Senior Manager, Compliance & Innovation

Accountabilities:

Protect and enable our license to operate (consistent, digitisation, effective & efficient compliance, functional excellence & innovation insights)

• Safeguard TCCC Trade Secrets: Manage the protection of trade secrets, including product formulations and flavor information, when interacting with regulatory authorities and third parties. 
• Advance Regulatory Digitization: Lead and strengthen the implementation of ongoing reviews for efficient and effective regulatory digitization systems, processes, and tools, ensuring successful execution by SRA associates in franchise operations. 
• Streamline Product Approval: Manage systems and processes for product approval and regulatory compliance to meet new product development timelines, collaborating with key stakeholders such as R&D, SRA franchise associates, supply chains, and marketing. 
• Guide Innovation and Compliance: Lead innovation and compliance processes for Franchise Operations' innovation projects, providing SRA guidance in collaboration with Franchise SRA associates. 
• Ensure Regulatory Compliance: Guarantee that all ingredients, formulas, products, labels, packaging, promotional materials, and marketing communications comply with relevant local regulations and The Coca-Cola Company's policies and guidelines. 
• Optimize Processes: Simplify, streamline, and digitize the end-to-end review of formulas and risk and impact assessments. Communicate promptly with the business and management in collaboration with franchise SRA associates when new regulations or changes occur in the markets. 
• Support Innovation and Commercialization: Partner with R&D and supply chain functions to support compliance for innovation and commercialization, providing scientific and regulatory expertise on new product concepts, ingredients, and enhanced claims. 
• Deliver Regulatory Expertise: Collaborate with market SRA leads to provide regulatory affairs expertise and guidance to the digital tools and system, addressing innovation-related regulatory issues impacting products, ingredients, and nutrition labeling while identifying opportunities for innovation and continuous development of SRA teams' competitive advantages. 

Networked organization

• Enhance SRA Communications: Lead internal and external SRA communications within the ASP OU to raise awareness of SRA's digitization and innovation expertise and contributions to the business. 
• Develop Leadership and Training: Provide leadership and training development to SRA associates to enhance effective digitization, compliance, and innovation communication both internally and externally. 
• Strengthen Stakeholder Relationships: Proactively strengthen relationships with key stakeholders like supply chain, R&D, Franchise SRA, and Technical Operations to simplify processes and improve the efficiency of innovation and compliance. 
• Coordinate Scientific Awareness: Inform R&D and other relevant stakeholders about emerging scientific and regulatory issues in markets to enhance understanding and mitigate risks associated with products. 
• Maintain Expert Networks: Partner with Franchise SRA teams to establish and maintain a network of internal and external SRA experts, ensuring adherence to the latest regulatory requirements, industry trends, and changes in the regulatory framework. 

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Key Skills/Experience Required:

• Educational Background: BSc., MSc., or Ph.D. in Chemistry, Food Science, or related technical fields. 
• Industry Experience: Preference for applicants with over 8 years of experience in product compliance, commercialization, and innovation within the food and beverage industry. Required is advanced knowledge of food regulations, digitization, innovation, and activity management. A proven track record in collaborative product development, digitization of systems and processes, and new product introductions is crucial. 
• Regulatory Expertise: Solid experience in scientific and regulatory compliance, with a thorough understanding of the regulatory framework across diverse fields in the food and beverage industry, and adeptness in risk management. 
• Communication Skills: Applicants must possess excellent interpersonal skills and strong written and oral communication skills. Fluency in English is required, and proficiency in other international languages relevant to the Operating Unit is a plus. 

Key Knowledge Requirements:

Regulatory Compliance: This requires knowledge of food and beverage regulations within the country, cluster, and operating unit, as well as an understanding of the regulatory landscape, including current issues and regulations. It also involves the ability to identify opportunities for more harmonized formula or product development across the operating unit and The Coca-Cola Company.

Regulatory Affairs: The ability to interact with government officials and represent the Company or the beverage industry is crucial. This means explaining complex scientific data, reports, or issues. Additionally, those in the role should be able to anticipate issues or concerns that may occur to public health officials and respond proactively. Moreover, they must be able to state their stance in a non-adversarial manner, like during situations of dispute resolution.

Food Safety: A basic understanding is required of the nature, properties, effects, and detection methods of toxic substances in food, especially ones like food additives and pesticides. Their disease manifestation, regulation, and testing methodologies should also be understood.

Compliance: Knowledge is needed about the compliance processes related to ingredients, products, packaging, claims, and communication, especially those associated with SRA. 

Digitization: A good understanding of digitization, including system efficiency and simplification, is necessary. Experience in driving digitization for building system efficiency and effectiveness, and successful implementation will be advantageous.

BROAD EXPERTISE IN (GOOD TO HAVE)

• Building Value-Based Relationships: Ability to generate alliances internally and externally by continuously identifying and acting on those things that will create success for the Company and its customers, bottlers, suppliers, communities, and governments.
• Customer Focus: Making customers (external and internal) and their needs a primary focus of one's actions; developing and sustaining productive customer relationships; creating and executing plans and solutions in collaboration with the customer.
• Problem Analysis and Resolution:  Ability to form an opinion or make a decision through careful testing of assumptions and facts; willingness to take action consistent with available facts, constraints, and probable consequences.
• Negotiation: Ability to explore alternatives and positions to reach outcomes that gain all parties’ support and acceptance.  Desire to strive for win-win outcomes.
• Process Improvement: Ability to analyze existing processes and identify more efficient ways to accomplish goals and meet customer and client requirements; ability to continuously improve processes through regular assessment and adjustment.

Skills:

Chemistry; Leadership; Product Development; Continual Improvement Process; Sustainability; Nutritional Science; Environmental Science; Microbiological Test; Waterfall Model; Food Sciences; Food Technology; Scientific Research; Communication; People Management; Food Safety and Sanitation; Laboratory Testing; Data Compilation; Quality Control (QC); Green Solutions; Sensory Testing