Director, Sustainability – World Without Waste

This position provides leadership and direction for the Coca-Cola North America Operating Unit, with respect to the development and execution of a North American platform focused on meeting the packaging needs of consumers while maximizing environmental and social sustainability. The position creates value by working across functions to assess our impact, establish improvement strategies and enable effective business system execution. The position also helps to represent and promote the company packaging sustainability efforts with key internal and external stakeholders. Key initiatives include integration with driving value from North America recovery industry investments, new technology and product deployment, assessment of packaging LCA impacts, packaging-related regulatory and policy developments, problem solving on packaging recycling issues, working with brand and customer teams to leverage packaging attributes with consumers and customers, coordination of training efforts and interaction with internal and external stakeholders. The system focus on post-consumer recovery requires partnership with cross-functional groups in PACS/Sustainability, Policy and Compliance to help drive the company position with respect to legislated deposit programs.

Estimated Travel: 25-35%

Function Specific Activities:

• Develop and manage a strategic, long-term, results-oriented program that minimizes the environmental impact of packaging over the NA Group’s entire package/product value chain. 
• The execution of this program will drive performance of Coca-Cola North America and its system partners to address issues and future trends (legislation or policy development) expected to affect the business.
• This may include working with Corporate and field leaders to define and deploy the strategy/program.
• Support the identification and compilation of sustainable packaging metrics needed to report the packaging sustainability performance of the NA Coca-Cola System internally and externally. 
• Partner with cross functional areas including: Research and Innovation, Customer Marketing, Brand teams, Procurement, Global Environment & Water Resources, Manufacturing, Engineering, Finance, Operational Excellence, Public Affairs and Communications, Customers, and Franchise Bottlers to ensure sustainable Packaging strategies and tactics are embedded in all aspects of the NAOU system operating framework
• Continuously identify and make recommendations about emerging business opportunities, technology capabilities or scientific breakthroughs that offer solutions to technical problems and/or affect the Company's strategic direction in the area of packaging sustainability. 
• Develop and apply LCA methodologies to determine the environmental impact of packaging processes and materials as an input to the Common Innovation Framework.
• Act as scientific, regulatory, technical or quality expert as it relates to sustainable packaging and recycling in NA by responding to targeted questions from the field or other departments/business units and providing support to branches, bottlers and customers.
• This includes acting as a resource for general information and acting as a consultant for other technical personnel in the Company.
• Represent the company position at environmental sustainability- related forums and interact with external organizations such as governmental regulators, NGO partners, trade, scientific and industry groups, or in internal company forums to share best practices and promote the NAOU sustainable packaging vision.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education Requirements:

Minimum Required:

• BS in technical discipline - Environmental Science, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Public Affairs

Preferred Level:

• Bachelors in Environmental Science, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Public Affairs with Strong professional experience managing sustainable packaging and/or recycling related projects or processes. 

Experience

Minimum Required: 

• At least 7 years, in professional positions that touch packaging design, minimization of primary or secondary packaging, recycling and product recovery, preferably in the manufacturing sector, has represented a packaging position with trade groups, NGOs and government bodies, understanding of environmental policies and regulations pertaining to waste.

Preferred Level:

• At least 10 years of relevant environmental experience including managing field professionals.  
• Ability to represent the company in contentious interactions, as well as in situations supporting company business partners including (suppliers, customers and bottling partners) working toward building a strong positive relationship long term.

Functional Skills

• Strong Communications skills and ability to work with disparate functions to reach a common goal.  Experience communicating / presenting, having a professional presence with the ability to address concerns and opportunities across a diverse set customers and strategic asset partners, including executive leadership, to establish company credibility and demonstrate technical expertise.
• Technical Advocacy:  Ability to clearly and persuasively articulate the technical facts and supporting evidence for the system’s goals and initiatives with internal and external stakeholders.
• Program Management: Demonstrated ability to provide oversight and management with cross-functional programs and projects to achieve desired results on time and in budget.  
• Sustainability Expert: scientific, regulatory and technical expert in sustainability disciplines to consult and respond to targeted questions, providing support for internal departments and external bottling partners and customers.  This includes acting as a resource for general information to technical details.
• Key performance indicators for sustainability; track, trend and set strategies and goals to accomplish business objectives
• Ability to lead and drive results with a cross-functional team to create a clear sustainability program for the company.

Preferred Level

Examples of being seen as an industry respected, subject matter expert Eg. publications

Skills:

Chemistry; Product Development; Leadership; Continual Improvement Process; Sustainability; Environmental Science; Microbiology Testing; Researching; Project Management; Food Sciences; Food Technology; Communication; Food Safety and Sanitation; Laboratory Testing; Quality Control (QC); Green Solutions; Data Collections; Sensory Testing

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.

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