The posting
Job Description Summary:
Director, Category Leadership – Convenience Retail Shopper Insights
The Coca-Cola Category team is seeking a strategic, forward-thinking leader to shape shopper insights and thought leadership across the Convenience Retail customer portfolio.
Reporting to the Senior Director II of Convenience Retail and Customer Shopper Insights, this role will develop best-in-class customer and shopper insights that strengthen category growth strategies and accelerate commercial decision-making across the channel. In close partnership with Sales, Category Leadership, Bottling Partners, Commercial Strategy, and Human Insights, this leader will translate customer, shopper, and marketplace insights into scalable recommendations that improve customer outcomes and build organizational capability. The role combines analytics, primary research, strategic planning, and compelling storytelling to identify opportunities, solve business challenges, and influence internal and external decisions.
Success requires strong cross-functional leadership, strategic thinking, and the ability to turn emerging trends—within and beyond the channel—into actionable recommendations for retail partners and Coca-Cola.
Key Responsibilities
Customer & Shopper Insights
- Create compelling narratives that connect category trends, shopper behavior, and industry dynamics to actions that accelerate growth.
- Deliver customer presentations, executive business reviews, industry content content, and thought leadership that influence strategy and inspire action.
- Develop repeatable insights frameworks that strengthen decision-making across the Convenience Retail portfolio.
- Partner with Sales, Category Leadership, and Commercial Strategy to embed shopper insights into customer plans and category strategies.
Strategic Advisor
- Identify marketplace, category, shopper, consumer, and customer trends that inform decisions and growth strategies.
- Translate complex data and insights into clear recommendations and action plans.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to Customers, Sales, Bottlers, and cross-functional stakeholders by developing a deep understanding of the business, identifying root causes of challenges, and translating insights into practical solutions that drive growth.
- Serve as the voice of the Convenience Retail channel across the Coca-Cola system building CR-focused narratives across Retail, FSOP, and Global stakeholders.
Research & Analytics Leader
- Lead end-to-end qualitative and quantitative research as needed, including business question development, methodology design, supplier and budget management, analysis, storytelling, and activation.
- Connect business questions with the right methodologies, data sources, and analytical approaches.
- Ensure findings are actionable, relevant, and aligned with business objectives.
Capability & Innovation Champion
- Advance the organization’s insight capabilities, data assets, and analytical tools.
- Stay current on emerging research methods, technologies, and industry best practices.
- Drive adoption of new tools, data sources, and innovative approaches across the organization.
Cross-Functional Collaborator
- Build strong partnerships across Retail Sales, Category Leadership, Commercial Strategy, Human Insights, and other enterprise teams.
- Influence stakeholders across functions and organizational levels without direct authority.
- Create alignment around strategic priorities and consistent marketplace narratives.
Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, finance, or a related field required; MBA preferred.
- Experience: Minimum of 7+ years experience in customer insights, shopper insights, category management, digital commerce, commercial strategy, consumer research, or a related analytical discipline within CPG, retail, foodservice, or an adjacent industry.
- Analytical Skills: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and translate findings into action.
- Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels.
- Customer Focus: Demonstrated ability to understand customer needs, build strong relationships, and develop business solutions.
- Execution: Ability to move confidently between broad strategic thinking and detailed execution.
Skills
- Ability to synthesize primary and secondary data into clear insights, recommendations, and measurable actions.
- Ability to connect category leadership strategies with customer priorities.
- Strong understanding of evolving shopper behavior, retail strategy, go-to-market execution, and commercial testing principles.
- Experience developing thought leadership, strategic frameworks, and future-focused perspectives that drive customer and category growth.
- Exceptional executive-level communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to simplify complex information for senior leaders and customers.
- Experience with syndicated and industry data providers such as NielsenIQ, Circana, 84.51°, Numerator, NACS, and Technomic.
- Experience designing research and managing external partners through project delivery.
- Strong planning and prioritization skills, with the ability to balance near-term deliverables and long-term strategic objectives.
Why Coca-Cola
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 is 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.
What We’ll Do for You
- Shape Industry Impact: Lead the integration of shopper and customer insights that influence how Coca‑Cola and retail partners navigate the rapidly evolving Convenience Retail landscape.
- Empower Strategic Growth: Collaborate with senior leaders, bottlers, and commercial teams to turn data into actionable strategies that drive category expansion and customer value creation.
- Advance Insight Capabilities: Access cutting‑edge research technologies, analytical tools, and methodologies that enhance your ability to generate powerful, scalable insights and storytelling.
- Collaborate Across the System: Engage with cross‑functional experts in Sales, Category Leadership, Commercial Strategy, and Human Insights, building partnerships that accelerate innovation and thought leadership.
- Grow Professionally and Purposefully: Gain exposure to executive‑level decision making while contributing to Coca‑Cola’s continued leadership in retail insights, shopper engagement, and customer growth strategy within one of the most dynamic markets in North America.
The Coca-Cola Company will not offer sponsorship for employment status (including, but not limited to, H1-B visa status and other employment-based nonimmigrant visas) for this position. Accordingly, all applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis and must not require The Coca-Cola Company's sponsorship to continue to work legally in the United States.
Skills:
Analytical Thinking, Analytical Thinking, Brand Positioning, Brand Storytelling, Category Analysis, Category Insights, Category Management, Category Management Strategy, Category Strategy, Channel Management, Channels Strategy, Communication, Competitive Assessments, Consumer Retail, Consumer Segmentation, Consumer Trends, Decision Making, Digital Media Strategy, Group Problem Solving, Leadership, Market Research, Media Planning, Microsoft Office, Quantitative Research, Research Analysis {+ 5 more}
Pay Range:
United States: 169,000 - 200,000 USD
Base pay offered may vary depending on geography, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. A full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position, is offered.
Annual Incentive Reference Value Percentage:
30
Annual 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.
Location(s):
United States of America
City/Cities:
Atlanta
Travel Required:
00% - 25%
Relocation Provided:
No
Job Posting End Date:
November 4, 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.
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. When we collect your personal information as part of a job application or offer of employment, we do so in accordance with industry standards and best practices and in compliance with applicable privacy laws.
