robustness, accelerate innovation, and improve predictability of outcomes Key Responsibilities: People Leadership: Build and develop a highly engaged Category GDI network as well as leading a direct team (team size estimate 18-20 employees). Manage resources effectively, including leading the allocation and prioritization of activities, budget requirements, performance management and assessing development needs. Lead development of clear case for change, desired outcomes, accurate scope, clear roles and decision-making, and effective communication of the change supporting EMEA Innovation Center leader on change managing and new ways of working. Stakeholder Management: Build relationships and networks with key stakeholders across the organization. Facilitate the identification of timelines, dashboards, and financial scorecards for each initiative to keep Global Category Leadership current on progress and potential red flags. Ensure effective and efficient information flow between Global Category Leaders and the R&D peers. Technical Leadership: As a key member of EMEA Innovation Center LT, develop and implement long-term and annual business plans and ensure successful achievement of them. Play a key role as a leadership member to ensure the Technical Community provides optimal thought leadership, strong business value and deliver on our commitments to the business from our functional responsibilities. Partner in the ownership of key technical talent progress and their development. Control and deploy resources appropriately, making sure the category budget is well managed and we deliver against the objectives. Communication Focus:This role communicates internally with the GDI network, OU teams, and Global TI&SC teams. External communication with Bottlers, and suppliers. Communication and engagement with multiple key stakeholders to gain agreement on the short- and long-term category strategies for TCCC. Proactive and clear communication and engagement with all key stakeholders connected with Category R&D agenda. Advanced influence and negotiation skills to ensure clear articulation and alignment with stakeholders at senior levels internally and externally for the company category innovation agenda across the globe. Education Requirements:BS/MS in Food Science/Engineering - 15 yrs Experience of 10 years in production and/or QA Product Design Thinking certificate a plus Business and/or Finance certificate/experience a plus What We'll Do For You:Experiences: The opportunity to learn and grow with a global organization and through multiple different category business development. Innovation & Technology: The ability to work with an award-winning team that is on the cutting edge of innovation.Agile Work Environment: We embrace agile with management that believes in removing barriers, so you are empowered to experiment, iterate, and innovate.Location(s):BelgiumCity/Cities:BrusselsTravel Required:00% - 25%Relocation Provided:NoJob Posting End Date:April 17, 2026Our 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 (https://www.coca-colacompany.com/company/purpose-and-vision) to learn more about these behaviors and how you can bring them to life in your next role at Coca-Cola.Annual Incentive Reference Value Percentage:30Annual Incentive reference value is a market-based competitive value for your role. It falls in the middle of the range for your role, indicating performance at target. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.