Senior Director, Manufacturing Strategy and PLM

At The Coca‑Cola Company, the ability to transform innovation into scalable, market-ready solutions depends on a world-class manufacturing ecosystem supported by disciplined governance and lifecycle management. The Senior Director, Manufacturing Strategy and PLM drives this transformation for our Global Equipment Platforms (GEP), shaping the standards, processes, and partner strategies that enable breakthrough equipment platforms to move confidently from concept through commercialization and into global deployment. 

In this role, you will define Coca-Cola’s manufacturing business model for new technology, determine when and how to leverage OEM, JDM, and contract manufacturing partners, and oversee qualification programs that uphold rigorous quality and compliance standards. Additionally, you will ensure Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) becomes the backbone for operational excellence—digitizing requirements, optimizing change-control workflows, and maintaining data integrity throughout the lifecycle. This leadership position combines strategic business judgment with deep technical expertise across industrialization, PLM architecture, CAD integration, supplier governance, and new product introduction execution. 

If you thrive in a role where manufacturing strategy meets enterprise digital innovation and enjoy building global capabilities that accelerate speed-to-market while managing risk, this opportunity puts you at the center of Coca-Cola’s next-generation equipment platforms and system-wide transformation. 

What You’ll Do for Us 

• Define and lead global manufacturing strategy for equipment platforms, choosing optimal partner models (OEM, JDM, contract manufacturing, co-development) based on technology roadmap, scalability, cost, and IP strategy. 

• Set and enforce world-class manufacturing standards that ensure suppliers meet Coca-Cola expectations for quality, performance, safety, and process control rather than lowering standards for fit. 

• Own execution of manufacturing readiness for new product introductions (NPI), from concept validation through scalability and deployment across multiple operating units and bottlers. 

• Govern supplier performance programs encompassing segmentation, qualification, certification, audits, capability development, and corrective actions to drive continuous improvement. 

• Oversee facility authorization and global audit processes to safeguard quality, compliance, and business continuity across manufacturing partners. 

• Establish PLM strategy as the enterprise digital backbone, embedding lifecycle traceability, requirements adherence, engineering-change management, revision control, and automated governance into day-to-day processes. 

• Ensure CAD and PLM integration supports modular architecture, design-for-manufacturing, product configuration control, and collaborative workflows across global stakeholders. 

• Build technical interfaces between engineering, procurement, regulatory teams, quality, and manufacturing partners to enable structured design-to-scale execution. 

• Drive modernization initiatives for PLM platforms, enabling SaaS transition, scalability, and closed-loop feedback from field performance into product development decisions. 

• Develop manufacturing capability roadmaps for strategic suppliers and lead gap-closing interventions that bring partners up to Coca-Cola’s standards for advanced innovation. 

• Lead, develop, and coach a high-performance team overseeing PLM, CADD/PLM integration, JDM/OEM governance, supply chain manufacturing control, and design-to-manufacturing workflows. 

Requirements & Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, or related technical field; advanced degree preferred. 

• 15+ years of progressive experience in equipment manufacturing strategy, new product industrialization, PLM governance, supplier quality, and global supply chain leadership. 

• Expertise in manufacturing business model selection (OEM, JDM, contract manufacturing) combined with experience defining standards for regulated or high-precision industries such as foodservice equipment, appliances, automotive, or aerospace. 

• Proven success in global supplier qualification, audits, compliance governance, and capability-building programs to mitigate risk and elevate manufacturing performance. 

• Deep knowledge of PLM as a business capability, including mastery of engineering change workflows, product structure management, CAD integration, configuration control, and lifecycle traceability; Windchill and Creo experience preferred. 

• Demonstrated ability to lead NPI execution programs, leveraging design-for-manufacturing standards and structured process validation methods for enterprise-scale readiness. 

• Strong leadership profile with the ability to influence across a global network of OEM/JDM partners, suppliers, operating units, and matrixed stakeholders in engineering, procurement, and quality domains. 

• Experience managing enterprise-scale PLM modernizations, SaaS transitions, and global data governance systems in compliance-driven sectors. 

• Exceptional business judgment, problem-solving, and communication skills paired with technical depth and executive presence. 

• Skilled in driving change-management initiatives that align global teams and suppliers to standardized methods and digital operating models. 

What We’ll Do for You 

• Provide a senior leadership platform to shape Coca-Cola’s manufacturing and PLM roadmap that governs next-generation equipment deployment globally. 

• Enable influence on enterprise-scale decisions that accelerate innovation, improve readiness, and ensure supplier capability meets world-class standards. 

• Offer exposure to OEM/JDM governance, PLM digital transformation, and modernization initiatives that define Coca-Cola’s manufacturing future. 

• Support growth as a strategic leader building integrated capabilities that connect lifecycle governance, operational discipline, and digital innovation.